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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think 51% tax is ridiculous, and already to be planning to move to Asia

805 replies

hedgiemum · 22/04/2009 14:33

Namechanged. Married to someone who earns well in excess of £150,000 a year, though neither does he earn 7 figures.
He is still quite young in his career - a recent promotion to a senior position, but has not been earning this kind of money of long, so we still have a mortgage and haven't saved large amounts (what we have saved is through his pension which is no longer going to be particularly worth doing.)

He phoned me a minute after end of budget to say he'd watched it with his boss whose reaction was that he would move the company (not a bank, but in finance) to Asia. Probably Hong Kong - 12% tax rather than the 51% we'd be paying here.

Seems like a kneejerk reaction, and clearly we can afford to pay more, but boss doesn't feel he'll get good productivity from staff if they are getting to take home less than half their income. Plus it decreases ever-present risk of them being headhunted by companies in lower-tax economies.

AIBU to be PLEASED (I used to hate tax exiles.) Partly because it just does not seem fair. Partly because this country has been run so badly by New Labour of whom we had such high expectations, and the medical care we have received has been shite, the local schools are shite, the roads are insanely busy and yet is costs so much to live here.

OP posts:
SuziSeis · 22/04/2009 22:41

librasjustice - i could tell you some tales of what people expect my dp to do and when

policywonk · 22/04/2009 22:41

Are you alright there bumper?

Public sector-bashing is indeed deeply tedious.

hf128219 · 22/04/2009 22:42

Hedgie - thanks for your response. I still don't quite get it why you think the tax increase is unreasonable.

You may not have Jimmy Choos but you sure like your nice hotels!

You are in an incredibly fortunate position. And should be very grateful of that. You seem rather disgruntled - for again reasons (apart from greed)I cannot see.

twinsetandpearls · 22/04/2009 22:42

I think if you dont work in the public sector it is easy to bash.

My dp who is rather fabulous and only a twat about once a month used to think teachers have an easy life. Well why wouldn't you? We know of teachers what we see as children. They turn up teach and go home. We have long holidays and our day starts at 9 and finishes at half three. If you dont have inside knowledge it does look like that. I am sure tbh that I make assumptions about bankers that are not true.

If you have any nouse (sp) about you you choose a job that gives you what you want. Whether it be pay, job satisfaction ( maybe both for some very lucky people) flexibility ( this is why my dp does his job) pensions etc.

SuziSeis · 22/04/2009 22:42

FAQ it will be ME getting it wrong undoubtedly and

i thought you were saying to someone else..that it cannot be legal to have to work such long hours....?

twinsetandpearls · 22/04/2009 22:43

I have to say as well if my houshold income was 150K I would be expecting some Jimmy Choos or equivalent.

KerryMumbles · 22/04/2009 22:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LibrasJusticeLeagueofBiscuits · 22/04/2009 22:43

I'm sure you could SuziSeis and I would still point out that the importance of these people is all in their heads. As I regularly pointed out whilst working in finance it wasn't brain surgery and people weren't going to die.

SuziSeis · 22/04/2009 22:45

well in dps job lives ( albeit) animals are at risk

often though - more often than not - i would say it is not life/death he is called to but peoples late night worries

legally he HAS to attend

FAQinglovely · 22/04/2009 22:46

no I meant it can't be legal not to be allowed to have time off for a doctors appointment or illness, unless it's an extremely serious illness, and even then (while officially off sick) being expected to be working anyhow!

maybe it is??

SuziSeis · 22/04/2009 22:48

as it should be FAQ

KerryMumbles · 22/04/2009 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

twinsetandpearls · 22/04/2009 22:53

Kerry but the point is when you earn that much money you can pay someone else to be ill for you.

blossomsmine · 22/04/2009 22:55

I can't understand why someone would be happy to move so far away just to save money......money is not everything, surely?

Bumperlicioso · 22/04/2009 22:57

I'm alright PW, thanks for asking. Just in one of those moods where you think FFS I have 2 good degrees, a modicum of intelligence, a theoretically good job, I don't buy designer clothes/shoes/handbags/haven't had a holiday in 3 years, why the fuck am I in a financial quagmire? And when's it going to get better.

Anyway, that's besides the point. Someone has to do these public sector jobs, if we all decided to go for the high earning jobs who would be policing the country, clearing up litter, emptying the bins, treating you in hospital? Good job we are lazy buggers are don't work very hard for our money. Imagine the competition the high earners would have if us public sectors found a bit of motivation!

laza222 · 22/04/2009 22:58

I have read most of the the thread but not all.

Myself and DP had friends to stay the other week, a couple. One part of the couple earns a reasonable amount of money. Other half of couple earns a lot of money, not 150k , but maybe 60/70k and only been out of uni for two years. He clearly has done well for himself and that's great for him.

But unfortunatly with the success, has come an even more arrogant personality than before. I had to sit there and listen to him whilst he told me quote:

'When I was at University, everyone knew me. I'm not saying they were all my friends, but they knew who I was'. He then started to bang on about how everyone at his work knows him, blah blah, blah...before telling my DP (who is having a bit of a crappy time work wise right now) that if he was made unemployed, he could get him a job. Of course he would have to be a real b**rd to him but he would make sure he had a job.

Sorry...a bit of a side issue to the main topic and by no means am I suggesting that everyone who earns good money is like this, but the whole topic just reminded me of him. When I was speaking to him that day, I actually thought I might vomit on him! ...followed by shock at his arrogance and then actually finding him laughable!

SparklingSarah · 22/04/2009 22:59

PMSL!

yes sweetie you go into politics start the hedgie mnet party we'll all vote and hopefully you will see just what a hard task force it is.

please fee free to go if you truly think your life will be better elsewhere.

Our country has an awful lot to offer if only people would desist their greed.

Tell me one good reason why your DH shouldn't pay more tax?
you hadn't even figured it correctly before you started whining.
Are you afraid you'll lose a lifestyle?

what is SO awful to you?

Personally I have worked my ARSE off since I was 14 when I was 18 I was doing a degree and working I never begrudged it - it was the way my life was.
I had a fiver spare a week so long as everything went to plan!
I graduated I got a full time job and was managing with life

I can recall living in London and having to ring the MW and tell her shamefacedly that I didn't have enough money to get to my appt.
bless her she came out to me after hours she shoved a fiver in my tea caddy - she didn't have to do either. That's beyond kind it was the nicest thing anyone had done for SUCH a long time.
I struggled with my DD but you know what we've known mostly joy - the joy of sticking pasta to paper the joy of grabbing wellies in the rain going puddle jumping coming home to hot drinks.

We moved to Northants 2 yeras ago - we still struggle along as a family right now I cannot tell you where the rent is coming from. I know we have about £20 until some one needs my DH's services or mine.

I have sat up many a night managing with a tiny baby and a full time business I have had to evolve to cater for a recssion country.
I will succeed - I'm proud of myself I'm proud of my acheivements so far.

Sadly some people will never know the true wonder of having each other and having that be enough.

MollieO · 22/04/2009 23:00

Have you been to Monaco? Full of Russians and Eastern European hookers these days. It is like living on a small island - everyone knows your business whether you want them to or not. Unless you have several million you will also feel pretty poor there.

KerryMumbles · 22/04/2009 23:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FAQinglovely · 22/04/2009 23:03

oooo SparkilngSarah - where in northants are you >>

Nancy66 · 22/04/2009 23:03

is whinging compulsory if you work in the public sector?

Sorry - but presumably nobody held a gun to your head and made you all become: civil servants, council workers teachers etc?

yes, we need people to do these jobs but we also need people to earn the six and seven figure sums too.

Many people are attracted to the public sector because of the cushy life. The pay isn't as good but the holidays can be fantastic, as are the pensions, job security and hours etc.

FAQinglovely · 22/04/2009 23:04

"yes, we need people to do these jobs but we also need people to earn the six and seven figure sums too"

Ok - I can understand that their role in their jobs are in important - but why do they need to earn so much farking money???

ABetaDad · 22/04/2009 23:04

pointydog - that is how many people who work in the City really work all the time. I am not saying it is good but people who work elsewhere in the economy often do not have any concept of how extraordinarily hard City people really work. A 70 hour week is not at all uncommon every single week of the year.

I have done exactly what hedgiemum DH does. No lunch break, just a sandwich at the desk, no other breaks, just 12 hours straight trading in front of 4 computer screens with 2000 constantly changing numbers on them, never moving from my desk, except for the loo and coffee and then not very often. Then home for sleep and food and back again.

Honestly for the hours they put in many front line City traders get paid less per hour than many people in the public sector. If you are ill you are out. It is like working in a sweat shop.

I do not do it now. I SAW THE LIGHT.

noddyholder · 22/04/2009 23:06

why do we need 6 figure earners?

Nancy66 · 22/04/2009 23:07

Because high earners account for 53% of the monies gained from income tax and without them we couldn't pay the public sector workers.