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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:
Litchick · 24/04/2009 15:44

I think I would feel the same Brettgirl - though that would assume that I was earning a very decent wage to begin with. I'd hit a saturation point I think where I'd be satisfied and rather extra time than cash. But I admit that such saturation point would be high. I have been poor and it's shite.
I tried working in the city but it wasn't for me. The hours were too grinding, the pressure too great. DH however thrives on it.
IWould he do it if the rewards were not so ggreat - would he hell.

brettgirl2 · 24/04/2009 15:53

I think though litchick that the salary you earn is not really that important. What is more important is whether you have enough to spend. Where you live in the country makes a difference - people in London work very long hours from what I can see.

brettgirl2 · 24/04/2009 15:54

And of course cost of living is vastly different.

brightongirldownunder · 27/04/2009 07:49

Could we all just agree on one thing please?

£150,000 is a SHEDLOAD of money. No one has the right to say "its not that much". You choose to pay more for private schools, healthcare, a bigger house etc etc. You don't actually NEED them.

Christ almighty. I feel a bit sick to be honest...this is why the world is in recession.

kiddiz · 27/04/2009 09:24

Simple answer would to be to find a job paying less than 150k then the higher rate tax wouldn't affect you. You'd still be earning 6x my family income and while I don't consider my self rich we certainly don't go hungry of cold.

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