to be upset when I disagree profoundly with friend's (political) opinions

[SilverBones]

So, this weekend, I got talking to a friend, who started complaining about the new 50p tax rate over £150,000. He said that he got nothing in return for this, and all he was doing was paying for dole scroungers and benefit thieves who didn't want to work. He claimed that he wanted a nice lifestyle for his family and didn't see why he should have to give his money away. I think it's relevant that this person earns his living in the banking sector, and as far as I understand it, if the taxpayer had not bailed the banks out (at huge cost to us all), he would not have a job at all, let alone be continuing to earn over £200,000.

Am I being unreasonable? My DH thinks I am and I'm sure this person thinks I'm just jealous. I probably am! But the thing is I also fundamentally disagree with him. I think that the 50p tax rate should have come in a long time ago, and I think it's far more complex than just paying for the welfare bill. The conversation made me very angry and quite upset. What do you do when you disagree profoundly with a friend's position on something like that? I'm finding it ridiculously hard to move on!

I understand the argument; I'm just saying look at the people who are making it. They have a vested interest in making it. Economic thinktanks are rarely independent, and there are plenty that lean rightward; they were particularly influential in the 80s. That doesn't mean they are Tory stoogers: often what the thinktanks have to say is unpalatable to the Tories, as is the case with the 50p tax band, which the Tories do not oppose.

For what it's worth, I don't believe for a minute that losing 10 more pence in every pound over £150,000 will drive people out of the country. 1/It's just not worth it for such a small sum. 2/It's not like there is high-paid work falling out of the trees anywhere in the world and 3/We live in a low-tax economy, whatever the rich might think. Our headline tax rate might be lower than France, but we pay far, far fewer additional taxes.

AllFallDown, the problem isn't the "merely rich" who earn £200k a year or so. They are very rich, will complain a lot, but will pay up.

The problem is those who earn several million a year or more. They are people who probably already have several homes overseas, are very comfortable travelling the world, and couldn't care less where they live as long as they live in luxury. Unfortunately, they also happen to pay the most tax.

It is definitely good to have these people living in Britain. They buy more and provide lots of jobs.

Bankers are different though. I find their arguments for huge bonuses quite silly, given how much the taxpayer has lost in bailing them out.

Even the banks which weren't nationalised wouldn't exist without the taxpayer guaranteeing their dodgy assets. So I don't see a big distinction between RBS and Barclays.