Please convince me that the Tories WON'T create wider divisions btween the rich and poor and haves and have nots?

[poshsinglemum]

I'm not great at politics but I am under the imptression that things like inheritance tax and tax breaks for married people are going to widen the gap between the rich and poor?

Am, I wrong? Would anyone like to explain how the Tories would improve my lot as a single mum. Would they find me a nice man to marry for example?

mitchyinge I am totally in favour of inheritance tax. I can't understand why anyone wouldn't be

The way I see it we all have to pay a certain amount of tax. Personally I'd rather pay it once I am dead rather than be taxed at an increased rate whilst I am alive.

you don't think we pay enough tax already?

Well tax is inevitable. I accept we have to be taxed and feel it is far more sensible to do it on what is left over at the end of my life rather than make me pay more whilst I am alive.

I think it stinks - parents will have already paid tax on that income once, why again?

do not agree with punishing people for working hard and being successful and trying to make provision for their offspring

Over twenty odd tax paying years I've seen my tax money pissed away equally by Labour and the Conservatives over a decade each and the social gap is as wide as ever. I'm going for the people who promise to piss away the least possible, as however much we pay it makes no difference. Labour voter born and bred.

But Mitchy if they don't take it when you die they will take it on your earned income whilst you are alive.

So instead of (for ex) 20% on income whilst alive and 20% on death you would prefer to pay 40% on your earned income whilst you are alive?

That makes no sense to me.

already is about 40% isn't it?

Depends on your income. It was an example. But if you are paying 40% tax you can be assured that if inheritance tax is scrapped then you will be paying far more in income tax.

My point is not the rates of tax - the same amount of taxes will be claimed regardless. Your only choice is when that tax is taken. When you are alive or when you are dead.

Please convince me that the Tories have a sodding clue what they're going to be doing! Just had a leaflet come throught the door from the local Tory candidate. On the front page he is shown pulling a pint in the local pub and saying how he is joining a campaign to save the pubs. On the reverse he is labelling the Labour's candidate's statement that the area needs more pubs as "shocking and disgraceful". Make your mind up, mate!

I'm always perplexed by those who seem to think that Labour is for the poor whilst the Tories only care about the rich.

For example:

It is Gordon Brown's tax regime that has meant a banker pays proportinally less of his income in taxes than does his cleaner. Here.

Under Brown, the poorest 20% pay a larger proportion of their income in taxes than do the richest, according to the government's own statistics. Here.

The abolition of the 10p tax rate means, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, some 5.3 million families earning between £5,400 and £18,500 a year will be worse off. Here

The manufacturing sector has declined more quickly under Labour than it did under Thatcher. Here.

Meanwhile, we have Mandelson telling us how comfortable he is about people being "super rich", whilst he spends his weekends shooting with the Rothschilds.

SLB: That article is wrong because they changed the tax credits system and various other things to offset that loss for families

Families and pensioners are BETTER OFF under Labour. The group that is worse off is working non-families. Not everyone IS going to be better off under any government but I'd rather it was families and pensioners that were favoured!

The problem is we are getting a larger and larger portion of society who take more that they give in financial terms (as evidenced by Riven and secondcoming). That is simply unsustainable, now some people are in that situation for valid reasons i.e they are carers or they are sick, however some are just plain and simple a drain on society they are perhaps 2rd generation unemployed, their lives are completed funded by the state and I think if the Tories cut them off then so much the better.

Come on FGS how any one can think the present SOS are a good government is beyond me. They have robbed the pensions of millions(Which I dont have) and the current low interest rates rob anyone with savings and give millions to those who over borrowed on mortgages.
The current economic mess was caused by the current government badly mis managing the economy and wasting vast amounts of money without improving public services.

Shall we talk about the war in Iraq that the present government took us in to with the massive loss of life on all sides and the huge financial costs associated with it.
Do you remember the tank commander (sorry I can not recall his name)who died because they did not even have enough body armour.
Surely the mothers on this forum can understand that any government that sends their sons to war without the right/enough equipment doesnt care at all.

What is wrong with people being responsible for their own actions eg getting pregnant outside of a stable relationship and without the financial resorces to support themselves.
I am not knocking single mothers, just people that do not consider the consiquences of their own actions.

So lets look at what we have and take a deep breath before we critercise the conservatives who now have very little in common with the previous conservative government.

you know I am SO BEYOND tories vs labour. there are better and worse governments from both parties.

for eg, the much much ridiculed major govt did more to close the gap between rich and poor than most.

whereas to my mind blair and the new labour project was all about hooking in mondeo man, and not much at all about looking after what has historically been labour's core constituency the working class.

distribution of wealth in this country has got much worse under blair governments.

Not at all, perhaps you should consider whether you can afford another child at this time though.

tsc yes you really should look for work its called personal responsibility. YOU got pregnant, it was your choice, now you expect the State(Read Tax Payers) to pay for you to stay at home playing poorly done to mummy.
If you can not afford more children DO NOT get pregnant. Quite simple.
Paid 100k over 20 years in tax, 5k per year. Tax is not some sort of savings scheme to be drawn as required. Look at what you have recieved in the last 20 years eg police, military, healthcare. In a lot of countries the cost of childbirth would have used up a large portion of your 100k.
Personal responsibility.

Why would tax breaks for married people widen the gap between rich and poor? Surely marriage is something that is open to all?

Inheritance tax breaks will make people more equal, surely?

What am I missing?

I don't know the answer but one thing is for sure, the gap between rich and poor has significantly widened under the Labour government, although I am prepared to concede that they probably did not intend this to happen.

So I don't think that any government Labour or Conservative would want to increase the gap, but somethings there are unintended consequences.....

So in summary, no I don't think they will create wider divisions, because the Labour government has created some pretty wide ones...

Labour have created a situation where there is a poverty of aspiration. This in turn widens the gap between rich and poor, and dependecy on state benefits.