Would you be willing to take a pay cut to help fight coronavirus?

[Eyewhisker]

The Times today was reporting that 90% of people want the lockdown to continue but the economic cost is at least double what the government originally estimated. A lockdown beyond end April is probably totally unaffordable.

One way to make this work is to impose a one-off ‘NHS levy’ where everyone with an income above a certain minimum level - say £1500 per month, pays 20% of the income above that level as an extra tax for the duration of the lockdown, going back to normal a month afterwards. Benefits and the triple-lock pension increase could be frozen for two years and the winter fuel allowance abolished. Those companies which benefit from the crisis - supermarkets, Amazon could also pay the NHS levy for the extra profits that they have for the lockdown. This will not be enough to pay for the lockdown but could allow the longer lockdown that people seem to want and reduce the debt that we will all have to pay back afterwards.

If you’re in favour of the lockdown, would you be willing to do this?

I'm working double the hours for no extra money, so my pay has already been cut by 50%. I would need a lot of convincing to carry on working my current hours for any less. As it is, I'm working for less than £4.50 per hour.

Not a chance in hell. I am working long hours and putting my own life at risk to fight coronavirus. After all the pay freezes over the last decade I feel I have already paid my way.

Yes i would and I was very low waged to start with

No I wouldn't. We aren't in a position to take any financial hit right now. I'm at risk of redundancy and due to go on mat leave in less than three months.

In theory I would do but in reality losing any pay would mean losing our home so no

I'm a single parent with a mortgage and bills to pay. I am already a low earner despite working full time. I work in a key industry and am currently working a lot of unpaid hours, so no I would not be prepared to pay an additional levy.

Frankly there are enough wealthy people and corporations who have avoided paying walhat they should for decades, perhaps time to make them pay what they owe rather than yet again penalising the poorest

I expect we will all be taking a pay cut in the form of increased taxes when this is all over anyway.

Or the government could make Google/Amazon and other massive tax dodging big businesses pay the tax they should pay & solve the problem instantly instead of targeting individuals?

Well, I could take a pay cut, I suppose, but it would be tight, as I already took a massive pay cut after being made redundant earlier this year. I'd have to stop the voluntary payments that I have been making to a number of self employed people (e.g. dd's dance teacher) to help them stay afloat during this time, and I'd have to stop all of the charitable donations that I'm still making. So whatever extra I put into the pot would probably just come out in other ways.

NHS and key workers (supermarket staff etc) could be exempted.

We will all be taking paycuts to pay for this lockdown in the future. I’d rather have my income reduce for a temporary period than for my kids schools to have yet more cuts. We will all be paying for this no matter what and it is better we start now rather than later.

I did say that Amazon etc would pay too and at a high rate, but that is simply not enough. If we want the lockdown, we have to pay for it.

The company I work for have cut wages by 20% across the board already and we're still all working full time hours. I couldn't take another cut on top of that.

I’ve already been given a 20% pay cut by my employer (I’m not furloughed). I’m guessing lots of people will have pay cuts by employers anyway.

But it would only apply above an income threshold.

We have to face reality that we will all be taking a paycut to pay for this, it is only a question of when we start and whether we decide that we want our children’s life chances to be reduced rather than our own pay now. It would be temporary and relieve the permanent reduction in their future prospects.

Not willing.
But I'd accept tax rises are inevitable to fund this and everyone get a pay cut (well higher paid ones anyway)

I’m shocked companies are doing what yours are @TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 and I know of quite a few friends in the same position.
I’d certainly have zero loyalty to them as an employer after this is all over

I find this astonishing.

Almost everyone wants the lockdown to continue but next to no one is willing to pay for it. Why not if saving lives is so important?

It seems that people are totally blind to the cost of this and the implications for their children’s futures.

Self employed, so already taken a big hit.

Because, whilst people can see the bigger picture, the short term picture of being able to pay your bills and feed your families is actually more important right here, right now.

I find this astonishing

I agree OP. What a selfish society we have become.

I would happily donate my commute costs (which not paying at the moment) to help subsidise others, that would be creeping on for 20%.

Eyewhisker

Have you been financially impacted already?

Many people on this site have lost jobs, had pay cuts, been furloughed, lost businesses already.

What is clearly being said is that for the people responding, there is no more give in their budgets.

Then look at the companies like Virgin and Easy jet, laid off staff with no pay for extended periods, claimed financial support from the government, sitting on bank accounts that go into the billions.

That's where the money is. Of course it would have to be dragged from them kicking, screaming, clawing and crying so the rest of us who are already trying to figure out if we have one 'something on toast' meal this week or 3 will end up footing the bill and suffering for it.

The problem is being furloughed has take 50% already.

No. I’ve already lost 3 weeks wages due to isolation. I’m likely to lose at least 2 more as I can’t work until dh is recovered enough to be left alone. I’m an agency nurse on a zero hours contract so 2 weeks SSP for those 5 weeks. DH is furloughed. Our income is down by about 75%. When I’m able to return to work, I’ll need the money to repay debts incurred in this time for bills and food.

The rich people are hoarding all the money
www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-money-offshore-makes-inequality-look-even-worse?r=US&IR=T
they should pay