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 don't actually think a 65% tax rate would deter people from aiming high - the ones that want to be senior seem to want it because they like their job and the power/position, rather than strictly the money. I for one have never wanted to be senior no matter how much money is on offer, because I don't want to kill myself working any more than 37.5 hours a week.

Good idea in theory though I'm not sure many would go for it. Personally, I'm still working throughout all this and I'm currently working more hours than I should be for the same money as always so I suppose technically I've already taken a bit of a pay cut.

I don't think this lockdown can go on for any huge length of time. It's unsustainable economically, we'll all be paying the price of this virus for years to come.

Agree with PPs who are saying that big business needs to pay for this. There is billions being hidden and hoarded, that needs to end.

For DH and I, 20% of our income would be an incredible amount of money to lose at the moment. We're fortunate to both be in jobs we can continue to do from home, but our finances/savings are stretched to the limit as we're in the process of buying a house for my mum to live in for her retirement.

Long term tax increases I accept are an inevitability and we'll have to make allowances for that, but whilst I support the reasons behind lockdown, I'd sooner take my chances (for me personally) than give up 20% of my income right now.

I'm absolutely not in favour of a long lockdown and I don't personally know anyone who is.