COVID-19: Those earning above £19.5k should pay more tax after pandemic to help fix UK finances, says think-tank

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Your thoughts on this?

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-those-earning-above-19-5k-should-pay-more-tax-to-help-fix-finances-12130088

How should the debt be clawed back? What would you do if you were government to raise the money?

Bitterness is never a good look.

Why would I be bitter, we've paid a substantial extra amount off our mortgage over the last 12 months.

Learned dependency isn't a good look.

@SittinOnTheDockOfTheBay

Bitterness is never a good look.

Why would I be bitter, we've paid a substantial extra amount off our mortgage over the last 12 months.

Learned dependency isn't a good look.

Learned dependency? You are aware that people on furlough have jobs that they are desperate to get back to but the government have banned their workplaces from being open by law?

@Dugee

The problem is that furlough was a blunt instrument, rushed in and some people fell through the cracks. As someone mentioned below, some people got furlough for childcare - often leaving their colleagues to pick up the slack with extra work to do. *@Waxonwaxoff0* can't you see how it feels unfair to those people to have to pay for your paid time off when they struggled because they had perhaps lost a job before the lockdown or had to work extra hours to cover for their furloughed colleagues?

Nope, not really. If people had to work extra hours to cover furloughed colleagues that's on their employers, not on the workers. And everyone at my workplace was furloughed by the way as we had to close.

I had 4 months off. As a 30 year old I'll probably be working until I'm past 70. I don't feel bad about having 4 months off out of my entire working life, through no fault of my own.

@Dugee

The problem is that furlough was a blunt instrument, rushed in and some people fell through the cracks. As someone mentioned below, some people got furlough for childcare - often leaving their colleagues to pick up the slack with extra work to do. *@Waxonwaxoff0* can't you see how it feels unfair to those people to have to pay for your paid time off when they struggled because they had perhaps lost a job before the lockdown or had to work extra hours to cover for their furloughed colleagues?

Oh and I have been back at work since August so I am also now "paying for people's time off" who have been on furlough much longer than me. I do not care.

some people got furlough for childcare

What did you expect them to do? Ignore their kids

Learned dependency? You are aware that people on furlough have jobs that they are desperate to get back to but the government have banned their workplaces from being open by law?

You post regularly and you've often stated that you lived off benefits and now you are on NMW topped up by benefits. You were also paid furlough. This is learned dependency as you are reliant on a system paid for by others and yet you are very vocal about this not being enough and you want more.

@SittinOnTheDockOfTheBay

Learned dependency? You are aware that people on furlough have jobs that they are desperate to get back to but the government have banned their workplaces from being open by law?

You post regularly and you've often stated that you lived off benefits and now you are on NMW topped up by benefits. You were also paid furlough. This is learned dependency as you are reliant on a system paid for by others and yet you are very vocal about this not being enough and you want more.

What utter rubbish, I have never said I want more 😂

The problem the government has is that according to analysts 80% of the extra tax will come from 20% of taxpayers - the ones that pay the majority of the tax anyway and who have been squeezed for a long time.

People will only give so much and only have so much to give. There comes a point where you can't keep asking the same people to pay more especially when they feel that their money is not being spent wisely or is wasted.

What did you expect them to do? Ignore their kids

Yeah remember you shouldn't have had them if you can't look after them 🙄

Why would I be bitter, we've paid a substantial extra amount off our mortgage over the last 12 months.
Why then do you feel annoyed that someone couldn't do their job because of covid?

I agree with everyone else on this thread.
Everyone should pay more tax except for me.

Raise taxes across the board on higher earners. And higher wealth taxes especially.

@ifinditkindafunny

The problem the government has is that according to analysts 80% of the extra tax will come from 20% of taxpayers - the ones that pay the majority of the tax anyway and who have been squeezed for a long time.

People will only give so much and only have so much to give. There comes a point where you can't keep asking the same people to pay more especially when they feel that their money is not being spent wisely or is wasted.

I very much doubt those at the upper end of earners are being “squeezed”.

There needs to be an international effort to target billionaires to be honest. And bloody hedge funds who have no value to offer any economy whatsoever. Wealth hoarders who’ve made money off the backs of others but like to pretend they did it all single handedly.

I say tax higher earners more. And raise tax on luxury goods.

@Viviennemary

I say tax higher earners more. And raise tax on luxury goods.

Can we first redefine what 'luxury goods' are? Because up until 2 months ago tampons were still included in that bracket and I'm sure there are plenty of other non luxury products that have been deemed luxury (usually due to outdated misogyny and other discrimination).

I'm all for taxing real luxury (perhaps we should tax holidays - definitely a luxury) but let's make sure they really are luxury items first.

Good point

It's like the witch trials. 'don't burn me, burn them instead, they deserve it'.

@Viviennemary

I say tax higher earners more. And raise tax on luxury goods.

Australia has a luxury car tax. I think that could be implemented here. Anyone who can afford a car (over 50k say) can afford to pay an extra tax on it. I'd say the same with expensive handbags and jewellery- if you can afford to spend 20 odd k on a necklace, then you can afford to pay extra tax on it. Buying these things is voluntary. If they are bought abroad then the tax can be paid when they are imported here.

@Icenii

It's like the witch trials. 'don't burn me, burn them instead, they deserve it'.

Yes. It's a really divisive subject. Everyone is feeling hard done to whether they were furloughed, or worked through it.

@furonthecoat

*I am genuinely gobsmacked (and hurt) by the vitriol towards furloughed staff.

You do know the vast majority had no choice?

Would you prefer we lived off thin air?

We don’t HAVE jobs to go to. I love my job. I hate being at home. I’m slowly losing my mind.

The level of spite towards us on this thread is gross.*

This. My workplace has been forcibly closed. I'd much rather be at work. I love my job, I get to see my friends. I make far more money than you would think looking at my contract because I pick up lots of overtime (overtime that wasn't included in my furlough calculation so I'm getting less than 80% of my 'normal' income). I also make extra money in lots of high tiles because I'm very good at my job and take pride in it. I also get a staff meal and drink with every shift so that's 5-7 extra meals a week I've had to find money for which would normally be covered at work.

I don't want to be furloughed. I've hated every second of it, I can't wait to get back to work.

It's not been a holiday, it's financially decimated me. And yet I'm the one who should pay for being forced out of work to 'protect the NHS' which I barely use and even when I got covid I was fine with it and used no NHS resources? The very idea is a joke and I hope if it's ever even suggested by the government that people rightly rebel.

@furonthecoat

"It's not been a holiday, it's financially decimated me. And yet I'm the one who should pay for being forced out of work to 'protect the NHS' which I barely use and even when I got covid I was fine with it and used no NHS resources? The very idea is a joke and I hope if it's ever even suggested by the government that people rightly rebel."

I sympathise with you that it is an unfair view from those who did not get furloughed to be aggrieved against those that did and to expect the furloughed to pay higher taxes than those that weren't.

Yet you then go on to say why should you have been forced out of work to protect the NHS and that when you got Covid you did not use NHS services.

Can you see the hypocrisy in your two statements?

Oh and I have been back at work since August so I am also now "paying for people's time off" who have been on furlough much longer than me. I do not care

Not really unless you are a net tax payer and given what you’ve listed that’s not the case.

I would like to see the companies that have benefitted - as allowed to be open, especially in lockdown 1 ( eg supermarkets, Amazon) taxed much more.

How about we tax the fuck out of Amazon

How about we tax the fuck out of Amazon

I saw on TV that Jeff Bezos increased his wealth so much during covid that he could afford to give 875,000 Amazon employees $105,000 each without putting a dent in his pre covid wealth.

The government and press are so very good at manipulating the masses. Here we are with low paid workers and people who have been furloughed, finger pointing and bickering amongst themselves.
Meanwhile there are many examples of Tory MPs and their acquaintances who have profited hugely on the back of this pandemic who are quietly squirrelling their money into off shore accounts.