Healey Resignation

[Papyrophile]

John Healey resigns! Another nail in SKS's coffin, or the only way to force a showdown?

It really pisses me off that most of the election campaign was spent with Labour talking about growth. How dare they do that when they obviously had no fucking idea of what they would do to bring about growth.

True. I’m not sure how anyone believed their guff

The cap doesn't apply if somebody in the household is on certain sickness / disability benefits.

It was 65% more than we’re currently paying. The different times argument doesn’t wash. The country was in dire straits so we all paid.

It applies to the vast majority of households.

Have you got figures please? I'm loathe to believe the figures AI gave me which suggested totally the opposite.

Blossom - you seem to have a view that Labour are doing a great job, benefits bill is ok and you would be fine adding 1p income tax to wages. What job are you doing that makes you this generous?

We have one of the highest tax rates in OECD, 38% of economy is taxed.

I wouldn't be happy to pay a penny more in taxes until benefits bill is slashed drastically. Benefits must be time limited. 6-9 months, 12 months max, then that's it.

@BIossomtoes would you mind me asking if you have children? if yes, what age?

To your point - no, it really doesn't apply to majority of households on benefits, they conveniently register someone with disability and that's it. Just under 2% subject to cap.

I don’t think they’re doing a great job. I think they’re struggling and the benefits bill is too high. An extra 1p income tax would mean an increase of around £5.40 a month on a £45k salary. I’m a pensioner with an occupational pension who thinks the triple lock should go. Any more questions or has your curiosity been satisfied?

Al Carns has resigned!

Starmer's government...

Thank you Blossom. You could have told me to sod off but tbh - it’s easy to be generous when other people are paying. My two grown up children are working full time and are taxed to the hilt. I am still working in my 60’s admittedly part time now but have a good private pension but stopped at 2 children.

Yes, I have slogged away with my career hence the good pension however others have no such ambition. Which is fine until you get into 60’s and then wonder where all the money has gone.

Mum was a single parent. No university. It wasn’t considered when I grew up.

I agree the Triple Lock should go too

An actual truly decent MP who cared passionately about the job he was given , the state of the armed forces is the responsibility of both parties over years of defence cuts, sadly the current government might have tried to talk the talk but they definitely haven’t walked the walk . Defence just isn’t as important to many labour MPs as benefits

It’s not a question of being generous when other people are paying - my tax would increase too.

I am genuinely interested. Blossom - what would you reduce on the benefits budget? You probably don’t want to know what I would do…

Unless you are earning over £45k as you state your contribution would be tiny. Well done if you are earning this btw!

I agree with this. The back benchers must have shedloads of people on benefits.

No, I probably don’t! I’d use the findings of the Millburn report to create lots of work opportunities for young people - apprenticeships, incentives to employers, any initiative that would get them in to work and once those were in place increase the age at which benefits could be claimed. We can’t have nearly a million young people with no experience of work.

Could you please explain your numbers?

"1p" - do you mean 1%?

45k salary - 12.5k allowance = 32.5k taxable income

Assuming you mean 1% it's £325 pa of extra tax, it's £27 per month. How did you get £5.40?

As a pensioner with occupational pension are you on 20% or 40% tax? The reason for me asking is that you keep on saying that you pay a lot of tax, so I'm curious to understand what "a lot" means to you. Because some of us pay 62% and feel it's more than enough. I'm not trying to be intrusive, just to understand the context.

My earlier question about your children was driven by desire to understand if you want to leave something to them, or if you feel you're set up for life and happy to pay a few quids more and can't relate to the other views.

I earned a lot more than that when I was working! 1p on the basic rate would raise £7 billion. It’s not nothing.

I begrudge paying more taxes whilst benefits increase. It’s not right that being on benefits pays more than working.

You’re being incredibly intrusive. And really rude. If I meant 1% I’d have said that. I meant 1p.

I could cope with paying another penny on income tax, as a pensioner with a DC pension fund. But my income is State Pension, a very tiny occupational pension, and the SIPP that I created from nothing that I am still building up, because DH and I still work, at 70.

Because we are 70, and were old parents (our only DC is almost 27) we are trying to make sure we pass money down before we die and are subject to IHT.