Which taxes should Burnham put up?

[Toohotforwork]

It seems pretty clear that in the Autumn we are in for another massive tax rising budget. Starmer has done of the ground work to show what we need to spend and how there isn't any money, I'm sure the "blackholes" were co-ordinated with the new team for messaging. Labour don't have it in them to cut the welfare bill and to be fair the Tories didn't either - so I can't see that changing.

Which taxes would up increase to fund the country properly?

Personally I'd go the easy route and put 1 or 2p on the basic rate of income tax. It would break the manifesto but one short sharp initiative has got to be better than death by a thousand small increases.

I think the care proposals of getting rid of inheritance tax and replacing it with a 10% charge on everyone is very sensible.

Equalising income tax and capital gains tax seems an easy win as well.

Tax on big business. Amazon Starbucks etc

Over night tax on overseas tourists Money can go back into towns services nhs police etc

Small increase in tax on anyone who has over 10million in assets or savings.

means tested fuel allowance and gradual cliff

take back two child families allowance cap

Most graduates don't repay the loan anyway so in effect it is a tax. Turning it into a proper tax would make the administration easier.

You will have to pay whether you like it or not. You can't just opt out.

Yes, of course I know that. But I’m in my late 50s and at a point where if I have to pay more tax I will start to opt out and reduce my hours to pay less so I’m not a higher rate taxpayer. I have friends who are ready to do the same. Many people are very very fed up.

He shouldn't increase taxes. He should cut public spending. Not just on welfare but on waste and inefficiencies.

I am still to find anyone in a front line public sector job who will publically say that their internal management is efficient.

You could sack 50pc of public sector management with zero negative impact on public services.

But that's fine because ultimately if what you do is needed to be done it will create a job for someone else. If what you do doesn't need to be done then it doesn't really matter anyway. In the future I would expect more people to be working part time so there is enough work to be done.

A loan is fair and straightforward. Other countries manage it, so it clearly isn't impossible. Compared with financing and managing a 25-year infrastructure project, administering a fixed-term student loan should be a breeze.

The current system isn't great, and neither is a graduate tax. They simply distribute the burden differently. I'd much rather see a fixed-term loan on reasonable terms than an open-ended graduate tax.

I also think we need to set the bar higher than "most graduates don't repay the loan". That's not aimed at you; it's just an argument that gets repeated time and time again. To me, it simply gives a really poor system a free pass instead of asking how it could be improved.

It seems to me that we never break the cycle of replacing one poor tax policy with another. Instead of fixing what's broken, we just replace one disproportionate tax burden with a different disproportionate tax burden, rather than designing a system that is fair, proportionate and robust.

But are you saying there should be a tax even if the student doesn't take the loan? No point in parents contributing if so, Government would have to cover greater costs.

Yes, but they won’t necessarily be paying higher rate tax.

I think any car that costs more than 50k should be taxed in some way. All of the people driving like idiots on the road seem to be in the most expensive cars and I can only imagine they cost the public a lot in accidents wherever they go. ETA I also think the Australian system of vetoing under 20's from certain powerful cars should be enforced.

Obviously Amazon, Starbucks etc etc but they won't. Ditto offshore account holders.

I think private healthcare should have a small additional tax per visit, something like £10 that can go straight to NHS.

I also think that anyone arrested for drunken damages needs to pay for the clean up costs, ditto with crimes where they make money out of other people's misfortune. Proceeds of crime are slowly being got to for some crimes but not others where the public still has to fork out for clean ups.

Amazon, BP, Google and Vodaphone.

That should raise the billions our country needs so that we can look after the elderly, create a British green power grid and give farmers a boost to produce enough organic food to feed the nation.

Reduce taxes to encourage investment resulting in more jobs and an increased tax take.

Obviously it is not impossible it is the system we have now.

There are plenty of other options. Remove the cut off date so that people pay for ever and the balance is recovered from any estate. Put an escalating interest rate to motivate people to lump sum pay it off early.

I would have been a net loser from a Graduate tax. I went into a job tat was well enough paid that it was cleared it in 6 years, under the graduate tax I would still be paying,. But I have earnt massively more than someone who is still paying their loan now so in many ways that feels fair.

So, relieving pressure on the NHS, not utilising the services that you actually pay tax for…..should be taxed more?
Because, as I said upthread and no one answered, that’s worked so well for additional tax on private education?

No but its better to have two people employed paying standard tax than one person paying higher rate tax and another unemployed.

I don't think your part retirement is the gotcha you think it is. The younger generation need the oldies to step back if they can afford to.

EVERYONE should pay tax.
There should be a tax-free allowance like we currently have, and any income above that - regardless of where it comes from - should be taxed.
So salaries, diivdends, maintenence. UC, PIP - as soon as the income goes over the allowance, tax is payable. Ironically, this only currently happens with workers and pensioners.
At the moment we have a ridiculous situation where someone earning £15k pays tax and another getting £15k benefits doesn't.
We also need to get rid of the expensive rule that allows single parents to claim full benefits then recieve maintenence on top, not even paying any tax.
Abd get rid of the triple lock on pensions.

This has been put in place but it's a cliff edge tax that creates perverse incentives. Instead of spending a bit extra (anyone want growth?) then you're incentivised to spend less so you avoid this cliff edge tax.

Personally I'd make private healthcare and education tax deductible or at least tax deductible to say 1/2 or 1/3 of the cost of state provision. Then there is an incentive to save the state money. My impression was the VAT on schools was ideology dressed up as economics.

Amazon and BP paid over £1b each in taxes last year. Google and Vodafone far less but for different reasons. Meta, Apple and Starbucks plus Vodafone and Google all underpay and that is mostly linked to taxing profits and not turnover and the way allowances and things are calculated.

I have used private healthcare and wouldn't mind paying a tenner for each visit to help NHS. It's hardly thousands like the VAT!

I don’t think it’s a gotcha. As I said, I don’t mind paying more tax if it goes hand in hand with welfare reform. If it doesn’t I’ll cut my losses. I’m self employed. My job wouldn’t necessarily be automatically replaced by another taxpayer.

To be honest, I’ve got to the point where I’m more interested in putting my own interests first. I never thought I’d think like that. But many people are tired of feeling that they are being taxed more for less.

VAT. Just put it on everything like they do in Denmark. No more silly rules on VAT on biscuits but not cakes (or the other way around). Kids clothes aren't actually any cheaper for being zero rated, the shops just make more money.

But get rid of stamp duty too.

I think my issue is that a lot of high earners don't pay full tax - offshore accounts and various loopholes, who are more likely to use private. I don't want a 2 tier health service so I want the NHS to actually see something from it as a thank you for all of their help in research and progression of our health to date. They need money not retrospective what if costing. 13 million private appointments last year, so could have earnt NHS £130m. It's the same consultants taking time out of working for NHS anyway.

Amazon only pay about 7%, they should be paying 25%.

The others you state that all underpay - should not be able to underpay.
They are all mega profitable companies that should be contributing, any loopholes should be closed.

I agree 100% with this.
The deadbeat father of my kids manages to lie his way into paying next to nothing for them -
less than one pound per day per child!
He owns two properties outright and has a job.
Whereas I lose my child benefit for earning over the threshold (ok, I get it, maybe I should but I’m still raising four kids alone - it would come in handy!)
Obviously I recognise their Dad should be paying, not the state, but the Government are very quick to take the money off me and he enjoys his carefree lifestyle without being made to face up to his obligations.