The Politics Thread

[Bruce Rioja]

Jaquie Smiths husband is a wanker, apparently.

Well, given his choice - go to bed with Jaquie Smith or roll one off in front of some free Johnny Vaughn, what would you do?

[Worthy4England]

Jaquie Smiths husband is a wanker, apparently.

Well, given his choice - go to bed with Jaquie Smith or roll one off in front of some free Johnny Vaughn, what would you do?

Agree Brucie, some things should be free on the NHS...

[William the White]

Jaquie Smiths husband is a wanker, apparently.

Well, given his choice - go to bed with Jaquie Smith or roll one off in front of some free Johnny Vaughn, what would you do?

Agree Brucie, some things should be free on the NHS...

Actually I know a true (I swear) tale of the student nurse working in the fertility unit who was given a sample jar and told to 'go and get a sperm sample...'

And did. On the NHS.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

[BWFC_Insane]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Only on earnings above 150K.

Out of interest how would you go about clawing back some of the lost revenue that is needed to run public services?

[superjohnmcginlay]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

And the rest. Youve got the quiet income tax - national insurance on top of that.

[BWFC_Insane]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

And the rest. Youve got the quiet income tax - national insurance on top of that.

Which pays your state pension....

[Verbal]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Only on earnings above 150K.

Out of interest how would you go about clawing back some of the lost revenue that is needed to run public services?

I'd imagine the retort to that would be cut public spending.

[BWFC_Insane]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Only on earnings above 150K.

Out of interest how would you go about clawing back some of the lost revenue that is needed to run public services?

I'd imagine the retort to that would be cut public spending.

So do I. To which I'd ask for which specific cuts with the savings outlined.

[superjohnmcginlay]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

And the rest. Youve got the quiet income tax - national insurance on top of that.

Which pays current state pensions....

Among other things.

[Verbal]

Like the NHS.

Tbh I'm quite happy paying NI.

[Athers]

These growth forecasts look pretty optimistic to me - 1.25% in 2010 and 3.5% annually from 2011 onwards? I hope it's not all contingent on that.

My old VW Golf has over 10 months left of MOT so we'll see when that comes around about the car scheme.

Bloody scary government borrowing figures though. When I was reading economics we used to talk about a >3% budget deficit being the limit before EU punishment, as was total debt of >60%. Both of these will be smashed, but not just by us (think Ireland is the worst off the top of my head).

Apparently we'll be back in line by 2013-14!

How long before our lovely banks start repaying us I wonder.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Only on earnings above 150K.

Out of interest how would you go about clawing back some of the lost revenue that is needed to run public services?

Well, thank goodness you're on hand to explain that one to me. I'm just saying, to me the 50% number has some symbolic significance.

If you want me to answer that question, and give you detailed answers about what I would do with public spending etc., would be unfair of me to ask you how much extra money you think the 50% rate will raise?

http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/4486

Here's a clue - it's a drop in the ocean when put next to the huge borrowing figures.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

My old VW Golf has over 10 months left of MOT so we'll see when that comes around about the car scheme.

Yes, it's very altruistic of us to start stimulating the German/French/Japanese economies.

[superjohnmcginlay]

Like the NHS.

Tbh I'm quite happy paying NI.

And dole dossers.

Cant say Im happy or unhappy. I was merely adding to MWCIEC's post about excessive taxation.

[Prufrock]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Now that's not true is it? Can see how some might think the numbers significant, but 50 as opposed to 40 on earnings over 150k is hardly gonna make much difference is it?! If it were up to me, as I'm sure our resident capitalist confidence trickster (;)) is happy it isn't, I'd have 75% of everything over 100k. Nobody, but NOBODY, needs that much money to live.

[Athers]

My old VW Golf has over 10 months left of MOT so we'll see when that comes around about the car scheme.

Yes, it's very altruistic of us to start stimulating the German/French/Japanese economies.

You won't find me defending such assistance for the motor industry, but if the offer is there it's worth considering from a personal view.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

My old VW Golf has over 10 months left of MOT so we'll see when that comes around about the car scheme.

Yes, it's very altruistic of us to start stimulating the German/French/Japanese economies.

You won't find me defending such assistance for the motor industry, but if the offer is there it's worth considering from a personal view.

I know mate, certainly wasn't a dig at you!

[Montreal Wanderer]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Only on earnings above 150K.

Out of interest how would you go about clawing back some of the lost revenue that is needed to run public services?

Our tax effort is close to 50% (tax to three levels of government), then we have federal and provincial sales tax of about 15% on everything we buy. This did seem so bad compared to what my father paid in England in the 1960s - income tax was 97.5% (19/6 in the pound) for everything earned over 5000 pounds. Now that was steep.

[BWFC_Insane]

50% income tax rate announced. What a mess - to me it's an important threshold.. it's corrupting of government if they can just help themselves to half of what someone earns.

Only on earnings above 150K.

Out of interest how would you go about clawing back some of the lost revenue that is needed to run public services?

Well, thank goodness you're on hand to explain that one to me. I'm just saying, to me the 50% number has some symbolic significance.

If you want me to answer that question, and give you detailed answers about what I would do with public spending etc., would be unfair of me to ask you how much extra money you think the 50% rate will raise?

http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/4486

Here's a clue - it's a drop in the ocean when put next to the huge borrowing figures.

Thats not the point though is it?

An extra 5% or 10% above 150K doesn't make any difference to those people in real terms does it? Its a "drop in the ocean".

Public spending is being cut anyways. And once again it will be to the detriment of those services and the country as a whole!