UBI (Universal Basic Income), a good thing - from a Conservative / Right of centre perspective.

[stewart]

Since Britain is basically a socialist minded state which regards its citizens money are "their" money you can do nothing other than go along with it in increasing demand.
I on the other hand regard the money I make as "my" money, created by my brain and my sweat, I do not dodge my tax bills.......I pay them, I do not like it when it runs to five figures on occasion but I suck it up because that's just the way it is...........I made the money I expect to pay tax.
So please, enough of this "no one pays' tax" in the USA.

Why do you view Britain as a socialist minded state? It is far from it, it may be further left that the good old USA but having recently been to the States and seen the abject poverty there I was left with the impression if that is American capitalism you can keep it.

I take it that your are on the higher side of average when it comes to income (forgive me if that is not the case) therefore if your own tax is only occasionally running into 5 figures where does the money to run the country come from?

 

[Roger Perry]

Roger you have an extremely toxic form of capitalism at work in your country.

Yes, the UK has some socialist ways but also has some public services which need to be paid for fair and square.

I don't see why you complain at the idea of companies being taxed yet are apparently fine with paying tax yourself?

America was built on capitalism, and still today it is the driving force of our economy.

 

[stewart]

America was built on capitalism, and still today it is the driving force of our economy.

Ahh yes American Capitalism, where competition drives efficiencies, unless of course those efficiencies are in another country, then they get all communist and protective bleating it is unfair.

 

[Roger Perry]

Why do you view Britain as a socialist minded state? It is far from it, it may be further left that the good old USA but having recently been to the States and seen the abject poverty there I was left with the impression if that is American capitalism you can keep it.

I take it that your are on the higher side of average when it comes to income (forgive me if that is not the case) therefore if your own tax is only occasionally running into 5 figures where does the money to run the country come from?

Yes, think I left a digit off that number, property taxes alone are around $150k, plus state/local/federal.........lets' not go there.
The reason I never liked the British system (remember I was born & raised there) was the intrusion of government into the very basics of everyday life, the petty way the rules are handed out, I read on this forum how farmers (the last free spirits) are constantly under assault from minions of so called "authority" scared to step out of line in case this or that fine is levied.
I strongly believe that the human spirit is best when it runs free...........while I do strongly believe that I am my brother keeper, that does not run to paying his/her bills.

 

[Roger Perry]

Ahh yes American Capitalism, where competition drives efficiencies, unless of course those efficiencies are in another country, then they get all communist and protective bleating it is unfair.

No one said everyone had to like it.
Best stay where you are happiest..!

 

[Danllan]

Taxed again and again and again.......................
Good luck with that.

Inform us of the taxes, duties and levies that US citizens are liable for, federally and in any states you know of.

Parable of Minas?
Funny thing is we could have easily done this at the time the banks were bailed out.
If the £20k per man, women and child was done then, just imagine how our economy would have been realigned?

The figure that makes sense to me is, currently, £200 per week. I'm not sure that it should be given to very young children, I can see some benefits from that, but a lot of problems too. I think that from the age of thirteen makes sense, but that it is held in trust until eighteen.

 

[stewart]

Yes, think I left a digit off that number, property taxes alone are around $150k, plus state/local/federal.........lets' not go there.
The reason I never liked the British system (remember I was born & raised there) was the intrusion of government into the very basics of everyday life, the petty way the rules are handed out, I read on this forum how farmers (the last free spirits) are constantly under assault from minions of so called "authority" scared to step out of line in case this or that fine is levied.
I strongly believe that the human spirit is best when it runs free...........while I do strongly believe that I am my brother keeper, that does not run to paying his/her bills.

That's a lot in property tax, certainly higher than here and defiantly higher than the Uk (where farmers pay no tax on the land).

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Unbridled capitalism has the same result as communism.
I believe the USA is a good example of how it can all go very wrong, and it's likely to get worse.
It doesn't matter whether or not you like Trump, you should be very worried that the top job can be bought.
One of the main problems is how the money and power shifts to business. If the state is too weak/ underfunded to keep the wealthy in line, you end up with a 2 tier state like the which is emerging now.
Everybody earning below £25k is struggling in a mix of tax demands, benefits, allowances and zero hours contracts which are all to the advantage of big business who can afford to avoid much of their tax obligations. The average person gets dragged to court for missing a payment while Vodafone gets excused of paying £millions.
UBI might improve things but I think universal credit has the capacity to be the best system if done properly.

 

[Agrivator]

There is already a sales tax in the UK, it is called VAT. I do agree that companies should be taxed in the countries they operate in and where they make their profits.

VAT is a tax paid by the consumer. It isn't a tax which is paid by big companies on either their sales or their ''adjusted'' profits.

 

[stewart]

VAT is a tax paid by the consumer. It isn't a tax which is paid by big companies on either their sales or their ''adjusted'' profits.

One way or another companies are taxed, either through the taxes they pay directly, the taxes paid on salaries, taxes through dividends, rates etc etc, where there does need to be some adjustment is not paying taxes in the countries where the profits are made.

 

[stewart]

VAT is a tax paid by the consumer. It isn't a tax which is paid by big companies on either their sales or their ''adjusted'' profits.

Yes but it is still a sales tax, which was my reply to the earlier question.

 

[ollie989898]

The fact remains companies use every trick in the book to avoid paying any tax yet they expect the use of British infrastructure and the fruits of the education, health and justice systems anyway.

Too many big names have avoided paying their fair share. It has to end, pure and simple. It is theft from the citizens of this country pure and simple.

I could not give a hoot what America does, it's culture and form of capitalism is corrosive to society. The future for the UK is toward a more equitable system and much more along the lines of the Scandinavian countries.

 

[Swarfmonkey]

The figure that makes sense to me is, currently, £200 per week. I'm not sure that it should be given to very young children, I can see some benefits from that, but a lot of problems too. I think that from the age of thirteen makes sense, but that it is held in trust until eighteen.

Utter madness. A UBI of £200 a week for adults alone would be a gross annual cost of more than £550bn a year. Net, once you've knocked off what it would replace - JSA/UC (£2.5bn), state pension (£101.3bn), housing benefit (£23.4bn), tax credits (£24.8bn) - you'd have to raise just under an additional £400bn a year in tax to cover it. To give you an idea of how much extra tax would be required, even if you doubled Income Tax, NICs, and Corporation Tax rates you'd still be £45bn short...

I'm pretty damn sure you'd end up with a lot of hacked off pensioners who paid into the system for decades, whilst others who've paid naff all in get the same as them. You'd see an awful lot of people binning work, as the effort-reward ratio would be appalling, once the taxman was done with you. Businesses that could relocate would. Those with valuable skills (particularly in the medical profession would leave for Aus and NZ in their droves) would be out the door sharpish.

 

[stewart]

The future for the UK is toward a more equitable system and much more along the lines of the Scandinavian countries.

If only the UK could get close to a Scandinavian system.

 

[stewart]

Utter madness. A UBI of £200 a week for adults alone would be a gross annual cost of more than £550bn a year. Net, once you've knocked off what it would replace - JSA/UC (£2.5bn), state pension (£101.3bn), housing benefit (£23.4bn), tax credits (£24.8bn) - you'd have to raise just under an additional £400bn a year in tax to cover it. To give you an idea of how much extra tax would be required, even if you doubled Income Tax, NICs, and Corporation Tax rates you'd still be £45bn short...

I'm pretty damn sure you'd end up with a lot of hacked off pensioners who paid into the system for decades, whilst others who've paid naff all in get the same as them. You'd see an awful lot of people binning work, as the effort-reward ratio would be appalling, once the taxman was done with you. Businesses that could relocate would. Those with valuable skills (particularly in the medical profession would leave for Aus and NZ in their droves) would be out the door sharpish.

You would also have to get in, it really isn't as simple as saying I will move to Aus, NZ or anywhere else. @holwellcourtfarm

 

[Swarfmonkey]

If only the UK could get close to a Scandinavian system.

The UK would need to have a far smaller, and more homogeneous, population for that to happen. Then there's the tax system. Do you really think low earning Brits would accept Scandi style tax?

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the UK copying Germany, which is a far more realistic suggestion than thinking it could copy the Scandi countries. It would annoy both Labour and the Tories something rotten.

 

[Swarfmonkey]

You would also have to get in, it really isn't as simple as saying I will move to Aus, NZ or anywhere else. @holwellcourtfarm

Notice I said "medical profession", specifically.

 

[stewart]

The UK would need to have a far smaller, and more homogeneous, population for that to happen. Then there's the tax system. Do you really think low earning Brits would accept Scandi style tax?

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the UK copying Germany, which is a far more realistic suggestion than thinking it could copy the Scandi countries. It would annoy both Labour and the Tories something rotten.

Low earning Brits would relish a Scandinavian tax system, Swedens lowest rate is 0%, increasing to 57% depending on your income.

 

[stewart]

Notice I said "medical profession", specifically.

Yes I did notice, once there are enough from the medical profession filling the requirements for both Aus and NZ, what then, after all you also stated leaving in droves.

 

[Roger Perry]

That's a lot in property tax, certainly higher than here and defiantly higher than the Uk (where farmers pay no tax on the land).

Only partially on ag land