10p tax rate

[WezV]

Just like Stamp Duty - that was only there originally as a tax on big, expensive houses - now well all have to pay it pretty much, and not just that, we're all near to or over the bloody high rate 250k band, too!

not if you live in a diadvantaged area like mine   i never felt so lucky to be disadvantaged

[Philly Q]

I've always thought we should have a band higher than the 40% band, like we had back in the '70s.  Just for real high earners - tax the people who can best afford to pay.  If these chief execs and hedge fund managers are going to award themselves 7-figure bonuses, at least get some extra tax out of the buggers.

While I completely agree with this, I see the potential danger: Down the line, when year after year the threshold for higher rate tax isn't increased in line with inflation, you end up with more and more people being stung with it. Just like Stamp Duty - that was only there originally as a tax on big, expensive houses - now well all have to pay it pretty much, and not just that, we're all near to or over the bloody high rate 250k band, too!

Also, the Rich people always find ways to protect their cash through offshore investments and tax loopholes; the rest of us will always be screwed :(

Roo

Yeah, I'm not suggesting it as a practical or likely option - although they did have a "supertax" rate in the '70s (which had the benefit of driving people like the Bee Gees out of the country   ).

But in principle, I think they should tax high earners rather than, for example, hit "ordinary" people with Inheritance Tax just because the property market has skyrocketed.

[Roobubba]

(which had the benefit of driving people like the Bee Gees out of the country   ).

Shame it didn't work on Paul McCartney :(

[noodleplugerine]

I have no idea how to vote in the London mayoral election.  I might just have to give it a miss.

Really? Its a no brainer for me - Boris is an absolute clown, but for some reason the papers are totally backing him, ignoring the fact the guy is an absolute joke.

If Ken acted in any way like Boris you'd expect it plastered over the Evening Standard within an hour.

Frankly, I think Ken's done a bloody brilliant job. Free travel for kids is an absolute godsend.

[Philly Q]

Boris is an absolute clown, but for some reason the papers are totally backing him, ignoring the fact the guy is an absolute joke.

Agree with you there, he's obviously a highly intelligent guy but he seems to have no common sense and is the epitome of the term "loose cannon".  I don't think he could run a corner shop, never mind London.

I don't think Ken's done a bad job, but I am concerned about the state of public transport - the costs are constantly going up, the roads are definitely more congested than ever and the tubes are no better than they ever were.  And I don't want to get all Daily Mail, but I'd like to see more visible coppers and action on street crime.


(A bit of trivia:  I have something in common with Boris Johnson - we were born on the same day in 1964.  :roll: )

[Elliot]

The Evening Standard, being the 'London'* wing of the Daily Mail has always campaigned against Livingstone - hence his camp comandant comments against some Evening Standard muck raker a while back and the political capital that was made out of that.

*I say London because the Evening Standard is written for people who live in Surrey and work/dine in London, not Londoners.

I personally am in favour of the US system of no more than two terms in office - its stops politicians become stale and corrupt and it stops a skills defiicit in government.  So on my reckoning ken should make way for someone else, preferable not Boris Johnson.

[JDC]

just like to add that looking at what the economists are saying I'm under the opinion that the credit crunch will take 2 years to get over, there won't be a recession, just slow growth, the FTSE 100 is back over 6000 already, it dropped from 6000 to 5500 when it was all over the news the other month

I expect house prices to fall or freeze for the next 5 years too, but I've read less on this than I have on the credit crisis so I'm less certain in my opinion

don't be surprised if clothes stops being so cheap either, what with rising costs for cotton and Chinese wages rising

[HTH AMPS]

the worst thing is that politics is so f*cking bland now - the two major parties are, to paraphrase Gorgeous George (GG), two checks of the same behind.

we need a proper socialist government, take back the public transport, banks and energy companies and nationalise 'em (yes, I'm living in la-la-land, but we can always dream)

I'd back a new political party headed by big GG - he's the only guy that ever talks real sense in politics these days.  It's just a shame that Tony Ben is too old to join in again too.

[MrBump]

The Evening Standard, being the 'London'* wing of the Daily Mail has always campaigned against Livingstone - hence his camp comandant comments against some Evening Standard muck raker a while back and the political capital that was made out of that.

*I say London because the Evening Standard is written for people who live in Surrey and work/dine in London, not Londoners.

I personally am in favour of the US system of no more than two terms in office - its stops politicians become stale and corrupt and it stops a skills defiicit in government.  So on my reckoning ken should make way for someone else, preferable not Boris Johnson.

I find the Ken Bashing that this string of papers indulge in...  and in favour of Boris!!!  And it's all taken seriously!!!

 :roll:    :roll:    :roll:    :roll:  

I liked Ken back in the day when Socialism was proper socialism.  He certainly isn't to everyones taste, and definitely NOT whiter than white, but he's at least up front and pro London.

Mark.

[noodleplugerine]

The Evening Standard, being the 'London'* wing of the Daily Mail has always campaigned against Livingstone - hence his camp comandant comments against some Evening Standard muck raker a while back and the political capital that was made out of that.

*I say London because the Evening Standard is written for people who live in Surrey and work/dine in London, not Londoners.

I personally am in favour of the US system of no more than two terms in office - its stops politicians become stale and corrupt and it stops a skills defiicit in government.  So on my reckoning ken should make way for someone else, preferable not Boris Johnson.

I find the Ken Bashing that this string of papers indulge in...  and in favour of Boris!!!  And it's all taken seriously!!!

 :roll:    :roll:    :roll:    :roll:  

I liked Ken back in the day when Socialism was proper socialism.  He certainly isn't to everyones taste, and definitely NOT whiter than white, but he's at least up front and pro London.

Mark.

Pretty much agreed. The guy's blunt, and strongwilled - Boris is a pushover - would just do whatever the tories want him to.

[HTH AMPS]

even better with Ken L was the Labour party kicking him out then crawling back and asking him to rejoin when he became Mayor of London, priceless!!!  :lol:

[38thBeatle]

Well I am no fan of Ken I am afraid-I remember how he came to power in the days of the GLC but thankfully the London Mayor thing is nothing to do with me as I am out of the area.  I have come to realise that "democracy" as we know it is where everyone gets what no-one wants .

[Scotty477]

Interested to see that the Tories now have an 18 point lead in opinion polls - their highest in 21 years.

It very much looks like the public backlash to the 10p tax gaff will hit Labour extremely hard indeed, which I'm all in favour of. I'm not a Tory person by any stretch of the imagination but the sheer lack of judgement demonstrated by Labour with the 10p tax thing is simply staggering.

What did they expect would happen? It was always going to spell disaster for them, especially at a time when public opinion of Labour was at an all time low due to other very dodgy policy decisions.

I remember the latter end of the Tory government in the mid 90's and this is very similar indeed. Poor policy decisions, scandal all over the place and shocking judgement quite rightly allowed Labour to come to power.

IMHO the wheel has turned full circle and Labour are in a very similar position the Tories were in 1997.

They fully deserve to get booted out of power and good riddance to them.

[Johnny Mac]

at least they gave us minimum wage, people always focus on the now, ye I don't like losing the 10p tax rate, all governments are bad, their first priority is pleasing the public to stay in power next time round

you can't tax the mega rich because they'll just $%&# off to another country and thanks to the credit crunch public finances are going to suffer and that's the fault of banks not governments

if there was an election now the tories would win because people blame the government for inflation problems, the credit crisis and falling house prices when it's not in their control

+100000.

I go to sleep safely at night knowing that no matter how bad it is, if it were Tory - It would be alot worse.

How can it possibly be any worse? This government are the worst in this country's history!

[noodleplugerine]

at least they gave us minimum wage, people always focus on the now, ye I don't like losing the 10p tax rate, all governments are bad, their first priority is pleasing the public to stay in power next time round

you can't tax the mega rich because they'll just $%&# off to another country and thanks to the credit crunch public finances are going to suffer and that's the fault of banks not governments

if there was an election now the tories would win because people blame the government for inflation problems, the credit crisis and falling house prices when it's not in their control

+100000.

I go to sleep safely at night knowing that no matter how bad it is, if it were Tory - It would be alot worse.

How can it possibly be any worse? This government are the worst in this country's history!

I simply don't believe that's true.