tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post6485628783160961609..comments2024-01-30T09:22:08.167+00:00Comments on Newmania In Lewes: Letter To Norman Baker MPNewmaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-28334798007500491372010-10-14T13:32:23.457+01:002010-10-14T13:32:23.457+01:00Should be "their" not " there"...Should be "their" not " there" in the last post.tory boys never grow upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-21741327469027405032010-10-14T13:29:54.903+01:002010-10-14T13:29:54.903+01:00But of course you can still get tax relief at the ...But of course you can still get tax relief at the higher rate if you are putting away up to £50,000 per year in a private pension. As always with the the Tories there argument that we all have to make sacrifices does not appear to apply to the very rich.tory boys never grow upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-27961480360754744122010-10-14T09:54:56.412+01:002010-10-14T09:54:56.412+01:00I don't think the point about regions has much...I don't think the point about regions has much validity. People don't live in regions they live in towns and villages - and that is where they tend to make their comparisons of lifestyles. Lewes for example is a very different place from Chatham.tory boys never grow upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-69427259161378515292010-10-14T00:55:51.427+01:002010-10-14T00:55:51.427+01:00Well I am not so far away from you really TB as yo...Well I am not so far away from you really TB as you will see from my next post<br /><br />( Hopi Sen is far from the only one to make the regional/ life cycle point though which I feel is crucial )Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-88219468027226852702010-10-13T22:53:26.953+01:002010-10-13T22:53:26.953+01:00Much as I agree with Hopi on most things - you sti...Much as I agree with Hopi on most things - you still have to go some way to get median earnings for those of child bearing age in the South East up to the higher tax rate bracket. That said there are probably plenty of towns in the South East where median earnings are in that bracket - and my guess is that more than a few fall in Tory/lib Dem marginals/councils.<br /><br />But that isn't my argument and I don't think that it will be a very sucessful one in convincing the country as a whole which doesn't have much love for the South East. My point is that more taxes will have to be raised from higher rate tax payers - even the Tories acknowledged this in their manifesto, but that thse taxes should be raised in a fair manner which do not disproportionately penalise those at the bottom of the higher tax rate pile (or those who aspire to be there) or those with children - the child benefit proposals do not. And that is even before taking account of the democratic deficit attached to the proposals. <br /><br />Despite what many Tories may think not all Labour supporters see fairness entirely in terms of equality.tory boys never grow uphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11172736984147732661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-37573258118502838942010-10-13T21:20:11.663+01:002010-10-13T21:20:11.663+01:00TB - You have to adjust for life cycle , those re...TB - You have to adjust for life cycle , those reciving child benefit are , lets say ,between 35and 50 in full time employment.<br /><br />The median ( SE) is not far off £40k says Hopi Sen , in those terms and btw the coalition have used your faulty logic to badly misrepresent the facts on this.Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-84423826259293697782010-10-13T10:16:18.014+01:002010-10-13T10:16:18.014+01:00There is of course also the question of lying by C...There is of course also the question of lying by Cameron and Clegg. Anyone who really believes Cameron's line that he forgot to include the abolition of child benefit in the manifesto needs to look up the word "gullible" in a dictionary.tory boys never grow upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-61606888332130834872010-10-13T10:13:31.775+01:002010-10-13T10:13:31.775+01:00Newmania
You may be middling for somewhere as pro...Newmania<br /><br />You may be middling for somewhere as prosperous as Lewes if you are a higher rate tax payer. But you are certainly not for the South East or London where the median salary is just over £30k - see here http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=285<br /><br />While I don't accept your view that more cannot be raised from income tax on the well off (there are plenty of European countries where more is raised), my point is that if more has to be raised from what you describe as the "middling" then this should be done by getting the "middling" without children to contribute as well as those with children - i.e the "middling" should be taxed according to the ability to pay. The Conservative Party used to say it believed in the family - this policy just exposes that lie. <br /><br />For all those selfish singletons who don't see families and children as a public good, and then accuse those with families as being selfish (without understanding that children are usually the cure to selfishness) - could I ask whether they will be renouncing the sate pensions that our children will have to pay on their retirement?tory boys never grow upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-26227159982629077332010-10-13T02:39:22.637+01:002010-10-13T02:39:22.637+01:00The problem with income tax T Boy is that we are ...The problem with income tax T Boy is that we are already pretty much on the curve of maximising revenue from the rich and further redistribution could only come from the middling which is me again.<br /><br />AS to what Baker knew and I am 1005 confident that he knew he was getting the shadopw transport job and I infer he knew much much moreNewmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-13991792426856068202010-10-12T15:19:54.451+01:002010-10-12T15:19:54.451+01:00Of course he will just reply along the lines that ...Of course he will just reply along the lines that things are very hard and everyone has to make sacrifices including those who are well off etc. etc. <br /><br />The point that you don't make is that "fairness" needs to apply within the well off and not just between the well off and the basic rate tax payers. Even those on £100k plus (i.e a junior ministers salary with tax free allowances) a year with children have a lower ability to pay taxes than someone on the same salary without children - and those that say the opposite clearly don't have children. <br /><br />As an aside it could be argued that those higher rate tax payers who haven't borne the financial burden of children shouldn't be entitled to a state pension which will be paid for by such children.<br /><br />I agree that there is a need to raise additional taxes from the well off - my complaint is that it should be done by income taxes (the all party fetish about not using this tax is pretty irrational if you believe the tax burden should be shared based on the ability to pay) which apply to all the well off - rather than just picking on those with children.<br /><br />As for the LibDems - they of course voted overwhelmingly for universal child benefit at their recent conference. While Clegg knowing what was proposed just said nothing. A bit like his silent support for Tory deficit policy during the election which only came to light after the election. It would be interesting to know what windbag Baker knew and when.tory boys never grow upnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-19669843855412468812010-10-11T14:48:06.052+01:002010-10-11T14:48:06.052+01:00Paul
What did you expect?Paul <br />What did you expect?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09765194980172475141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-31854553937545074522010-10-09T01:40:21.953+01:002010-10-09T01:40:21.953+01:00Flo you have hit the nail on the head. Lying is ...Flo you have hit the nail on the head. Lying is wrong <br /><br />Blue Eyes - Yes that is right and what I cannot help thinking is how right I was to shout "Lie" whenever Labour have pretended the rich would pay.They never pay its always us .<br /><br />Asquith the great problem with this is the regional disparity of its impact. In many parts of the country my earnings would be comfortable but not in the South East.<br />An ordinary family home is £300k to £400k you work it outNewmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-66889762473160922682010-10-07T18:42:27.926+01:002010-10-07T18:42:27.926+01:00It's funny, I oppose what the coalition have d...It's funny, I oppose what the coalition have done even though I haven't got any kids & none of the parents I know earn enough to be affected (nor did my parents when me & my brother were children). But a bad policy is to be opposed.<br /><br />Almost every old person I know clocked off at 65. A few people left early but it's rare for anyone in an area like this to amass enough savings. I've never met anyone who stayed beyond pensionable age because they all hated their jobs.asquithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246701347539264295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-18221852067418973962010-10-07T11:27:31.420+01:002010-10-07T11:27:31.420+01:00Flo, my mum who is of retirement age but not quite...Flo, my mum who is of retirement age but not quite ready for the labour-market scrapheap decided to do some part-time work after her job booted her out.<br /><br />She soon gave it up as she realised that after tax the money she was receiving from an ad-hoc part time job she was doing was considerably less than she was paying the cleaning lady!<br /><br />She now plays croquet and is - in the current jargon - economically inactive. Well done Gordon Brown.<br /><br />The problem is that taxes need to go up to bridge the gap before spending reductions kick in properly. That means that everyone who earns more than £40k is a target because they are in that golden "progressive" zone.<br /><br />I don't like it either but that's just the way it's going to be for the next few years.Old BEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06974090439936326476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-59465250533317279952010-10-07T01:41:25.667+01:002010-10-07T01:41:25.667+01:00On the subject of high marginal tax rates...
One ...On the subject of high marginal tax rates...<br /><br />One of my colleagues is a pensioner, she is in her mid 70s, has worked all of her life and has never claimed benefits. She still works full time and is a higher rate tax payer.<br /><br />The government deducts from her pension, would you believe, an eye watering 50 pence for every one pound she earns above around £20,000.<br /><br />In addition, she must pay tax on the miserable remainder at 40%.Auntie Flo'noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-47033169172425522762010-10-07T01:31:56.784+01:002010-10-07T01:31:56.784+01:00Totally agree with you. Though I no longer receive...Totally agree with you. Though I no longer receive child benefit, I am extremely angry about this cut; first because, while campaigning my guts out for the Conservative election win, I gave my word to those I canvassed that this benefit would not be cut. <br /><br />I believed I could do that with confidence because David Cameron and the Conservatives had given their word to me on this: via our manifesto. <br /><br />How dare they lie to me and to the electorate! <br /><br />Cameron needs to put this right and pretty damn quick - or else.Auntie Flo'noreply@blogger.com