If you can manage financially - would you pay more tax, for better public services?

^Katie590
You can’t expect a nation to prosper when 1/3 of its assets are unproductive, at least residential rental properties are producing income for the government through taxation, owner occupied provide very little.^

Owner occupied properties raised a huge amount of tax for the local government in the form of council tax. Estimated 46.9 billion in 2024 equivalent to £1620 per household.

IMHO, British people are already up to their eyeballs in taxation and should not be paying anymore.

SporeRB

^Katie590
You can’t expect a nation to prosper when 1/3 of its assets are unproductive, at least residential rental properties are producing income for the government through taxation, owner occupied provide very little.^

Owner occupied properties raised a huge amount of tax for the local government in the form of council tax. Estimated 46.9 billion in 2024 equivalent to £1620 per household.

IMHO, British people are already up to their eyeballs in taxation and should not be paying anymore.

Yes, but we are paying for the services that council provides, its only 1% of the capital value and inflation is always much more, that’s why councils just can’t keep up with the services we all want.

Renters also pay council tax and don’t have the house price inflation to offset the council tax, they have a really bad deal.

100% yes.

Yes

No I've paid enough tax in my lifetime and yet still don't get the services I pay for. Pay more tax and more of my money will be wasted.

Yes, I would pay more tax providing it is spent wisely and directed at services to improve lives of citizens

Yes! I lived in Scandinavia when public services were really good and there was a real safety net that everyone could access. Taxes were very high but the understanding that illness or unemployment wouldn't destroy your life or your children's lives was worth the price. Income differences were not so extreme and absolute poverty was avoidable.

You pay your money and you take your choice. We can’t expect to have Scandinavian level services and pay American level taxes.
Saying you don’t want to pay more (who does?) is like going to a shop with £100 to spend and expecting designer clothes.
And if you don’t want to pay more, please don’t moan about the level of public services

Yes, of course.
The whole point of taxation is to improve the conditions for everyone in the country.
Is there really any need to point out that the happiest people in Europe live in the countries where taxation is eyewateringly high?
Denmark even subsidises dropouts, who mainly opt to drop back in once they have recovered their strength. In return, there are no rough sleepers or beggars and everyone is free to live without guilt.

No I wouldn't. I have zero faith that it would be spent wisely.

Yes

No, definitely not. Sorry, but I paid income tax all my working life and I think once you retire pension income should be tax free. Now, if someone were to set up a campaign to ensure the super rich tax dodgers who have all their wealth and assets hidden in offshore tax havens, and all the huge corporations and businesses that evade paying tax through legal loopholes, pay their full amount of tax, I would definitely subscribe to that!

There is plenty of money about but it is not always (or often) managed well in the public sector. I was a teacher and often saw eye watering waste. A finance officer once showed me with great pride how she has spent £1000 on replacing brown chairs in three classrooms with blue, a totally unnecessary purchase which added nothing of any educational value whatsoever. One instance among many.

We read over and over again how the extra billions of pounds the NHS has been given of public money has been spent on management instead of frontline services, on Stonewall and other ideological training, on diversity and other politically motivated projects and officers and on many other issues which some would deem inappropriate.

Private companies have clearly defined goals and a mindset against waste and inefficiency whereas in the public sector responsibility with taxpayers’ cash is not a priority.

Therefore, I would not be willing to pay a penny more tax.

We’re already more highly taxed than ever, so why do we need to pay more?

I already pay a lot of tax but I would pay more, or take out "care" insurance, if I knew it would provide more (and better) care for the elderly, in or out of their own homes.
I don't see any point in throwing more cash at the NHS unless it is guaranteed to to into actual health care rather than more poor management or consultancy reports.
Nor do I want any more spent on immigrants who cannot or will not contribute to our economy, now or in the future.

yes I'd pay more tax so no-one has to go hungry or die on a trolley in an NHS hospital, I have had to rely on benefits many years ago when my kids were young and I'd like to extend that help to others now that I'm better off. I've known loads of people similar to me in that they need to claim, but few if any benefit cheats. Benefit cheats are few and far between, so research shows, despite what the right wing press says

I live in Scotland and we are already taxed higher than in England. My husband works for an English company and already pays £150 more a month than his English colleagues as his wages are taxed under Scottish tax rate. So sorry no more. I feel those who use public services most are the ones who don’t contribute anything to the pot. I’m sure they are not riddled with guilt which is what those of us who have worked all our lives are made to feel. Sound a pure bitch I know but it’s how I feel

I think people who are paying 40% tax are lucky because it means they are earning 12.500 tax free plus the 20% on the next amount then 40% on the next amount.. some of us would love to be earning enough to pay 40%!!! IMO the government should put VAT up to make up shortfalls in the public services, and increase the tax free amount we can earn. At least I would have a bit of choice whether I buy or not!

Since we’re already paying taxes at the highest rate ever, I don’t think any taxes should be increased.

Yes, if I could be guaranteed that I wouldn’t have to sell my house to pay for care in my later years (should I need it). My modest home is all I have to leave to my DD & DGC. If paying tax now enables me to do that, so be it.

Government after government have said they’ll sort out care for older citizens, but all have dismally failed to do anything. LizzieDrip there are a number of posters on GN who would say if you own your own house then you shouldn’t expect to leave it to your children. I don’t agree with them, but many do think that.

Care is so expensive, how much extra tax do you reckon you would have to pay Lizzie? It’s not something I ponder on because I would rather die than go into a care home.

greenlady102

nope. next question. I used to work in the NHS and I think it wants a blooming good sort out before getting any more money....and in that sort out, I would like to see public misuse included.

Please join my club. I have been banging on about this for years.

May I join too? The more they have, the more they waste.

The question -- pay more in taxes for better public services?

Who will define butter, who will make better happen?

Or would more in taxes be merely wasted?