What would you like to see cut?

The majority of immigrants do not rely on benefits but actually work and pay tax, thus contributing to our economy.

Magpie what level of benefits do migrants get? Do you mean legal or illegal migrants?
https://fullfact.org/live/2014/sep/illegal_immigrants_access_to_benefits-34842

Eloethan Very good points you have made there.

I would like to see cut

Overseas Aid

Child benefit for children who do not live with their parents in UK

Benefits for migrants

Cosmetic surgery on the NHS

They would go, wouldn't they? Never noticed the Express trying to interview the MP, Jeremy Hunt.

And NHS chiefs too.

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/484199/NHS-Staff-USA-US-Money-Taxpayer (just the tip of the iceberg)

Bureaucracy, waste and over-indulgent expenses.

Councillors/MPs going on overseas 'jollies' to find out something the rest of us find out by telephone/google.

This is interesting.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2014/12/01/85-of-british-adults-say-tax-avoidance-by-large-companies-is-morally-wrong/

Even 90% of tory voters think it is morally wrong for large companies to avoid tax.
Shame their masters do not take any notice of them.

It is a clever way of putting it, and a bit eye opening, but not really the point?
If you were a Chancellor of the Exchequer, a % is not going to help balance the books. Or pay for roads and education etc.

He or she needs higher earners for that.

I suppose you are talking about more as a % of income.

Not more as in £10k versus £2k or whatever.

I scored 5 out of 8.

I need time to digest what you and the link say.

Either I am adrift, or there is something else adrfit.

durhamjen I suppose the Green Party has the policies with which I agree the most. However, I think the party that has the most chance of getting rid of this horrible government is Labour (possibly with the support of the Green Party, SNP and Plaid Cymru). I'm very reluctant to vote Labour though so I'm not quite sure what to do.

soontobe It's not so much about putting top rate income tax up, but about the Conservative party saying that their aim is to bring the top rate down, in the first instance to 40% but possibly even more in due course. There are certainly plenty of Conservatives who believe in lowering income tax rates and even having a "flat" income tax rate.

Recent research conducted by the think tank Equality Trust found that people believe that the richest pay the most taxes relative to their income. In fact, the poorest 10% pay 8% more of their income than the richest - 43% compared to 35%.

The poorest pay roughly 23% of their gross household income in indirect taxes (such as VAT) and more than four times as much of their income in Council Tax as the top 10%.

www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jun/16/british-public-wrong-rich-poor-tax-research

Oh dear. I didnt write clear enough again.
When I said "tax problems at the top", I meant businesses and institutions not paying tax properly, like top hotels and international coffee shops and internet businesses, who dont pay tax into this country. Did Labour try and do anything about that? I cant remember now.

I am not in agreement however with putting the top rate of tax up further for individuals.

I will click on the RM link later.

The government has found something else to cut. Does anyone else find this worrying?

www.politics.co.uk/news/2014/12/05/too-little-too-late-electoral-commission-denies-complacency

By the way, I agree with everything you said in your last post, Eloethan, apart from the fact that I do think the A1 should be dualled all the way up to Berwick. Leaving it as it is is dangerous. They could have actually done that instead of widening the A1 through Newcastle.

Sorry if agreeing with you reduces your chances of becoming PM.

Which party would you stand for, Eloethan? Or would you start your own?
It would be interesting to see how many rightwingers on here would vote for your party.

Yes they did, soontobe, by putting the top rate of tax up. However, Osborne put it down again straight away.

Another excellent post from Eloethan! Definitely E, you should stand for parliament and become PM within 6 months!

Soontobe, this is who Richard Murphy is. You probably will not want to read all of the link.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/richard-murphy/

Osborne has criticised the BBC for reporting what he said accurately.

www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2014/12/05/osborne-is-attacking-the-bbc-for-accurately-reporting-what-h

It has happened down the centuries hasnt it. People migrating to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Far East.&

I think they will find they do not have such a cushion to land on there as they do here!

Eloethan for PM!

Cancel Trident and reduce military budget;

Stop involving ourselves in wars;

Cancel HS2 - improve efficiency of current lines;

Stop funding "vanity" projects like the Garden Bridge which is estimated to be likely to incur annual maintenance costs of £3 million);

Cancel new road building projects (more roads have been found to create more traffic);

Abolish House of Lords, subsidised food/drink in Houses of Parliament, lavish catered events;

Pare down numbers of Royal Family supported by the state and reduce allowances;

Reduce food waste in schools (the education sector produce 13% of non-domestic food waste - most of which goes into landfill);

Abolish the discounts given under "Right to Buy";

Stop subsidising private schools through tax relief;

Stop using agency nurses and locum doctors;

Stop paying private companies to assist in bringing down unemployment - they have been largely unsuccessful;

Stop privatisation of public services, which will in due course result in higher costs for the population;

Monitor charities properly to ensure they are genuine charities and therefore entitled to tax relief;

Return schools to local authority control where spending can be monitored more closely to prevent fraud.

When Labour were in power, did they try and tackle the tax problems at the top?
I dont recall that they did. If not, why not?