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So, who votes for a government that improves the lives of Bankers, and ensures the excessive profits of energy companies, but needs all the "levelling up" money to pay for the holes in Brexit?

(384 Posts)
DaisyAnne Thu 15-Sept-22 09:55:03

Seriously, who does that? Who decided they wanted these things?

MaizieD Thu 15-Sept-22 14:43:13

Germanshepherdsmum

The tax is a bit more useful to society than the Lamborghini volver.

It isn't any more useful than the tax from the same amount of money shared between more people.

Taxation doesn't fund spending.

vegansrock Thu 15-Sept-22 14:44:51

The reason why they put a cap on was because huge bonuses led to the risk taking which caused the last banking crash.

volver Thu 15-Sept-22 14:45:19

His? Interesting.

BTW, if more people worked in care homes we wouldn't be in the dire straits we're in now.

Don't try to explain taxation to me. Ask "MaizieD", she knows how it works.

volver Thu 15-Sept-22 14:45:35

Or even MaizieD

volver Thu 15-Sept-22 14:46:05

Oops - you were quicker than me MaizieD!

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 14:47:03

Who is worshiping the acquisition of wealth Maisie? I don’t worship it but readily admit to having engaged in it. Don’t you think the taxes paid by the evil bankers might be just a teeny bit useful? Ditto maintaining the important of their industry to GDP?

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 14:47:58

Since when, vegansrock, there have been huge regulatory changes.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 14:49:14

You always, but always, say that taxation doesn’t fund spending Maizie, but you can’t deny the importance of it to the economy.

volver Thu 15-Sept-22 14:53:00

I quite like the idea that MaizieD hinted at.

If you get a million pounds in taxes from one person, you have one very rich person with a Lamborghini.

If you get a million pounds in taxes from 1000 people, you get a self sustaining economy.

But then I'm one of those simpletons who apparently doesn't understand Financial Services. (Despite actually having worked in an FI.)

MaizieD Thu 15-Sept-22 14:57:22

Germanshepherdsmum

You always, but always, say that taxation doesn’t fund spending Maizie, but you can’t deny the importance of it to the economy.

Its importance to the economy is primarily to control inflation.

It can also be used to make the distribution of wealth more equitable.

It can be used to influence the behaviour of consumers and businesses

It can be used to ensure that those who 'have' the most, pay the most.

It can be used for all sorts of things, but it isn't used to fund state spending.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 14:58:11

But, volver, the employer of the person who pays £1m in taxes is paying that person. What’s the problem there? Contractual master and servant relationship, reward of servant privately negotiated.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 15:01:26

You have stated several purposes of taxation, Maizie, but nothing about the use of the cash product of taxation.

volver Thu 15-Sept-22 15:31:17

Germanshepherdsmum

But, volver, the employer of the person who pays £1m in taxes is paying that person. What’s the problem there? Contractual master and servant relationship, reward of servant privately negotiated.

I suppose I'm just an old social democrat at heart GSM. I don't think everything should be left to the "market" and that society/the state/government/whatever does have a responsibility in ensuring as fair a society as possible.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with an employer paying someone enough to make them liable for £1m in tax, but when the government tries to say its really important that this happens now, and that they are changing the rules so that more people get these astronomical pay-outs, and yet there are millions of people starving or freezing to death? I just get a bit wary, that's all.

Priorities, priorities. Or even optics. ??

MaizieD Thu 15-Sept-22 15:39:58

Germanshepherdsmum

You have stated several purposes of taxation, Maizie, but nothing about the use of the cash product of taxation.

The use of the taxation could be said to be to pay off the Treasury's overdraft at the BoE. The BoE issues our money into the economy, either directly or by commercial banks under licence from the BoE to issue money (because all 'loans' given by commercial banks are new money). Tax money credited to the Treasury account reduces its debit balance.

There is always a debit balance because not all issued money is spent into the domestic economy, either because of savings, going to tax havens, or purchases from other countries, so it is not all recovered through taxation.

Prentice Thu 15-Sept-22 15:43:01

Germanshepherdsmum

I have already said on another thread that removing the cap on bankers’ bonuses is a good move.

The economy relies heavily on financial services and it’s vital that our banks are able to compete with, for instance, US banks which do not cap bonuses.

Furthermore, the tax paid by recipients of bonuses will be far higher than the banks would have paid had the money been retained.

I did not understand this situation t until I heard it explained clearly on radio 4 just yesterday.
It will continue to be misunderstood though and people will feel angry, even though it will not affect them at all.
after the Queen's funeral is over I really do think that Liz Truss and the Chancellor need to appear on tv and explain the financial package of help with energy, the banker's bonus issue and anything else that needs the public understanding.

MaizieD Thu 15-Sept-22 15:43:38

volver

I quite like the idea that MaizieD hinted at.

If you get a million pounds in taxes from one person, you have one very rich person with a Lamborghini.

If you get a million pounds in taxes from 1000 people, you get a self sustaining economy.

But then I'm one of those simpletons who apparently doesn't understand Financial Services. (Despite actually having worked in an FI.)

You probably get more tax in total from the 1,000 people because, having less individually, they will pay more in taxation. as they are more likely to spend all of it. Whereas your Lamborghini guy probably pays a lower percentage on income from investments and squirrels lots away in tax havens...

Glorianny Thu 15-Sept-22 15:46:14

This is fascinating-how much tax the rich really pay and how much a wealth tax for a limited period would raise www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-for-the-world/economics/how-much-tax-do-the-rich-really-pay

MaizieD Thu 15-Sept-22 15:46:52

It will continue to be misunderstood though and people will feel angry, even though it will not affect them at all.

Of course it affects them, Prentice. This is money that is being sucked out of the domestic economy which could have been available for redistribution.

Prentice Thu 15-Sept-22 15:50:26

Redistribution how and where?
banks and companies should feel free to award what they like to employees.
it is an optics only matter. People feel aggrieved when others make large sums of cash.

DaisyAnne Thu 15-Sept-22 15:58:57

Germanshepherdsmum

growstuff

karmalady

Germanshepherdsmum

It seems that some posters are unaware of the importance of our financial services industry to our economy.

absolutely. London would not be wealthy without financial services and that would trickle down to everywhere. Many people can only see what is in front of them and don`t have much knowledge about the financial services

Trickle down economics doesn't work. I'd love to know who these "many people" are.

This isn’t only about money trickling down, growstuff, though there would be an element of that. It’s mainly about maintaining a competitive edge for UK financial services, which are vital to the economy, and increasing tax income without raising taxes.

All exports, including Financial Services, have suffered because we left the EU. Is it perhaps the concern of the "mates" that has caused the Government to decide only this area will get a leg up?

volver Thu 15-Sept-22 16:00:21

I find it really quite disconcerting that people are so money-obsessed that they think the only principle driving others is financial jealousy.

Farzanah Thu 15-Sept-22 16:04:27

I’m not in envy of bankers bonuses but am not going to apologise for having a social conscience.

What short memories we seem to have. The 2008 banking crash isn’t that long ago, when, briefly, deregulated banks expanded into more stock and bond trading, boosting profits, and bonuses were reaped in line with profits generated. The moral hazard of bonuses were exposed.

Many in the banking industry (not just bankers) lost their jobs and it sparked the deepest recession since 2nd World War.
Remember it was the taxpayers who had to bail out the banks to enable them to survive.

DaisyAnne Thu 15-Sept-22 16:06:17

Germanshepherdsmum

Farzanah

This is a really crass idea to even contemplate when so many in the country are going to suffer real economic hardship this year.
It’s a vote winner for sure ?.
It’s all been said about trickle down economics, and wage rises for the “serfs” but I would have loved double my salary as an annual extra, even if capped when I worked in the health service. There’d be no shortage of staff that’s for sure.
Why can’t we reward people financially according to their benefit to society?

‘We’ aren’t rewarding bankers, their employers are. Don’t you think that boosting our financial services industry, vital to the economy, and at the same time raking in a lot more tax, is a good idea?

You need to look beyond envy of bankers’ bonuses to see the benefits to the economy of this move.

Don’t kick those who chose a different, more financially rewarding, career. They pay one hell of a lot of tax.

It is not the "envy of bankers' bonuses", that you so excoriatingly suggest, that is the problem.

It is the concern that this government only act on behalf of one part of the population and a very small one at that.

There will be nothing to gain for the majority by this move. I have no objection to some having more. I do object to them having more at the price of others having little or none.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 16:09:11

It’s a vital area for our economy Daisy. This ‘leg up’ is costing us nothing (well, as a bank shareholder it might possibly cost me but I am not complaining, I’m looking at the bigger picture). Prentice is absolutely correct - it’s an optics matter. Nobody but their employers is giving the bankers anything.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 15-Sept-22 16:13:13

How does removing the cap on bankers’ bonuses result in anyone ‘having more at the price of others having little or none’, Daisy?