only if wages are fair. until then, no. the highly paid make their money, directly or indirectly from everyone else, rich and poor alike, hence there should be some accountability to rich and poor alike. or summat. nesxt question is, should all wages be the same?
No, what you get should be some reflection of the effort you put in. People who work hard to get a degree etc. shouldn't be paid the same as people who did bugger all at school and as a consequence find themselves limited in terms of employment opportunities.
Lets get a little radical. Compulsory contraceptive implants to all girls at 14, which only get removed when they (or their partner) has put a certain amount of money back into society (through tax/NI) - minimum two years work equivalent (can be voluntary for the big society). Nobody qualifies for full benefits until they have worked for at least one year and up to that point it is pro-rata - if you work 1 month you get 1/12 the benefit rate. All income is taxed at a set rate, irrespective of what you earn. You earn £10 or you earn £10million/week you still pay the same rate. No loopholes. All accountants are jointly responsible for errors on tax returns and pay back the same as anyone submitting a wrong return. Drop VAT completely, and fuel tax. All taxation is entirely at source.
I don't agree with a flat rate tax due to the marginal utility of money. The first £10,000 you earn has a greater effect on your quality of life than the next £10,000, which has a greater effect than the £10,000 after that and so on. To tax at a flat rate doesn't recognise this and effectively penalises those who earn less.
No. As previously mentioned, a flat tax rate disproportionately affects the lower paid. As an example, let's say the rate is 10% For someone earning £10,000 that's £1,000, for somebody earning £100,000 that's £10,000. For the first person they'll feel the loss of £1,000 far more than the person paying £10k. And theres nothing that says it would prevent the top earners trying to find ways around the system such as now. Agreed lets get rid of the loopholes but we need a progressive tax policy where those most able to pay, pay more.
Sorry I missed out the part about the untaxed allowance - if that is increased to (say) £15,000 then the people at the bottom can spend 100% of their income, but the people at the top have a nice chunk to live on and then pay tax on anything above that. Before anyone goes on about affordability - you can set the tax rate and tax allowance at any level you like. You could set it to £100,000 and 90% or £0 and 10% as long as the figures add up.
Are degree people the only ones that count then? Your first comment is the one to go on. i.e a reflection of the effort you put in. In relation to most degree achievers they have done sfa for an employer. Once they are employed then you have got something to measure.
What a load of rubbish. I would suggest that the majority of highly paid people work extremely hard for their money. They certainly do in my experience, as those that blag it are easily found out and moved on or out - after all what kind of employer is going to pat someone a fortune for doing next to nothing? Also, those wealthy people that own companies are the people that provide employment opportunities for others so that the so called 'poor' people can afford their Sky subscription and iPhone contracts. I despise the suggestion that people who do well for themselves are somehow leaching off the poor.