Zack Polanski

He hasn't set out his magical money tree policies yet, that will be a popcorn moment, but he has made the suggestion that anyone earning £50k is 'rich'. Thankfully those 18% of taxpayers will ensure this chap never gets anywhere near power.

 

Fine, as long as they don't bitch about any public services going down the pan, because people they aren't paying (enough) of their bit.

 

Sure thing. £289 more per year is astronomical for people earning £55k per year and who pay £3k less tax per year than they did in 2010.

 

I don't support a hand out econcomy basically. I believe in working hard to earn a living and not expect everyone else to pay for it.
This chap would bankrupt the country with his proven failed politics.

Fine, increase taxes to gain more revenue, but do it across the board. If you earn more you naturally contribute more in taxes quite simple. If you want to earn more, work hard and aspire to get a better job etc.

 

It's ironic that their are plenty of examples of people not working hard who are paid well above the median level.

That whole 'hard working' mantra is tedious and often used in right wing media to try and be dismissive of groups they wish to target.

It's also ironic that the people who can most afford to pay tax are often the ones who rail against paying their fair share.

 

Complete nonsense. Net Zero will actually save us money by replacing expensive power generation from in particular gas, with essentially free renewable electricity. As I have said in a previous post, under Thatcher's privatisation, the price of electricity is pegged to the MOST EXPENSIVE generation method which is currently gas. This was done in order to make sure that the most expensive generators could still make a profit. The price of gas is decided by the international markets, we can't change that. We do produce our own gas but it is sold on the international market - not simply to our own generators. The profits made by the gas extraction companies does not find it's way into the UK economy but goes back to their home countries. We don't get any benefit from extracting gas from the North Sea, but other countries do (take note Kemi Badenough). Any reduction of CO2 emissions is to be welcomed and the current world leader in greening their economy is China. If they can do it whilst increasing their national wealth then so should we.

 

Exactly how much of my money do you consider your fair share?

 

The one that sticks in my mind from being a kid is a war film where they were under the command of a useless and cowardly officer. Palance lost his arm under the tracks of a tank.

 

Out of interest do you think those over £50k earned higher or lower % pay rises than those earning less than £50k over the last decade?

 

So you'd take the money off all those living off their parents inhereted wealth as they don't contribute to the economy?

Additionally I'd suggest you go look up meritocracy in the dictionary and see how social mobility in the UK has fallen in the last 20 years. IIRC the worst area for social mobility was if you were from South Yorkshire and a teenage girl.

But yeah, just work harder. As if there's not millions of people working two or more jobs for low pay already....

 

Not sure where you have sourced your China figures from but they are the ones that are nonsense. Seen as we are talking about power, their CO2 emissions calculated from their power industry have increased year on year.

• Power Industry - Electricity production comes mostly from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas. Greenhouse gas emissions from industry primarily come from burning fossil fuels for energy.

They are anything but a shining light, especially considering they create 33% of the global emissions. Since 2021, there has been a rise in new and resumed coal power projects, with 2024 seeing the highest level of new construction starts since 2015.


Look at the UK's charts with our stuttering economy and contributing a mere 0.88% of global CO2 emissions with parties like the greens wanting to drive us into financial oblivion paying for green projects against fantasy targets.

 

Whatever the government decide at the time to deliver its core services for the whole population. Very simple really.

 

Can you detail a really successful socialist growing economy.

 

You can’t just outsource your morality to whoever is currently in power. There’s been numerous immoral regimes in countries throughout history - many of whom didn’t even bother to hold elections once they were in position.

 

Lower in my company

 

No outsourcing of anything.

Your fair share of tax is based on the tax rates of any given government of the day as they look to deliver their manifesto and deliver services. Tax rates have been increased and decreased plenty of times in my lifetime. Reacting to crises, national and international challenges.

If everyone paid the tax they were supposed to, we wouldn't have the issues we do.

 

Scandinavia or China both to an extent.

Scandinavia is broadly happy and still democratic, with good quality of living and social security, though their growth rates are not world leading and parties of the right are gaining more support to cut state spending and become more typically capitalist.

China is of course communist and, while powerful and prosperous as a country as a whole, has no elections, no real human rights, and has many people living under the boot of the regime or in poverty.

 

Some people would rather move or change their behaviours in response to changing conditions and incentives.

When France increased their higher earner and wealth taxes their wealthiest moved away in response. In the US, wealthier individuals have moved to lower tax states rather than pay more to stay where they were.

In contrast, Ireland undercut most European countries on corporate tax rates, attracted lots of businesses, and had much healthier public finances.

If higher taxes reduced tax incomes and funding, what exactly is being achieved here?

 

Ok, I accept your numbers on China and I also accept that what we do in the UK will have a marginal effect on world CO2 emissions. However, you have not said anything about what effect will greening our power generation have on electricity prices for us. The sooner we get away from the enormous cost of producing electricity from gas, the better off (financially) we will all be. What I said about pegging power generation prices to gas is a fact and what I said about the profits from gas extraction going to other countries is also a fact (we do get a small benefit from taxes paid to the UK exchequer). Anyone who has the wellbeing of this country in mind would surely be favour of net zero as a benefit and not a cost.

The real cost is in not pursuing net zero.