British Politics
Been on holiday for a few weeks, surprised to find no general discussion of British politics so though I'd kick one off.
Tory leadership contest is quickly turning into farce. Trump has backed Boris, which should be reason enough for anyone with half a brain to exclude him.
Of the other candidates Rory Stewart looks the best of the outsiders. Surprised to see Cleverly and Javid not further up the betting, but not sure the Tory membership are ready for a brown PM.
https://www.oddschecker.com/politics/bri...
Regarding the LD leadership contest, Jo Swinson is miles ahead of any other candidate (and indeed any of the Tory lot). Should be a shoe in.
Finally, it's Groundhog Day in Labour - the more serious the anti-Semitism claims get, the more Corbyn's cronies write their own obituary by blaming it on outlandish conspiracy theories - this week, it's apparently the Jewish Embassy's fault...
As I've said before i dont think this was about a popularity bounce.
This is weakness in the face of PE firms. The plan is to pay them to take our assets off our hands in return for lots of investment. They demanded a bigger sweetener.
It's going to be fantastic until the music stops.
Speaking on Sunday, Phillipson said she could not give specific information on what would be in the Budget but said: "When people look at payslips they will not see higher taxes.
"That is a very clear commitment."
What contempt they have
In the past they've has called raising employers NI as a stealth tax and on not raising thresholds
Such a freeze on thresholds – which Reeves described last year as “picking the pockets of working people” when the same policy was reannounced by the Tories – will drag 400,000 people into paying tax for the first time and 600,000 into doing so at a higher rate.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
idiots
and a ludicrous farce about what a 'working person' is.
Ever wondered what happened to far right ex-Tory MP Andre Bridgen?
£2 bus fare cap is going too. Bonkers. A policy that helps the poorest in society and is environmentally friendly being scrapped.
If you didn't know any better and just looked at the policies, you would think the left-wing party had been kicked out at the last election and replaced with a right-wing one.
This stuff about taxing any kind of savings benefits from stocks and shares if a right prick of a move. How exactly do people who have worked and actually put stuff aside for this kind of investment get defined as not 'working'?
What a bunch of twats.
You seem personally motivated?
I have a private pension which has taken decades to build, have worked almost every working day for 35+ years, never ever drawn benefits (apart from child benefit), so I'm going to guess anyone with a private pension would feel personally motivated. I cannot afford to retire yet, and now not sure if I have to add several more years of working ahead of me than I already have planned, knowing anything I gain will be taxed more than it is now, given these moves by labour.
These changes feel like they are demotivators to long-term save or invest.
They are hammering pensioners imo, and will not survive a parliament, if that's the case.
Understood. I retired early with a private pension it took me 25 years to build and an NHS pension it took another 10 years. It’s very unfair on low and middle earners.
But the tax system has always been a mess. You pay tax on income, then with your money that you’ve already paid tax on you pay more tax when you buy things or if you save then you pay tax on your savings interest and if you invest then you pay tax when you sell your investments.
It would be so much better just to tax property instead, or at least to increase property tax while decreasing tax elsewhere.
i dont get the sense that capital gains tax treatment on shares held in pension products or isas will be impacted. i think you're fine as it relates to that specific issue
I agree on property but it isn't straightforward. So much of the expensive stuff is owned through companies to avoid taxes. That has to be tackled somehow.
There's another problem which is increasing divide between rich and other areas. Loads of the ordinary people left in richer areas will be forced to move out if their taxed on their home as a way to make rich people pay properly.
Jalfrezi, you just reminded me, I have a tiny NHS pension too I'd forgotten about. It's only a few hundred a year, but every penny helps!
you don't have ways to merge all the pensions built with mandatory public contributions in the UK? we do in Italy
I agree on property but it isn't straightforward. So much of the expensive stuff is owned through companies to avoid taxes. That has to be tackled somehow.
There's another problem which is increasing divide between rich and other areas. Loads of the ordinary people left in richer areas will be forced to move out if their taxed on their home as a way to make rich people pay properly.
People already pay tax on their property, and that needs to be reassessed periodically. There's already the Valuation Office responsible for doing that.
No one said it's straightforward but it can be done to ensure greater fairness than at present. Persisting with the current broken tax regime is just giving up on fairness and accepting great expense.
People already pay tax on their property.
No one said it's straightforward but it can be done to ensure greater fairness than at present. Persisting with the current broken tax regime is just giving up on fairness.
They do but if we use property to try to address the problem of rich ****ers then it will drive everyoine else out.
I'm certainly not for giving up. There is a lot we can with tax although I think we have to address the more systemic problem of them being so rich in the first palce. A lot more nationalisation, a proper housing/town plannign policy etc and personal accountability for the criminal actions of their comapnies for starters.
Governments need to address the issue of second homes if they are going after wealth. I recently found out some friends of ours have a second home in Yorkshire. They are not high earners by any means, probably clear 6 figures a year, but not by much.
if people in this income bracket can feel second homes are affordable and a good investment, then something is definitely wrong.
Greed is what is wrong and your friends are greedy ****ers contributing to pricing Yorkshire people out of their local housing market.
Just make it illegal to own anything that Jalfrezi thinks you don't need, what could go wrong?
By definition you don't need a second home.
In an already quite crowded island with limited housing, much of it owned by landlords, it makes a lot of sense to put a cap on property ownership even if it does break Luciom's Maxim #1, that there's only the individual and society doesn't exist so everyone else can **** off because I'm alright Jack: aka the spiv's charter.
House building is also vital.
If it is so crowded why are you so strongly in favor of taking more people in
Because house building is vitally important in the UK now, and also helps grow the economy, as does immigration.
I have a private pension which has taken decades to build, have worked almost every working day for 35+ years, never ever drawn benefits (apart from child benefit), so I'm going to guess anyone with a private pension would feel personally motivated. I cannot afford to retire yet, and now not sure if I have to add several more years of working ahead of me than I already have planned, knowing anything I gain will be taxed more than it is now, given these moves by labour.
These changes feel like t
Annoying the large and growing demographic who are most likely to turn out and vote is seldom a wise move.
'Tommy Robinson', whose supporters flooded Whitehall at the weekend for some reason, has got 18 months after admitting contempt of court. He will face terrorism charges in November for failing to unlock his phone when requested by police.
Turns out if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…
