i known people who work all theyr life they get a shit check that cant keep up with inflantion in large city in the U.S were taxes are based on present value of home not when they were bought / and rent alone "if you dont own a home " would leave you penny less.
Many millions who have work for mid to slight above minimum wage when they retire they lucky if they get 250 /325 english pounds to live for the rest of the month . you figure out the rest . home taxes, electric & water food forget vehicles if you live in a big city insurance would murder you. = alone . and Apartment kills you each month in rent alone. the cheapest flat are 200 pounds .
I think that is the purpose of National Insurance contributions. But I would just like to raise one issue with your general points. You say that it would be greedy for people to complain about the level of the minimum wage, whilst in the same breath arguing that it's unfair to tax those who earn ridiculously high incomes, often at the expense of their minimum wage employees. How can you have it both ways?
Everybody should be taxed, but our tax system is extremely unfair. Why should people who are working and earn a lot of money be taxed out of this world? How is that fair, they are earning their money unlike some people. I just think that the tax system should take the same amount from everybody then nobody can be left unhappy. Like 5% of your yearly income or something (Like they do in Japan). It's hardly fair if you work your ass off for overtime, only to be taxed through the roof. Where's the incentive then? No wonder so many nationals are leaving the country for better pastures.
I think the answer to that would be the way a purely capitalistic society defines value is not fair. Is it really right that those who produce value (workers) are barely paid enough to feed and house themselves, while those in management positions often have hugely inflated salaries many many times more than those who actually produce the value these people sell? There will always be rewards for those with particular talents and skills; a banded tax system is designed to keep things a little bit more fair. Those in highly-paid positions will always be highly paid; forcing the employers to fork out more to cover higher income taxes in order to reward the highest-paid is one way of effecting a small degree of redistribution to keep things a bit more fair for the lowest-paid. That said I don't necessarily think the current system is particularly fair. Perhaps the highest band should be raised both in its earnings threshold and percentage rate. Perhaps a super-high band should be introduced for those who earn amounts which are obscene in a society with so much endemic poverty (say over 150,000pa).
It would be a great idea, but it's hardly fair if these people who get paid so well are getting taxed so much. I mainly think this because they have still taken the time to get up in the morning and earn their living etc.
What about footballers? They get paid ridiculously and I feel should be taxed to fuck. I mean seriously, £120,000 a week?
Yep ... someone who earns that much pays the same proportion in tax as someone who earns 35,000 a year...
Actually... you guys do make a very good point about sportsman, particularly footballers. It is sickening how much they get paid and the example they set to people isn't very admirable either.
It is an issue that does annoy me a great deal. Most people live on less per year than some footballers get paid every week, that is ridiculous. Let them take say £500,000 (although that's still ridiculously high) and give the rest to causes that need it.
Footballers aside, I think you're making the assumption that people who earn more work harder. This is an assumption that would be very difficult to substantiate and, although it may be true in some cases, in the majority I would suspect not. Someone who has spent a lifetime slogging their guts out in a minimum wage job often works a lot harder, and produces a lot more real value, than a highly paid manager in the same company. And the manager often has not had to work their way up from the bottom, many positions can be inherited, gained through better education, or through better life chances or cultural capital. The amount of people I know who have followed their Daddies through the top public schools to Cambridge and will soon be given top jobs in the family firm, or getting highly paid jobs as a result of an education system skewed in their favour, it's just ridiculous. A tax system that affects these wealthy most is designed as a partial resistributive balancing measure. As for better pastures, I'd much rather be living in a country with higher tax and a national health service free at the point of need, than one like America, where a sizeable portion of society cannot afford health care.
Exscuse me, but I think you are making an assumption right here. Grrrr to people who assume they know everything. I do not think this at all and I don't believe I ever mentioned that people who get paid more work harder, therefore I'd appreciate you not making these assumptions about my opinions thankyou. Why should people who get paid well and earn their living not get what they've earnt? I think that people who earn their money should be able to keep a fair amount of it. People in management have a lot of work on their hands too you know, as do people who are web designers etc for a living... it may not be a strenuous job, but they've taken the time to go out and get their degree and train themselves to do what they do. Why are they not entitled to keep their money? And I'd appreciate you not making these assumptions about my opinions thankyou.
Please don't be offended, this is a friendly debate, no offence was intended, and if any was taken I'm sorry. I didn't however say you were definitely making assumptions, I said I think you're making assumptions. That is to say, from the argument that you have communicated thus far, it could be inferred that that is your position. And if that's not your position, why do you feel that the minimum wage should not be raised, for those working incredibly hard day in day out in these jobs, whilst people in the tob jobs should not be taxed to the same extent? One can only argue given the available information, and if what is communicated leads to such assumption, then there's no need to be offended by it.
I'm not offended dude, all is well It's not a case that minimum wage shouldn't be raised, but people shouldn't complain about the minimum wage when it is being raised every year and we're privileged enough to have one. A couple of year ago Minimum wage for workers ages 22 and over was at £4.85 or something and now it's at £5.35, this is a pretty large improvement and it will continue to improve, but people will always claim that it is not enough whatever the minimum wage stands at, whether they raise it every year or not.
