Todays political post

[IR35 Avoider]

Do you know the proportion of scroungers vs. genuine cases?

David Freud, the ex-banker whose investigation on behalf of the government led to the current reforms, estimates that over 2 million claimants should be working. (I think I read somewhere this is something like two thirds of the total, but I may be wrong.)

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I think you'll find she did cuts taxes.

And I think you'll find she didn't.

"Between 1978/79 (the last year of the 1974/79 Labour government) and 1990/91 (the last year of Lady Thatcher's government), the tax/GDP ratio jumped from 33.3% to 36.3%, a rise broadly equivalent to 10p on the basic rate of income tax.

The tax burden thus rose decisively under Lady Thatcher (both on average and in absolute terms), compared with the previous Labour government."

[sasguru]

And I think you'll find she didn't.

"Between 1978/79 (the last year of the 1974/79 Labour government) and 1990/91 (the last year of Lady Thatcher's government), the tax/GDP ratio jumped from 33.3% to 36.3%, a rise broadly equivalent to 10p on the basic rate of income tax.

The tax burden thus rose decisively under Lady Thatcher (both on average and in absolute terms), compared with the previous Labour government."

Shock, horror! You mean Maggie wasn't an economic saint? You should be shot
PS You should know better than to refute a good prejudice with the facts. I would add that she completely destroyed manufacturing industry by her short-sightedness. And before the usual suspects cite strikes blah blah, I would remind them that France had much the same problems with the state owned Renault, but had a better long term plan to preserve and fix it. So much so that Renault now owns Nissan. Just one example.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

......... It's a shame that others such as Gordon Brown

Thatcher, Major, Lawson, Clarke, Lamont

do not save during the good times.

Yes I am a typical Tory because I do not

Accept that any Tory or Tory government has ever done anything wrong ever.
Or that any Labour one has done anything except put babies to death and fund extremist communism

[boo.boo]

And I think you'll find she didn't.

"Between 1978/79 (the last year of the 1974/79 Labour government) and 1990/91 (the last year of Lady Thatcher's government), the tax/GDP ratio jumped from 33.3% to 36.3%, a rise broadly equivalent to 10p on the basic rate of income tax.

The tax burden thus rose decisively under Lady Thatcher (both on average and in absolute terms), compared with the previous Labour government."

You're right she did nothing to improve Britain.

[The Lone Gunman]

And I think you'll find she didn't.

"Between 1978/79 (the last year of the 1974/79 Labour government) and 1990/91 (the last year of Lady Thatcher's government), the tax/GDP ratio jumped from 33.3% to 36.3%, a rise broadly equivalent to 10p on the basic rate of income tax.

The tax burden thus rose decisively under Lady Thatcher (both on average and in absolute terms), compared with the previous Labour government."

What the hell has an individuals tax burden got to do with GDP?
All that tells us is the ratio of tax to the GDP, not what the tax burden for the individual was. Other factors come into play in that ratio which includes manufacturing output which we all know dropped considerably under Thatcher. The tax to GDP ration will also rise as employment rises. More people will be paying. So a rise in the service sector (which I think is not measured as part of GDP) will see a rise in this ratio.

That is just somebody playing with the figures.

[Incognito]

until he has an accident or cancer....

I have private insurance and have had for the last 7 years. I was unlucky enough to have suffered a broken ankle in the states where my UK private medical insurance paid for the 20k hospital treatment and operation I received. Worth every penny! Compare that to the treatment I would have received on the NHS

.... like... Doctors?

Like Doctors independent to the claimant! i.e. not one they know!

I've heard that argument many times.
But what about the country's need to maintain its population at a certain level or risk dying out?

I didn't say people should only be allowed one child. I'm saying that your Gallagher family down the local council estate shouldn't get any more benefits past sprog number 1.

[boo.boo]

There's some fairly dire English in that helpful essay...

I didn't write it, promise.

[sasguru]

What the hell has an individuals tax burden got to do with GDP?
All that tells us is the ratio of tax to the GDP, not what the tax burden for the individual was. Other factors come into play in that ratio which includes manufacturing output which we all know dropped considerably under Thatcher. The tax to GDP ration will also rise as employment rises. More people will be paying. So a rise in the service sector (which I think is not measured as part of GDP) will see a rise in this ratio.

That is just somebody playing with the figures.

1. The Tax/GDP ratio is a good indicator of whether the country as a whole is suffering an excessive tax burden. Tax take is from individuals and corps. If the tax/GDP ratio rose under Thatcher, and as you imply, the individual tax burden fell, then the bulk of the tax must have come from corps. Now that is not a very Tory policy, is it?
2. Your manufacturing argument is rubbish. Services are taken into account in GDP figures. A moment's thought (not one of your strong points I know) would tell you that if it was not, GB would have one of the lowest GDPs in the G8 as it has probably the lowest proportion of manufacturing in the economy.

Do you actually think before you post?

[Cyberman]

I think you'll find she did cuts taxes.

She sure did..... 60% top rate was cut to 40%. They could not cut it any earlier because they were still sorting out the mess from Labour's economic mismanagement when they were forced to go to the EMF for a multi-billion loan.

Incidentally, the Tories have said they will make tax cuts at some stage in the next administration, but again it depends on how long it takes to sort out the current borrowing mess. 100 billion this year is the prediction!!! Sadly, an all time record.