Tax freedom day

[TimberWolf]

I was just looking at tax freedom day as given at http://www.adamsmith.org/a-history-of-tax-freedom-day/ and so in a moment of madness decided I'd chart the figures in ASCII and write the app to do so in Javascript in Linux and without a Javascript interpreter/editor. Result below. It seems that tax freedom day is mostly later under the Tories (the day in the year is shown on the left, 1 = 1 Jan, 171 = 20 June etc) using their figures. 'Course the tax you pay depends on what you earn and what you spend, and I might also have goofed. But there we are.

171                   *                          
169                  **                          
167                  **                          
165                  ****                        
162                 ******                       
160                 ******                       
158                 *******                      
156                 *********                    
154                 ************       ***    ***
152       *    *    ************       ***    ***
149      **    *** **************      ***   ****
147      **   *******************     ****   ****
145      ***  *******************  ******** *****
143     ****  ***********************************
141     ****  ***********************************
139     ****  ***********************************
136    ****** ***********************************
134    ****** ***********************************
132    ****** ***********************************
130    ******************************************
128    ******************************************
126    ******************************************
123   *******************************************
121   *******************************************
119   *******************************************
117  ********************************************
115  ********************************************
113  ********************************************
111  ********************************************
     LLLLLCCCCLLLLLCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCLLLLLLLLLLLL
                       1965 - 2008

[The Lone Gunman]

Nicely done.
What that does not show is global problems etc.

If you study it you will see that the Tories were consistently reducing it. It was very late (and taxes were very high) under Thatcher but Tory Governments have always had to spend a few years putting right what the previous Labour Govt. had cocked up. Labour always increases the date (that chart shows it nicely). It also shows how NL made tax reductions to buy an election only to put them back up again later.
This time will be no different. After NL are ejected the next Govt. will have a major task to get the economy in order.

BTW: Could you not colour the stars to match who was in power to make it even better?

[expat]

Nicely done.
What that does not show is global problems etc.

If you study it you will see that the Tories were consistently reducing it. It was very late (and taxes were very high) under Thatcher but Tory Governments have always had to spend a few years putting right what the previous Labour Govt. had cocked up.

The pattern is now clear. Things are always worse under Tory governments and better under Labour, but that is only because the Tories are busy fixing problems created by Labour, whereas Labour are spending money the Tories earned.

Whew! I'm glad that's clear!

[HairyArsedBloke]

The pattern is now clear. Things are always worse under Tory governments and better under Labour, but that is only because the Tories are busy fixing problems created by Labour, whereas Labour are spending money the Tories earned.

Was that really Expat who said that! Has he suddenly seen the light? Damn, he was only joking.

[d000hg]

Sorry, how many years were the Tories in power last time? So by that logic, should the Tories get in next year we can expect a recession until 2020?

[NotAllThere]

... It seems that tax freedom day is mostly later under the Tories (the day in the year is shown on the left,...

I'm not sure how you get to that conclusion.

In 1965 under Labour it was day 117. This increased to 149. Then the Tories took power, and it peaked at 152, decreasing to 130 until Labour came to power, where it went up to the previous Labour levels. Then Thatcher took power, and it shot up to 171 - but from then it dropped consistently until John Major took over, then there was a rise again. Labour took over, and it shifted up to 154, dipping down for 2002, and then back up to 154.

The anomaly is that peak under Thatcher. Do you remember what the early 80s was like?

[techno]

nice one TimberWolfe, you should send that to the Tories for publishing to the unwashed masses

[Cyberman]

I'm not sure how you get to that conclusion.

In 1965 under Labour it was day 117. This increased to 149. Then the Tories took power, and it peaked at 152, decreasing to 130 until Labour came to power, where it went up to the previous Labour levels. Then Thatcher took power, and it shot up to 171 - but from then it dropped consistently until John Major took over, then there was a rise again. Labour took over, and it shifted up to 154, dipping down for 2002, and then back up to 154.

The anomaly is that peak under Thatcher. Do you remember what the early 80s was like?

This confirms that under a Conservative government, they do actually improve the tax situation over their reign. For Labour it shows the opposite, which is really no surprise to anybody, is it ? Cue Expat and Peoplesoft Bloke....

[expat]

This confirms that under a Conservative government, they do actually improve the tax situation over their reign. For Labour it shows the opposite, which is really no surprise to anybody, is it ? Cue Expat and Peoplesoft Bloke....

Right on cue, allow me to disperse some of the BS which so permeates the output of some posters here.

Thatcher had to start with a big tax bite, until her other money-making schemes got under way:
1. sell off the family silver.
2. wait for the oil revenues to roll in (1980s not 1970s: Labour invested in oil extraction but didn't see the benefits).

Lucky for her she had a good war to keep her in power, without it she would have been out after 1 term for what she was already doing to the country.

Yes, I remember what the early 1980s were like.

[Bear]

I've just worked out my tax freedom day. It's day 12