a tax too far?

[NickFitz]

I am an Englishman, and therefore a Briton. This country is my home, and it behoves me to contribute towards making it a better place not just for myself, but for all my fellow countrymen. If the Government of the day is making a pig's ear of things, well, they always have done; sooner or later it all evens out.

I'm often bemused by the fact that I, a socialist (with a small "s" ) hippy, seem to have a much stronger sense of duty towards my country than all those right-wing gits who prate on about loving the nation, yet cut and run the moment they see a financial advantage for themselves by doing so.

Worthless hypocrites the lot of them

[Numpty]

ID cards will provide enormous work opportunities for contractors.

EDS and Indian software houses

[PM-Junkie]

I am an Englishman, and therefore a Briton. This country is my home, and it behoves me to contribute towards making it a better place not just for myself, but for all my fellow countrymen. If the Government of the day is making a pig's ear of things, well, they always have done; sooner or later it all evens out.

I'm often bemused by the fact that I, a socialist (with a small "s" ) hippy, seem to have a much stronger sense of duty towards my country than all those right-wing gits who prate on about loving the nation, yet cut and run the moment they see a financial advantage for themselves by doing so.

Worthless hypocrites the lot of them

"a self-righteous, pompous cretin who thinks that everyone who doesn't agree with me is a "right-wing git", even though I know precisely zip about their life or their circumstances...and who is probably getting all hot an bothered at being called names even though I am about to do the same myself."

[Lockhouse]

I'm just going to leave more dosh in the company to keep under the threshold until tax rates return to normal. I assume lots of other people will do the same.

[NotAllThere]

...I'm often bemused by the fact that I, a socialist (with a small "s" ) hippy, seem to have a much stronger sense of duty towards my country than all those right-wing gits who prate on about loving the nation, yet cut and run the moment they see a financial advantage for themselves by doing so...

As opposed to the left-wing gits who do the same thing. And the right-wing gits who consider anyone who left the country for better things to be a traitor - which is the BNP stance.

I left the UK 7 years ago because I had the opportunity to live and work in a different culture. I've no regrets and no intention to return. It's standard of living that's important, not tax rate. Though I also have a relatively low tax burden - around 20% of my total income goes in tax; my marginal rate is 33%.

[ThomasSoerensen]

I'm just going to leave more dosh in the company to keep under the threshold until tax rates return to normal. I assume lots of other people will do the same.

Await the day your company becomes natinalised. Have a nice day.

[DodgyAgent]

This tax increase is not big enough to make lots of people leave however it's big enough to restructure earnings and avoid it.

I beg to differ. Although 10% may not sound like much, aggregate it with the tax on pensions and the removal of personal allowances make it substantial enough to make poeple who can try and do something about it. Whether that means leaving the country, I doubt it.

The govt thinks that it will raise 9 billion, which it wont. 2 billion is optimistic.

What matters is that it exposes as a myth that the government wants to encourage entrepreneurs, or encourage consumer spending to get the economy back on its feet. The whole gesture is entirely political looking to capture votes from those who have been made to believe that the whole crisis is the fault of rich bankers.

[EternalOptimist]

I would like to see a list of the manifesto pledges that these guys have actually kept

[expat]

I'm just going to leave more dosh in the company to keep under the threshold until tax rates return to normal. I assume lots of other people will do the same.

If some future clarification of IR35 catches you, that will become deemed payment on which you have failed to pay tax and NICs. These will then fall due, with interest, on that deemed payment, but the money itself will still be in your company and will be taxed again on the way out.

You don't think they would do that? Remember the Vehicle Excise Duty increases for old cars: they government declared that they were not retrospective, because "it has been obvious for the last ten years which way we were heading" - i.e. you are obliged to guess what the govt really wants.

It seems all too similar to me to decide that those who escaped IR35, even legitimately in terms of the rules at the time, were failing to take account of the government's real intentions. This reminds me of the language of HMRC's anti-avoidance unit, which targets activities that cause a difference between the amount of tax received and the amount of tax they expect to receive.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Given that less than 2 per cent of the pop earn more than 100k and less than 1 per cent ear more than 150 k I can hardly sympathise for the very well off having to cough up a few more bob in taxes - and they will probably find ways round this anyway - which is good news for tax consultants and the like.

Persoanlly Im surprised they didnt go for a more substantial 70 per cent target - tax em till their Pips squeak !