Fair Tax System

[gricerboy]

I'm in favour of a flat rate right across the board for freelancers; say 20%. No expenses, nothing. Then you'd just fill in a form once a year, pop a cheque in the post and sack your accountant. Save yourself 1.5k per year and countless hours doing tedious paperwork.

[Bunk]

For once I actually agree with you in principle, but I'd go further and extend that to all tax. There's no good reason for it to be complicated, other than keeping accountants in work.

[Moscow Mule]

I'm in favour of a flat rate right across the board for freelancers; say 20%. No expenses, nothing. Then you'd just fill in a form once a year, pop a cheque in the post and sack your accountant. Save yourself 1.5k per year and countless hours doing tedious paperwork.

Any VAT?

What about any software sales / disbursements?

[gricerboy]

Any VAT?

What about any software sales / disbursements?

That's easy to do yourself though

[lukemg]

Not only do I agree - that was my idea !
IR35 is fine except for the 5% allowance, permie benefits must be worth 30-50%, 20% looks very generous from us and we get to sleep at night...

[Not So Wise]

What Bunk said, flat rate for every individual would be better, somewhere in the region of 10-15% for anyone earning over X (X being a bit higher than national average), zero for anyone below X

Corp rate should be the same

You might think that would lower tax revenue but so many would stop loopholeing or offshoring overall tax revenue would probably go up

[Churchill]

What Bunk said, flat rate for every individual would be better, somewhere in the region of 10-15% for anyone earning over X (X being a bit higher than national average), zero for anyone below X

Corp rate should be the same

You might think that would lower tax revenue but so many would stop loopholeing or offshoring overall tax revenue would probably go up

Better still, don't tax income, tax expenditure...

[HairyArsedBloke]

A lot less government expenditure => a lot less need for tax (and for many of the poorest, none at all).

[meridian]

Better still, don't tax income, tax expenditure...

That's what VAT is (and the old Sales Tax).

In NZ and Oz it's called GST, Goods and Services Tax because it's a tax on goods and services. Not too sure why it's called Value Added Tax here, where's the added value (as opposed to the added cost to the consumer)?

[Moscow Mule]

That's what VAT is (and the old Sales Tax).

In NZ and Oz it's called GST, Goods and Services Tax because it's a tax on goods and services. Not too sure why it's called Value Added Tax here, where's the added value (as opposed to the added cost to the consumer)?

Because if you don't add value, you don't have to charge it. Solicitors who pay fees for you don't add their own VAT on top.