Meet Godfrey Bloom, the Osborne of UKIP

[darmstadt]

“I hope thousands of public sector jobs will be lost”

Not a very sensible thing to say to the electorate

[DimPrawn]

I hope it's millions.

[AtW]

“I hope thousands of public sector jobs will be lost”

Not a very sensible thing to say to the electorate

He'll tell anything to get votes.

"Earlier this year Bloom openly began backing a 25% flat tax, which is now a stated proposal on the party’s website. It is likely aimed at bringing middle-income families that have so far largely shunned UKIP into its growing fold, but is far from official policy.

“I am advocating a [25%] flat tax,” says Bloom. “In order to have a flat tax, which is going to take away the problem of evasion and avoidance, it has to be cheaper to pay the tax than set up an offshore company or do all the things that people do to avoid taxes.

“And on this I am an expert. I spent 35 years in the City showing people how to invest money in trust funds and offshore funds in order to diminish – quite legitimately and legally – their tax,” he adds.

At the last general election, though, UKIP backed a 31% flat rate, which left the party open to attacks of elitism, even as it tried to ally itself with the average voter. Under the old proposals, many Brits – the majority whom are in the UK’s basic tax bracket of 20% - felt that they would be paying more, rather than less, despite UKIP’s pledges to slash VAT and to do away with supplementary taxes like National Insurance.

The problem is that even if the majority of Brits are left paying less - which may well be the case with a 25% rate - Brits on the whole want to see the rich taxed more. In other words, the 25% rate is not a vote winner, which leaves the party in a political pickle.

Farage has now flip-flopped on the idea, recently telling media he has converted to adopting a 40% top rate because “that is seen to be fairer. Whether that’s right or not, I think it’s seen to be fairer.”"

25% flat tax rate is sensible idea. Perhaps not radical enough, but at least sensible.

One can't believe sensible things politicians say though.

[doodab]

I actually agree with quite a bit of that. I must be drunker than I thought.

[KentPhilip]

A case could be made that he should change his name. Godfrey sounds so old fashioned.
And shared, of course, with that elderly old duffer character on "Dad's Army"

[administrator]

TLDR. Is he a good fellow or a complete twunt? If he is a politician then I expect the latter.

[Old Greg]

He'll tell anything to get votes.

"Earlier this year Bloom openly began backing a 25% flat tax, which is now a stated proposal on the party’s website. It is likely aimed at bringing middle-income families that have so far largely shunned UKIP into its growing fold, but is far from official policy.

“I am advocating a [25%] flat tax,” says Bloom. “In order to have a flat tax, which is going to take away the problem of evasion and avoidance, it has to be cheaper to pay the tax than set up an offshore company or do all the things that people do to avoid taxes.

“And on this I am an expert. I spent 35 years in the City showing people how to invest money in trust funds and offshore funds in order to diminish – quite legitimately and legally – their tax,” he adds.

At the last general election, though, UKIP backed a 31% flat rate, which left the party open to attacks of elitism, even as it tried to ally itself with the average voter. Under the old proposals, many Brits – the majority whom are in the UK’s basic tax bracket of 20% - felt that they would be paying more, rather than less, despite UKIP’s pledges to slash VAT and to do away with supplementary taxes like National Insurance.

The problem is that even if the majority of Brits are left paying less - which may well be the case with a 25% rate - Brits on the whole want to see the rich taxed more. In other words, the 25% rate is not a vote winner, which leaves the party in a political pickle.

Farage has now flip-flopped on the idea, recently telling media he has converted to adopting a 40% top rate because “that is seen to be fairer. Whether that’s right or not, I think it’s seen to be fairer.”"

25% flat tax rate is sensible idea. Perhaps not radical enough, but at least sensible.

One can't believe sensible things politicians say though.

Will the 25% be applied retrospectively?

[Bacchus]

Will the 25% be applied retrospectively?

Yes.

Give them 25% of whatever you've got left...

In all honesty I don't see what's wrong with a flat income tax, the trick is to play with the tax free allowance to ensure that the higher earners pay more as an absolute

I was thinking only yesterday about a friend who earns around half of a reasonable contractor wage, I thought it didn't seem too bad, but the result is that a MUCH higher percentage of his income is taken up with the essentials. The tax system should allow a reasonable disposable income.

[doodab]

I think the flat rate income tax is an excellent idea, although I think it would need to be a bit higher than 25%, and like you say we'd need a larger tax free allowance to ensure people on low incomes could cover their living costs.

He seems like less of a twat than George Osborne, which admittedly isn't the biggest challenge he's ever going to face, but it's a start.

[OwlHoot]

“I hope thousands of public sector jobs will be lost”

Not a very sensible thing to say to the electorate

Why not? There are more non-public sector jobs, and everyone in those knows they are supporting public sector workers, and that the public sector is generally chronically inefficient and wasteful.