The official "Budget 2014" thread

[Peoplesoft bloke]

He is

But he'll still win next year.

I don't think he will

Voting needs to change to reflect the amount of tax paid. No contribution - no vote.

Thankfully, there is no chance of a moronic idea like that happening in the UK.

Aside from the fact that it betrays a basic ignorance of the Psephology (that stupid man in the pub logic that people without a stake always vote Labour isn't actually borne out by voting behaviour), we used to run things in a similar way when our electoral system was less advanced - thankfully we are a developed nation now - and we've almost got to the point of valuing everyone's vote.

I am sure there are plenty of corrupt and useless countries you could more to where your loony policies on representation and guns would find favour, and I cordially invite you to flip the flip off to one of them. :-)

[SunnyInHades]

no need to buy an annuity

Absolutely HUGE.

I've got a SIPP pension (i.e. Deposit cash as and when choose. Personally decide how much (0-100%)to invest in stocks n shares/what stocks n shares/when to sell stocks n shares. Could leave as 100% cash if preferred).

Being able to take the whole lot out as cash (after 55) rather than buying some boring annuity from an insurance company is excellent.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Absolutely HUGE.

I've got a SIPP pension (i.e. Deposit cash as and when choose. Personally decide how much (0-100%)to invest in stocks n shares/what stocks n shares/when to sell stocks n shares. Could leave as 100% cash if preferred).

Being able to take the whole lot out as cash (after 55) rather than buying some boring annuity from an insurance company is excellent.

I agree this is an excellent reform. It's only going to give us freedom to get ripped off by a different gang of charlatans though isn't it? (I honestly do think it's a worthwhile reform by the way).

[AtW]

Thankfully, there is no chance of a moronic idea like that happening in the UK.

Why is it moronic for people who pay tax that maintains the state to have equal amount of votes to what they contributed???

It's actually pretty fair and will create natural balance - the rich who paid lots of tax won't be able to drop tax as they'd lose out voting ability.

Now what's truly moronic is voting for Labour. Sadly voting for Cons also falls in the same category.

[northernladuk]

Thankfully, there is no chance of a moronic idea like that happening in the UK.

Maybe not but not as moronic as allowing 16 year olds to vote!!

[AtW]

Its not Ed Balls because he royally fooked it up last time. So we have a Shadow Chancellor who isn't capable to responding to the Budget. Says a lot for the faith that Labour have in him

It's not the quality that a Labour Chancell is required to have.

[VectraMan]

Maybe not but not as moronic as allowing 16 year olds to vote!!

If you weight votes according to the total amount of tax a person has paid in the lifetime, then it also solves the problem of 16 year olds, as they won't have paid any.

Sounds reasonable to me. As long as we base it on NI contributions to keep the tax avoiding contractor scum in their place.

[AtW]

Maybe not but not as moronic as allowing 16 year olds to vote!!

And not as moronic as dropping age of consent to paedophile levels...

[AtW]

Sounds reasonable to me. As long as we base it on NI contributions to keep the tax avoiding contractor scum in their place.

All direct tax - income + NICs (employee and employer).

Same principle should apply to companies - they get the right to lobby only if they pay enough tax. No tax - no representation.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Why is it moronic for people who pay tax that maintains the state to have equal amount of votes to what they contributed???

It's actually pretty fair and will create natural balance - the rich who paid lots of tax won't be able to drop tax as they'd lose out voting ability.

Now what's truly moronic is voting for Labour. Sadly voting for Cons also falls in the same category.

How is it moronic? Let me count the ways

1. One great thing this government has done is to lift a lot of low paid workers and pensioners out of income tax by increasing personal allowances - yet they'd be excluded from voting under project moron.

2. Massive additional administration costs - and potential for error.

3. It is morally wrong to exclude people on the basis of wealth - which is why we stopped doing it over a century ago - we'd be in the ECHR faster than you can say "the ECHR is not the same as the EU and Winston Churchill signed us up as one of the founders".

4. Voting isn't just about Tax

5. It is a simplistic answer to a "problem" that doesn't exist.