tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post1442951021090618706..comments2023-12-23T09:28:20.869+00:00Comments on The View from Cullingworth: Perhaps we should think about taxing the poor a little less?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-81395824042398512202012-11-20T12:27:25.094+00:002012-11-20T12:27:25.094+00:00Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, I've always...Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, I've always thought that VAT, as it was originally applied was a good tax for the poor. It was similar to a flat-rate tax but with a high tax free allowance. Food, including take away, newspapers, books, childrens clothes and domestic gas/electricity and insurance were all originally exempt. Jonathan Bagleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17331501151709216753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-59926376592348180622012-11-19T09:48:40.451+00:002012-11-19T09:48:40.451+00:00You're right in general.. but the PAYE point i...You're right in general.. but the PAYE point is pretty weak.<br /><br />Firstly, PAYE is about collection, not calculation. So any allowance/relief available to someone on PAYE is available to someone who does a tax return. And, of course, most people who do tax returns are also on PAYE.<br /><br />Secondly (and mainly), the reason richer people do tax returns is that they have more complex affairs. They might have more sources of income, or more deductable expenses. Most people on £16k PAYE simply don't have any need to do a return. They don't have higher-rate pension/charity relief to claim, they don't have additional investment income to declare.<br /><br />Having said all that, I do advise everyone, regardless of what they earn, to review and recalculate their tax every year. Errors can happen (either at an eployer, or at HMRC), things can be missed, and - even if everything is fine and PAYE got the right answer - it is *always* worth investing some time to understand and check the biggest bill you get every year. It amazes me that people will spend hours and hours trying to save £100 on car insurance, but never bother to check whether that £10k they paid in tax was accurate!The Thought Ganghttp://www.thethoughtgang.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-32895458519620158302012-11-18T23:00:22.900+00:002012-11-18T23:00:22.900+00:00Peter makes a good point. If we started by curbing...Peter makes a good point. If we started by curbing government spending then there would be less need to tax the poor to pay for more bureaucrats to come up with ever more devious ways of taxing the poor. <br /><br />The DH would be a great start. Firing the lot of them and employing people who actually know how to and care about running hospitals would save a fortune. Ivan Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18364023294207490403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-7991047880552811502012-11-18T19:47:38.228+00:002012-11-18T19:47:38.228+00:00What about VAT? You lot raised it, perhaps it'...What about VAT? You lot raised it, perhaps it's time to admit you were wrong.singapore slingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-84965064020944391422012-11-18T15:05:45.792+00:002012-11-18T15:05:45.792+00:00The obvious one is fuel duty - a disproportionate ...The obvious one is fuel duty - a disproportionate tax on the working poor, especially outside London.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-70147205836539737362012-11-18T12:39:37.389+00:002012-11-18T12:39:37.389+00:00We should be spending less. That means we could ta...We should be spending less. That means we could tax less. We are not, though, are we?<br /><br />Essentially. the government is three years late on its agenda. They cannot arrest the economic slide Brown bequeathed on us in time to win in 2015.<br /><br />You have to give full credit to the programme Labour began in 1997. It's a juggernaut that cannot be stopped, it seems. By achieving a 'third way' coalition, the Tories will be fed to the lions by people such as I - who'll go to UKIP in desperation to end this mess.<br /><br />I am a Tory through and through. It is a shame that the PM isn't.<br /><br /><br /><br />Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18089404916561721974noreply@blogger.com