If you were the prime minister

samd294

I would raise income tax to 75% on anything over 200k, nobody needs that amount of money.

Thoughts of a conservative.........

People earning over $200k a year DO NEED that money since almost everyone on the planet lives a lifestyle according to their earnings. They'd therefore need every penny of that money to sustain that lifestyle.

In addition, such a policy would accelerate brain drain in the UK. The country has already lost many brilliant minds (look at the number of ex Oxford dons working at Harvard and the number of surgeons moving to the US for example) to countries where taxation is lower.

This policy would also quash innovation by significantly reducing the profit motive. Who is going to aspire to build up a sucessful business and create employment when the reward is 75% taxation? Erm.......nobody.

This is a policy based on the politics of envy!!

Reply 3

suz19

Howard

Thoughts of a conservative.........

People earning over $200k a year DO NEED that money since almost everyone on the planet lives a lifestyle according to their earnings. They'd therefore need every penny of that money to sustain that lifestyle.

In addition, such a policy would accelerate brain drain in the UK. The country has already lost many brilliant minds (look at the number of ex Oxford dons working at Harvard and the number of surgeons moving to the US for example) to countries where taxation is lower.

This policy would also quash innovation by significantly reducing the profit motive. Who is going to aspire to build up a sucessful business and create employment when the reward is 75% taxation? Erm.......nobody.

This is a policy based on the politics of envy!!

I agree. People who earn large amounts of money presumably have worked hard to get to the positions they're in so why should they be penalised for it?

Reply 4

....

First thing id do would be leave my wife. I mean, jesus! :smile:

Reply 5

suz19

I agree. People who earn large amounts of money presumably have worked hard to get to the positions they're in so why should they be penalised for it?

Smart people will make money anywhere in the world. Punish them for being smart and they will go elsewhere. Period.

Reply 6

....

Howard

Smart people will make money anywhere in the world. Punish them for being smart and they will go elsewhere. Period.

hmm it is not always smart people who make money, nor is it always stupid people who are scraping by.

Reply 7

Gimp

hmm it is not always smart people who make money, nor is it always stupid people who are scraping by.

That's true.

Reply 8

MattG

http://www.uk-learning.net/showthread.php?t=11943

cant be bothered to write it out again

Reply 9

me!

OP

8

piginapoke

If I was Prime Minister you'd all be in trouble.

!!!!!!!! who've you been talking to?!!!!

Reply 10

happysunshine

8

Bring back execution! Bring back the cane!

Reply 11

Joey_Johns

10

happysunshine

Bring back execution! Bring back the cane!

I would seriosously consider bringing back the cane. A career in teaching would be much more appealing :biggrin:

Reply 12

Elle

6

I'd make education and social services a priority- and I'd tax the rich to fund this. I'd cut out a beauracracy and make all MP's take a "How to debate contructivley" course before setting foot in Parliament. (I'd also like to ban facial hair)

Reply 13

me!

OP

8

I'd hate to be a teacher...

Reply 14

samd294

Howard

Thoughts of a conservative.........

People earning over $200k a year DO NEED that money since almost everyone on the planet lives a lifestyle according to their earnings. They'd therefore need every penny of that money to sustain that lifestyle.

In addition, such a policy would accelerate brain drain in the UK. The country has already lost many brilliant minds (look at the number of ex Oxford dons working at Harvard and the number of surgeons moving to the US for example) to countries where taxation is lower.

This policy would also quash innovation by significantly reducing the profit motive. Who is going to aspire to build up a sucessful business and create employment when the reward is 75% taxation? Erm.......nobody.

This is a policy based on the politics of envy!!

First I'm talking £200K.

Second, there is not an academic in the country earning close to that.

Thirdly, do you live in the US? across the board taxes are far higher on income, though there are other less taxed areas, petrol for example.

These are the politics of a liberal my ignorant friend, not envy

Reply 15

fred0202

When are people going to learn that taxing people will ultimately make their economy much weaker and therefore in the long run they are unable to afford their cushy social security system, like France and Germany?

Reply 16

samd294

First I'm talking £200K.

Second, there is not an academic in the country earning close to that.

Thirdly, do you live in the US? across the board taxes are far higher on income, though there are other less taxed areas, petrol for example.

These are the politics of a liberal my ignorant friend, not envy

I disagree. I do live in the US as a matter of fact and taxes are on the whole less than the UK, although it does depend greatly on where you live. I live in Florida where there is no state income tax at all. California is a different matter.

Gas costs $1.88 a gallon. Ciggies cost $3.85/pack. State sales tax is 6%, not the 17.5% VAT paid in the UK.

The reason that there is not an academic in the UK earning even close to $200k in the UK is that academics of that calibre work in Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Duke etc......where they might get much closer to that figure.

However, I was trying to get across the "brain drain" theory rather than talk about the respective salaries of senior academics at Oxford and Yale.

Reply 17

blissy

15

I'd make sure there was NEVER a written constitution.

Reply 18

Dickie

piginapoke

My two penneth.
<blah>
Yes its a half baked idea at the moment, but I think it could work with (a lot of) refinement.

in theory, this would be a good system. But how would you enforce the mandatory voting? How would you ensure that the person filling the form out is who you think it is? How do you make sure that people dont just get bored, and put random answers?

Digital TV voting? What about those ppl who dont have TVs? How will you make sure that its secure? What about households with more voters than digital TVs?

And how periodically would the public be able to call for a no-confidence vote? This could be dangerous, as it could lead to no-one being in power for more than a short amount of time, esp with the power the media wields.

Reply 19