Simpler Tax and Benefits System

[Eric Mc]

The government has just anounced that it is abandoning its plans to merge tax and NI - for the moment.

It's all a bit difficult, you see.

[oyster]

Stevenj214 said:

Proposal:

• Basic Guaranteed Income of £15,000 given to all UK citizens every year.

• Flat Rate Tax of 50% on all income above £15,000.

• Repeal of National Minimum Wage.

• Repeal of all other financial benefits.

What would be the effect of a system like this (or similar - the numbers are a bit of guesswork)? Would it be financially viable?

So the layabout feckless idiot shacked up with his latest slag and 10 kids gets £180,000 a year TAX FREE, whilst the hard-working, average-earning person gets walloped at Monopoly Supertax rates.

Do you need me to go on?

[Murph7355]

oyster said:

So the layabout feckless idiot shacked up with his latest slag and 10 kids gets £180,000 a year TAX FREE, ...

I think the idea was the 15k goes to people of working age.

The principle is probably sound. The numbers need tweaking. 14k's minimum wage (I think). So some sensible figure a chunk *under* that would seem like the right initial start point (even if minimum wages then get scrapped).

Say 50% under perhaps...