Is the UK tax system day light robbery

[IATM]

Hi All

Having just turned the ripe old age of 27 ( I feel old ) certain things about life have dawned on me. I have worked since I was 14 having part time jobs while being in full time education going to full time employment for the last 7 years.

Through this time I have had the pleasure of paying various taxes; income, council, road, VAT on purchases, nic (I consider it a type of tax). Clearly paying taxes irritates everyone to some extent however on the whole I have always felt its worth it for the service we got as a nation; until recently.

I have been looking into starting my own business reading into corporation tax, income tax, CGT etc

It baffles me at how many stages the government taxes us; without getting too much into the business side of tax and how I feel it's almost day light robbery; really putting people off on starting a business what are people's views.

My mentality may be wrong however over the last week I have had it in my head:

Have your own business/ full time employment you get taxed, you buy an item there is tax on it, take a crap in your home you get taxed, buy a home you pay them stamp duty; tax just seems to be everywhere.

Just feels like you get shafted left right and centre...... Am I wrong?

[m444ttb]

The real kicker is that after you've been taxed over and over on each pound there's one last tax to pay at the end of it all! Assuming there's enough cash left anyway!

[Johnnytheboy]

Apparently the government taking all your money and putting it into "the economy" makes everyone richer.

[JREwing]

The situation here really is no worse than most developed countries, and better than most less developed countries.
If anything, compared to most of Europe (particularly north west) we pay remarkably little.

[User33678888]

Would you be in the position to be starting a company without the free education and healthcare you have benefited from over the last 27 years?

[Johnnytheboy]

JREwing said:

The situation here really is no worse than most developed countries, and better than most less developed countries.
If anything, compared to most of Europe (particularly north west) we pay remarkably little.

That's like saying being kicked up the arse is better than being kicked in the nuts.

Government still takes far too high a proportion of the national wealth, then pisses it away on waste, non-jobs and things we don't need.

[Benbay001]

All this tax yet i suspect you ate well today, live in relative safety and clearly have access to limitless knowledge in the form of the internet.
You can hardly complain life is hard.
Humans have never had life so easy in the history of this planet! I think youre moaning for the sake of moaning.

[JREwing]

Johnnytheboy said:

That's like saying being kicked up the arse is better than being kicked in the nuts.

Government still takes far too high a proportion of the national wealth, then pisses it away on waste, non-jobs and things we don't need.

The point was about the United Kingdom. Surely the context I mentioned is relevant?

[Johnnytheboy]

JREwing said:

Johnnytheboy said:

That's like saying being kicked up the arse is better than being kicked in the nuts.

Government still takes far too high a proportion of the national wealth, then pisses it away on waste, non-jobs and things we don't need.

The point was about the United Kingdom. Surely the context I mentioned is relevant?

By that rationale, any tax level that's lower than our neighbours is acceptable, right?

[tigger1]

User33678888 said:

Would you be in the position to be starting a company without the free education and healthcare you have benefited from over the last 27 years?

Bwahahaaaahaaaahhaaaaahhaaaaaaaa.


That would be all*.




* Free education and healthcare my arse.

[grumbledoak]

You know the phrase "You and whose army?" Well, governments get to say "This army".


Look up kleptocracy.

[s p a c e m a n]

The problem for me has never been the amount of tax, it's what they do with it. Feels like constantly giving money to the wife for the upkeep on the mansion and to send the little brats to school and all that she does is spend it on ste, pay over the odds for everything and then have the children educated by the village idiot. Oh and she keeps on sending cheques to her mates all over the world just to keep them happy incase we ever need something off of them.

[IATM]

s p a c e m a n said:

The problem for me has never been the amount of tax, it's what they do with it. Feels like constantly giving money to the wife for the upkeep on the mansion and to send the little brats to school and all that she does is spend it on ste, pay over the odds for everything and then have the children educated by the village idiot. Oh and she keeps on sending cheques to her mates all over the world just to keep them happy incase we ever need something off of them.

This is actually exactly what I was trying to get across in my post; Maybe it doesn't come across that way. As I have mentioned you get taxed in many ways however do we get value for money. Our government who are essentially people who should have the best interests of our country have more interest in ling their pockets. Many services that were run by the gov are now privatised.

[0000]

JREwing said:

The situation here really is no worse than most developed countries, and better than most less developed countries.
If anything, compared to most of Europe (particularly north west) we pay remarkably little.

My BiL lives in France and commutes to the UK when he needs to (less than however many days a year - 120?) to enjoy vastly reduced tax. Perhaps other countries are different.

[crazy about cars]

Johnnytheboy said:

Apparently the government taking all your money and putting it into "the economy" makes everyone richer.

You mean like housing this woman and her brood in Belgravia?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2294693/Ho...

[swamp]

You forgot Employer's National Insurance.

11% on earnings from £7600 to the higher tax rate (around £42,000 including personal allowance), and 2% after that.

So anyone earning £40,000 (say) actually is 'earning' £43,564. The taxman is taking money you didn't even know you had!

[Caulkhead]

IATM said:

Hi All

Having just turned the ripe old age of 27 ( I feel old ) certain things about life have dawned on me. I have worked since I was 14 having part time jobs while being in full time education going to full time employment for the last 7 years.

Through this time I have had the pleasure of paying various taxes; income, council, road, VAT on purchases, nic (I consider it a type of tax). Clearly paying taxes irritates everyone to some extent however on the whole I have always felt its worth it for the service we got as a nation; until recently.

I have been looking into starting my own business reading into corporation tax, income tax, CGT etc

It baffles me at how many stages the government taxes us; without getting too much into the business side of tax and how I feel it's almost day light robbery; really putting people off on starting a business what are people's views.

My mentality may be wrong however over the last week I have had it in my head:

Have your own business/ full time employment you get taxed, you buy an item there is tax on it, take a crap in your home you get taxed, buy a home you pay them stamp duty; tax just seems to be everywhere.

Just feels like you get shafted left right and centre...... Am I wrong?

You are (largely) wrong.

If you start your own business you should pay less tax than employees who pay PAYE but it depends on how you do it. As for the total tax burden, it is less in the UK than most comparable countries, for example CT is 23%, in the US it is nearly 35%.

[s p a c e m a n]

I personally don't want or expect anything back from any money that they raise unless I become unwell or am unable to support myself due to old age, I expect the rest of it to go towards the good of the country that I am paying it to.

It in theory is doing that, but from my very limited knowledge and the view that I have from this armchair, providing value for money is far down the agenda of the people in charge of the bank account and it has always been so.

[The Moose]

User33678888 said:

Would you be in the position to be starting a company without the free education and healthcare you have benefited from over the last 27 years?

Like me?

Never spent a day in a 'free' school. And I don't recall ever having used NHS services.

Oh no, wait, I lie. I used the NHS twice. Once for a medical issue where I was told to go away and come back in 6 months (my private GP saw me the next day, prescribed some pills and problem solved in one course) and second was a NHS dentist who told me I needed 3 fillings. By chance met and made friends with a private dentist who's list price for the work was the same as the NHS lot and said I didn't need the fillings at all! Hmm...

[Ozzie Osmond]

The UK tax burden is IMO huge. For anyone who's doing reasonably well,

• 40% income tax
• National insurance
• 20% VAT
• Fuel Duty
• Road fund Licence
• Council Tax
• Airport tax
• Stamp Duty
• Capital Gains Tax
• Inheritance Tax
• Booze duty