This is a crippling tax on most areas of our society, particularly on the old with meagre pensions and families on low incomes. This tax has more than doubled under Labour in the past 12 years and now needs to be completely overhauled and accountable for every penny.
They could make great savings by looking at the excessive salaries they pay for some council staff and stop all further recruiting for nameless and needless jobs as seen in some national and local newspapers.
I don't understand why council tax is appearing at the top of this poll? I was under the impression that it is set annually by each local authority individually and while the Government can cap it, it can't cut it or get rid of it entirely unless it finds some other way of financing local authorities. Previous systems have been tried and failed like the poll tax (look what a fuss that caused) or rates (which is essentially what the council tax is anyway) - you choose!
It's totally unlike the other taxes mentioned where the Government has direct control over the level of the tax.
I agree that council tax is a killer but have you ever worked out how much VAT you pay in a year? It is on most of the things we buy including all fuel (ie petrol, gas, electricity) and amounts to a megga amount of money over the year. Even some foods have VAT.
I think you are missing the point (Guest) Local authorities do set the rate for Council Tax that is why it is important for them to make savings wherever possible to enable them to reduce the tax as some councils are already doing. Furthermore, it was the government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown which gave preference to the North with subsidies at the expense of the South. It is now a completely unequal playing field and needs overhauling.
Council Tax is such a rip off, I know it's set by the local councils but come on someone living in a house in a different band to a neighbour on the same street and they pay different sums for the same services. Yes it's based on the so called value of your property (joke in itself that is, check out moneysavingexpert.com) but it's not then about house size. Mr 6 bed house still has his bin emptied the same day as Mr 3 bed down the road, they are using the same street lights, police service, Library's, Schools (if kids in house) etc etc. This tax is the biggest joke ever, but paying it every month certainly isnt a joke.
We was a band E when we bought our place but thanks to Martin Lewis and his website I challenged my banding as it didnt appear to be correct at all. It was reduced to a D and then letters were sent regarding the other 5 properties in our road. Luckily we had success but the bill is still £1491.00 per year. It's a bill that never goes down despite councils turning off lights on stretches of dual carriageway and cutting services. I think this is what annoys people the most, silly council spending and cuts in services that the following year still see's increases in this tax instead of decreases. At least with other bills you can turn off lights in the house, turn down the heating, stop wasting water but with council tax there is nothing you can do at all to reduce it. Certainly should be fairer in my opinion.
As a retired small retailer who was trading at the very beginning of the levy of this insidious tax, I took it upon myself to learn as much about this tax as I could, mainly because if I got it wrong I could end up paying well over the odds or end up in court for attempting to defraud the government. Even if I allowed my accountant to handle my vat, if there was an error, the onus was on me.
From the start the whole concept of this tax spells inefficiency in that every level from the supplier of raw materials to the final sale to the consumer is accountable to customs and excise for their portion of the tax. this all requires a tremendous amount of accountancy at each level. which means that mistakes ( pro or negative) are passed down the line to the next stage. Marvellous for customs and excise because they can justify the extra staff necessary to police every supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer to make certain we have all paid our just dues. When it come to the real bug bear, We all are faced with what is literally a tax on a tax. Every time you buy a commodity which has "DUTY" on it You are being taxed on a tax . Beer, wines and spirits; Tobacco products; and the worst of all is all petroleum products.
To me council tax is one of those expenses we have to pay to keep our community going it should go to cover the police, the civil servants the fire service, refuse collection and the other many things that are needed to run our community. I really don't begrudge a penny of it. True there are some anomilies that must be addressed with council tax but at least you can see where your money is going; With VAT it just goes and no one in authority or government seems willing to be accountable for it.
As a retired small retailer who was trading at the very beginning of the levy of this insidious tax, I took it upon myself to learn as much about this tax as I could, mainly because if I got it wrong I could end up paying well over the odds or end up in court for attempting to defraud the government. Even if I allowed my accountant to handle my vat, if there was an error, the onus was on me.
From the start the whole concept of this tax spells inefficiency in that every level from the supplier of raw materials to the final sale to the consumer is accountable to customs and excise for their portion of the tax. this all requires a tremendous amount of accountancy at each level. which means that mistakes ( pro or negative) are passed down the line to the next stage. Marvellous for customs and excise because they can justify the extra staff necessary to police every supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer to make certain we have all paid our just dues. When it come to the real bug bear, We all are faced with what is literally a tax on a tax. Every time you buy a commodity which has "DUTY" on it You are being taxed on a tax . Beer, wines and spirits; Tobacco products; and the worst of all is all petroleum products.
To me council tax is one of those expenses we have to pay to keep our community going it should go to cover the police, the civil servants the fire service, refuse collection and the other many things that are needed to run our community. I really don't begrudge a penny of it. True there are some anomilies that must be addressed with council tax but at least you can see where your money is going; With VAT it just goes and no one in authority or government seems willing to be accountable for it.
I think one of the things that amazes me about council tax is the way that these organisations have been allowed to build empires. They don't do the basics well at all and they certainly aren't value for money. For every frontline service operative; we seem to have three pen pushers. But this seems to be the way in big government Britain.Time for a change!
My local council, Stoke-on-Trent, has tried to keep the tax down for years, so as to appeal to the voters, and remain in power. We are a local authority a bit like Glasgow, you could put a pig up for the voters,and as long as you called it Labour, it would be voted in. Some councelors realise this and don't bother too much.(not that their bothering would amount to much, they would be incapable). To keep the tax down, not only have services been cut to the bone but OUR assets are being sold off, the council properties we have paid for over the years, the maintenance contracts that were in-house are being carried out by a company that was fined recently, the most, of several companies that were identified as being "price fixers"New schools have been built, but not as many as have been closed down, which would be ok if they were sited to suit the children, and were of sufficient capacity to cater for the children that are to use them, and were not funded to a great extent by private companies that don't do it for the love of Stoke-on-Trent, children, or education. It is the same with the Hospitals, someone ,in a few years time will have to pick up the extensive bill.
I voted for a reduction in council tax, but would have liked to have voted, for a decent council that have the brains they were born with, and have improved in the interim years to the extent that they are capable, of at least arranging a .... up in a brewery. Little chance of that. They keep getting in, although nearly everyone you talk to complains about their ineptitude (that isn't the word they use though) but Glasgow like they vote labour. No chance of any improvement, we are getting what we deserve,very few bother to vote, those that do are Labour Zombies.
My local council, Stoke-on-Trent, has tried to keep the tax down for years, so as to appeal to the voters, and remain in power. We are a local authority a bit like Glasgow, you could put a pig up for the voters,and as long as you called it Labour, it would be voted in. Some councelors realise this and don't bother too much.(not that their bothering would amount to much, they would be incapable). To keep the tax down, not only have services been cut to the bone but OUR assets are being sold off, the council properties we have paid for over the years, the maintenance contracts that were in-house are being carried out by a company that was fined recently, the most, of several companies that were identified as being "price fixers"New schools have been built, but not as many as have been closed down, which would be ok if they were sited to suit the children, and were of sufficient capacity to cater for the children that are to use them, and were not funded to a great extent by private companies that don't do it for the love of Stoke-on-Trent, children, or education. It is the same with the Hospitals, someone ,in a few years time will have to pick up the extensive bill.
I voted for a reduction in council tax, but would have liked to have voted, for a decent council that have the brains they were born with, and have improved in the interim years to the extent that they are capable, of at least arranging a .... up in a brewery. Little chance of that. They keep getting in, although nearly everyone you talk to complains about their ineptitude (that isn't the word they use though) but Glasgow like they vote labour. No chance of any improvement, we are getting what we deserve,very few bother to vote, those that do are Labour Zombies.
My local council, Stoke-on-Trent, has tried to keep the tax down for years, so as to appeal to the voters, and remain in power. We are a local authority a bit like Glasgow, you could put a pig up for the voters,and as long as you called it Labour, it would be voted in. Some councelors realise this and don't bother too much.(not that their bothering would amount to much, they would be incapable). To keep the tax down, not only have services been cut to the bone but OUR assets are being sold off, the council properties we have paid for over the years, the maintenance contracts that were in-house are being carried out by a company that was fined recently, the most, of several companies that were identified as being "price fixers"New schools have been built, but not as many as have been closed down, which would be ok if they were sited to suit the children, and were of sufficient capacity to cater for the children that are to use them, and were not funded to a great extent by private companies that don't do it for the love of Stoke-on-Trent, children, or education. It is the same with the Hospitals, someone ,in a few years time will have to pick up the extensive bill.
I voted for a reduction in council tax, but would have liked to have voted, for a decent council that have the brains they were born with, and have improved in the interim years to the extent that they are capable, of at least arranging a .... up in a brewery. Little chance of that. They keep getting in, although nearly everyone you talk to complains about their ineptitude (that isn't the word they use though) but Glasgow like they vote labour. No chance of any improvement, we are getting what we deserve,very few bother to vote, those that do are Labour Zombies.
Bring back the POLL TAX the most sensible and fair tax of all which the then government discarded due to thugs taking to the streets as they decided that they did not wish to pay a fair share towards council costs, that is why the few pay tax for the many yet everyone benefits from the services...let us hope it is looked at again by the next government.
Council tax has now become a "STEALTH TAX" under Nu Labour.
Nu Labour in their craftiness have decided to tax us via the back door via a Council Tax.
This Council Tax is therefore a stealth tax on the ordinary working man and woman.
This tax will not affect the benefit brigade, for they will still get away with paying little or nothing. This tax unfairly affects the ordinary British worker and pensioner.
Council tax should be 50% less for a married couple over 60..
This Nu Labour lot are not a Government, they are a social spending machine. As everyone knows, Socialists are very good at spending other peoples money and this then leads to more tax and hidden tax.
Nu Labour are simply not fit for purpose. They are only concerned with pleasing their EU masters..
Why not get rid of Council Tax and replace it with a Local Council tax based upon the total income coming into a persons household. This would surely benefit pensioners and low income families.
Those families with four or more incomes coming in who would have to pay proportionaly more.
STAMP DUTY
I moved house two years ago and the kind government took £9000 off me for the privelege. I got nothing for this money! I paid the stamp duty on the whole cost of my house not just the part above the exempt level. What's fair about that?
Why can't the whole tax be staged e.g. 0.5% on every £100,000 over £150,000. At least that way everyone gets the exemption on part of their purchase.
VAT
I work 30 miles from home, public transport is impossible as it would take me 3 hours to get to work and I am unable to move cos my children are in the middle of exams. It costs me more each week as the cost of fuel rises. When I started working there it was costing me £25.00 per week now its costs £35.00
Electricity and gas continues to rise and even though I switch off the heating and lights, have fully insulated my home to the current high levels advised and have installed a wood burner instead of my gas fire, still my bills rise and as they rise so the government gets more in VAT - a double whammy!!!
We have homes, mortgages, cars, posessions, lives etc.etc. which we all insure and this government taxes us on the privelege of protecting ourselves against mishaps and hard times.
COUNCIL TAX
bring back poll tax, at least you paid according to your ability to pay and according to how much use you made of the services.
Make local councillors legally responsible and accountable for the amount of negligence shown in the way they spend and waste our money and in the way they employ so many jobsworths who shouldn't be employed.
The government could help by re thinking the fantastic pension scheme that we pay into for them so that they can retire on a nice fat pension after not having worked half as hard or half as long as most of those outside the public services.
Why should we pay for their pensions when most of us can hardly afford to fund our own? Why should our pension be subject to the vagaries of the stock market and theirs is protected and gauranteed by us?
INCOME TAX
Well, it is what it is.
I don't mind this so much, but think it should be staged in a fairer way. No tax up to £10k, 10% on next £15k, 20% on next £30k, 30% on next £50k then 40% on next £150k with a top tax of 70% on everything above £250,000
Link this also to national insurance payments in the same stages 0.5% up to £10k, then 1.5% on next £10k, 2.0% on next £30k, 2.5% on next £50k, 3% on next £150k, 4% on anything above this with an annual cap of £15k in total.
ROAD TAX
Supposed to be used for maintaining the infrastructure of our transportation network, what do we get for this? Absolutely nothing, and anyway there are lots of people not paying it.
Solution to this and those not paying insurance is for the government to put in place a third party insurance scheme whereby everyone is automatically taxed and insured (for the other party). This would be paid for by a 1p/litre tax on fuel. In this way there would be no more unisnsured or untaxed drivers and we would all pay according to how much use we made of our cars.
For those who wished to cover themselves more fully, they could go to the insurance companies and buy a top up insurance policy to cover them full comprehensive.
I have lived in few European countries but the amount of taxes in UK beats them all. Something I could never understand is Council Tax as we pay it for right to leave. The amount of service that we get for our money is ridiculous. I am happy to take my rubbish on my own to amenity site once a week (1 bag). I haven't seen police patrol on my street for ages despite many complains and no one bother to clean the street neither -unless you do it yourself. Oh yes- counsellors got bigger bonuses this year- article in local newspaper.
The other tax is Car Tax. What are we paying it for? We already pay extortion taxes in petrol cost so that in every other country goes towards road maintenance. Now it is even better as someone decided to to put it up on CO2 emission basis. When I bought my car few years ago no one told me that so I ended up paying over £200 a year. The British society is on a crusade to save the world from CO2 emission and yes- we will pay for that too in more taxes. The biggest joke is: if you buy diesel you pay less tax (less CO2 emission) and you save the world. You are not going to enjoy it though as you probably will die from cancer due to very high level of NOx from diesel engines.
Council Tax is a killer of a tax and does not take into account the number of people in the home or the ability to pay for an ever decreasing service.
This is a crippling tax on most areas of our society, particularly on the old with meagre pensions and families on low incomes. This tax has more than doubled under Labour in the past 12 years and now needs to be completely overhauled and accountable for every penny.
They could make great savings by looking at the excessive salaries they pay for some council staff and stop all further recruiting for nameless and needless jobs as seen in some national and local newspapers.
I don't understand why council tax is appearing at the top of this poll? I was under the impression that it is set annually by each local authority individually and while the Government can cap it, it can't cut it or get rid of it entirely unless it finds some other way of financing local authorities. Previous systems have been tried and failed like the poll tax (look what a fuss that caused) or rates (which is essentially what the council tax is anyway) - you choose!
It's totally unlike the other taxes mentioned where the Government has direct control over the level of the tax.
I agree that council tax is a killer but have you ever worked out how much VAT you pay in a year? It is on most of the things we buy including all fuel (ie petrol, gas, electricity) and amounts to a megga amount of money over the year. Even some foods have VAT.
I think you are missing the point (Guest) Local authorities do set the rate for Council Tax that is why it is important for them to make savings wherever possible to enable them to reduce the tax as some councils are already doing. Furthermore, it was the government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown which gave preference to the North with subsidies at the expense of the South. It is now a completely unequal playing field and needs overhauling.
The most serious tax is that on petrol. If reduced it would help to stablise prices etc. and everyone would benifit
Sam D
The most serious tax is that on petrol. If reduced it would help to stablise prices etc. and everyone would benifit
Sam D
Council Tax is such a rip off, I know it's set by the local councils but come on someone living in a house in a different band to a neighbour on the same street and they pay different sums for the same services. Yes it's based on the so called value of your property (joke in itself that is, check out moneysavingexpert.com) but it's not then about house size. Mr 6 bed house still has his bin emptied the same day as Mr 3 bed down the road, they are using the same street lights, police service, Library's, Schools (if kids in house) etc etc. This tax is the biggest joke ever, but paying it every month certainly isnt a joke.
We was a band E when we bought our place but thanks to Martin Lewis and his website I challenged my banding as it didnt appear to be correct at all. It was reduced to a D and then letters were sent regarding the other 5 properties in our road. Luckily we had success but the bill is still £1491.00 per year. It's a bill that never goes down despite councils turning off lights on stretches of dual carriageway and cutting services. I think this is what annoys people the most, silly council spending and cuts in services that the following year still see's increases in this tax instead of decreases. At least with other bills you can turn off lights in the house, turn down the heating, stop wasting water but with council tax there is nothing you can do at all to reduce it. Certainly should be fairer in my opinion.
Rant over.
TOMHILLWALES
As a retired small retailer who was trading at the very beginning of the levy of this insidious tax, I took it upon myself to learn as much about this tax as I could, mainly because if I got it wrong I could end up paying well over the odds or end up in court for attempting to defraud the government. Even if I allowed my accountant to handle my vat, if there was an error, the onus was on me.
From the start the whole concept of this tax spells inefficiency in that every level from the supplier of raw materials to the final sale to the consumer is accountable to customs and excise for their portion of the tax. this all requires a tremendous amount of accountancy at each level. which means that mistakes ( pro or negative) are passed down the line to the next stage. Marvellous for customs and excise because they can justify the extra staff necessary to police every supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer to make certain we have all paid our just dues. When it come to the real bug bear, We all are faced with what is literally a tax on a tax. Every time you buy a commodity which has "DUTY" on it You are being taxed on a tax . Beer, wines and spirits; Tobacco products; and the worst of all is all petroleum products.
To me council tax is one of those expenses we have to pay to keep our community going it should go to cover the police, the civil servants the fire service, refuse collection and the other many things that are needed to run our community. I really don't begrudge a penny of it. True there are some anomilies that must be addressed with council tax but at least you can see where your money is going; With VAT it just goes and no one in authority or government seems willing to be accountable for it.
TOMHILLWALES
As a retired small retailer who was trading at the very beginning of the levy of this insidious tax, I took it upon myself to learn as much about this tax as I could, mainly because if I got it wrong I could end up paying well over the odds or end up in court for attempting to defraud the government. Even if I allowed my accountant to handle my vat, if there was an error, the onus was on me.
From the start the whole concept of this tax spells inefficiency in that every level from the supplier of raw materials to the final sale to the consumer is accountable to customs and excise for their portion of the tax. this all requires a tremendous amount of accountancy at each level. which means that mistakes ( pro or negative) are passed down the line to the next stage. Marvellous for customs and excise because they can justify the extra staff necessary to police every supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer to make certain we have all paid our just dues. When it come to the real bug bear, We all are faced with what is literally a tax on a tax. Every time you buy a commodity which has "DUTY" on it You are being taxed on a tax . Beer, wines and spirits; Tobacco products; and the worst of all is all petroleum products.
To me council tax is one of those expenses we have to pay to keep our community going it should go to cover the police, the civil servants the fire service, refuse collection and the other many things that are needed to run our community. I really don't begrudge a penny of it. True there are some anomilies that must be addressed with council tax but at least you can see where your money is going; With VAT it just goes and no one in authority or government seems willing to be accountable for it.
I think one of the things that amazes me about council tax is the way that these organisations have been allowed to build empires. They don't do the basics well at all and they certainly aren't value for money. For every frontline service operative; we seem to have three pen pushers. But this seems to be the way in big government Britain.Time for a change!
Dont know why I bothered to vote. There is no chance of any tax being cut!
My local council, Stoke-on-Trent, has tried to keep the tax down for years, so as to appeal to the voters, and remain in power. We are a local authority a bit like Glasgow, you could put a pig up for the voters,and as long as you called it Labour, it would be voted in. Some councelors realise this and don't bother too much.(not that their bothering would amount to much, they would be incapable). To keep the tax down, not only have services been cut to the bone but OUR assets are being sold off, the council properties we have paid for over the years, the maintenance contracts that were in-house are being carried out by a company that was fined recently, the most, of several companies that were identified as being "price fixers"New schools have been built, but not as many as have been closed down, which would be ok if they were sited to suit the children, and were of sufficient capacity to cater for the children that are to use them, and were not funded to a great extent by private companies that don't do it for the love of Stoke-on-Trent, children, or education. It is the same with the Hospitals, someone ,in a few years time will have to pick up the extensive bill.
I voted for a reduction in council tax, but would have liked to have voted, for a decent council that have the brains they were born with, and have improved in the interim years to the extent that they are capable, of at least arranging a .... up in a brewery. Little chance of that. They keep getting in, although nearly everyone you talk to complains about their ineptitude (that isn't the word they use though) but Glasgow like they vote labour. No chance of any improvement, we are getting what we deserve,very few bother to vote, those that do are Labour Zombies.
My local council, Stoke-on-Trent, has tried to keep the tax down for years, so as to appeal to the voters, and remain in power. We are a local authority a bit like Glasgow, you could put a pig up for the voters,and as long as you called it Labour, it would be voted in. Some councelors realise this and don't bother too much.(not that their bothering would amount to much, they would be incapable). To keep the tax down, not only have services been cut to the bone but OUR assets are being sold off, the council properties we have paid for over the years, the maintenance contracts that were in-house are being carried out by a company that was fined recently, the most, of several companies that were identified as being "price fixers"New schools have been built, but not as many as have been closed down, which would be ok if they were sited to suit the children, and were of sufficient capacity to cater for the children that are to use them, and were not funded to a great extent by private companies that don't do it for the love of Stoke-on-Trent, children, or education. It is the same with the Hospitals, someone ,in a few years time will have to pick up the extensive bill.
I voted for a reduction in council tax, but would have liked to have voted, for a decent council that have the brains they were born with, and have improved in the interim years to the extent that they are capable, of at least arranging a .... up in a brewery. Little chance of that. They keep getting in, although nearly everyone you talk to complains about their ineptitude (that isn't the word they use though) but Glasgow like they vote labour. No chance of any improvement, we are getting what we deserve,very few bother to vote, those that do are Labour Zombies.
My local council, Stoke-on-Trent, has tried to keep the tax down for years, so as to appeal to the voters, and remain in power. We are a local authority a bit like Glasgow, you could put a pig up for the voters,and as long as you called it Labour, it would be voted in. Some councelors realise this and don't bother too much.(not that their bothering would amount to much, they would be incapable). To keep the tax down, not only have services been cut to the bone but OUR assets are being sold off, the council properties we have paid for over the years, the maintenance contracts that were in-house are being carried out by a company that was fined recently, the most, of several companies that were identified as being "price fixers"New schools have been built, but not as many as have been closed down, which would be ok if they were sited to suit the children, and were of sufficient capacity to cater for the children that are to use them, and were not funded to a great extent by private companies that don't do it for the love of Stoke-on-Trent, children, or education. It is the same with the Hospitals, someone ,in a few years time will have to pick up the extensive bill.
I voted for a reduction in council tax, but would have liked to have voted, for a decent council that have the brains they were born with, and have improved in the interim years to the extent that they are capable, of at least arranging a .... up in a brewery. Little chance of that. They keep getting in, although nearly everyone you talk to complains about their ineptitude (that isn't the word they use though) but Glasgow like they vote labour. No chance of any improvement, we are getting what we deserve,very few bother to vote, those that do are Labour Zombies.
Bring back the POLL TAX the most sensible and fair tax of all which the then government discarded due to thugs taking to the streets as they decided that they did not wish to pay a fair share towards council costs, that is why the few pay tax for the many yet everyone benefits from the services...let us hope it is looked at again by the next government.
Council tax has now become a "STEALTH TAX" under Nu Labour.
Nu Labour in their craftiness have decided to tax us via the back door via a Council Tax.
This Council Tax is therefore a stealth tax on the ordinary working man and woman.
This tax will not affect the benefit brigade, for they will still get away with paying little or nothing. This tax unfairly affects the ordinary British worker and pensioner.
Council tax should be 50% less for a married couple over 60..
This Nu Labour lot are not a Government, they are a social spending machine. As everyone knows, Socialists are very good at spending other peoples money and this then leads to more tax and hidden tax.
Nu Labour are simply not fit for purpose. They are only concerned with pleasing their EU masters..
Why not get rid of Council Tax and replace it with a Local Council tax based upon the total income coming into a persons household. This would surely benefit pensioners and low income families.
Those families with four or more incomes coming in who would have to pay proportionaly more.
Isn't that a fairer system ?
Taxes?
Let's see now?
STAMP DUTY
I moved house two years ago and the kind government took £9000 off me for the privelege. I got nothing for this money! I paid the stamp duty on the whole cost of my house not just the part above the exempt level. What's fair about that?
Why can't the whole tax be staged e.g. 0.5% on every £100,000 over £150,000. At least that way everyone gets the exemption on part of their purchase.
VAT
I work 30 miles from home, public transport is impossible as it would take me 3 hours to get to work and I am unable to move cos my children are in the middle of exams. It costs me more each week as the cost of fuel rises. When I started working there it was costing me £25.00 per week now its costs £35.00
Electricity and gas continues to rise and even though I switch off the heating and lights, have fully insulated my home to the current high levels advised and have installed a wood burner instead of my gas fire, still my bills rise and as they rise so the government gets more in VAT - a double whammy!!!
We have homes, mortgages, cars, posessions, lives etc.etc. which we all insure and this government taxes us on the privelege of protecting ourselves against mishaps and hard times.
COUNCIL TAX
bring back poll tax, at least you paid according to your ability to pay and according to how much use you made of the services.
Make local councillors legally responsible and accountable for the amount of negligence shown in the way they spend and waste our money and in the way they employ so many jobsworths who shouldn't be employed.
The government could help by re thinking the fantastic pension scheme that we pay into for them so that they can retire on a nice fat pension after not having worked half as hard or half as long as most of those outside the public services.
Why should we pay for their pensions when most of us can hardly afford to fund our own? Why should our pension be subject to the vagaries of the stock market and theirs is protected and gauranteed by us?
INCOME TAX
Well, it is what it is.
I don't mind this so much, but think it should be staged in a fairer way. No tax up to £10k, 10% on next £15k, 20% on next £30k, 30% on next £50k then 40% on next £150k with a top tax of 70% on everything above £250,000
Link this also to national insurance payments in the same stages 0.5% up to £10k, then 1.5% on next £10k, 2.0% on next £30k, 2.5% on next £50k, 3% on next £150k, 4% on anything above this with an annual cap of £15k in total.
ROAD TAX
Supposed to be used for maintaining the infrastructure of our transportation network, what do we get for this? Absolutely nothing, and anyway there are lots of people not paying it.
Solution to this and those not paying insurance is for the government to put in place a third party insurance scheme whereby everyone is automatically taxed and insured (for the other party). This would be paid for by a 1p/litre tax on fuel. In this way there would be no more unisnsured or untaxed drivers and we would all pay according to how much use we made of our cars.
For those who wished to cover themselves more fully, they could go to the insurance companies and buy a top up insurance policy to cover them full comprehensive.
I have lived in few European countries but the amount of taxes in UK beats them all. Something I could never understand is Council Tax as we pay it for right to leave. The amount of service that we get for our money is ridiculous. I am happy to take my rubbish on my own to amenity site once a week (1 bag). I haven't seen police patrol on my street for ages despite many complains and no one bother to clean the street neither -unless you do it yourself. Oh yes- counsellors got bigger bonuses this year- article in local newspaper.
The other tax is Car Tax. What are we paying it for? We already pay extortion taxes in petrol cost so that in every other country goes towards road maintenance. Now it is even better as someone decided to to put it up on CO2 emission basis. When I bought my car few years ago no one told me that so I ended up paying over £200 a year. The British society is on a crusade to save the world from CO2 emission and yes- we will pay for that too in more taxes. The biggest joke is: if you buy diesel you pay less tax (less CO2 emission) and you save the world. You are not going to enjoy it though as you probably will die from cancer due to very high level of NOx from diesel engines.