Why higher taxes are a bad idea

The debate about tax has been very slanted to socialist views this century. I agree that taxation should be progressive, with rich paying more and the poor receiving net transfers from the state. I do not agree with accompanying rhetoric that taxes can only be cut for the poor and should always be on the rise for the rich.

I have long argued that the way to get more tax revenue from the very rich is to set lower rates of tax. Armed with tax lawyers and accountants and able to change places to live and invest, the very rich have freedoms and opportunities the rest of us do not enjoy. To keep a good share of very rich investing here, creating jobs here, spending plenty of money here requires setting internationally competitive rates of business and personal taxes.

Today I want to add the argument that I favour cuts in tax rates for people on above average incomes who typically have a single well paid job or substantial savings but who unlike the very rich are permanent U.K. residents and taxpayers who do not find legal ways round current taxes. We need to make it easier for risk takers, small business entrepreneurs, people who go through long training and education to qualify for better paid jobs to aspire and to benefit from the risks and sacrifices they made. If you want an aspiration society you need to make effort and hard work worthwhile. Many of my constituents are on two or three times average incomes in the U.K. but they are not rich. We should not be trying to squeeze more tax out of them as a matter of principle as if they need to be punished for succeeding.

If we grow the economy more we will generate more tax revenue to improve public services.Growth needs to be in incomes per head, not GDP growth from increasing the number of people living in the country. Sometimes less is more, less is better. This is true of taxes.

298 Comments

  1. Mark B
    September 23, 2022

    good morning.

    One only has to look at low taxation countries to see this in effect. But is not only that. These countries make damned well sure that every penny of tax collected is well spent. That the tax rules are simplified. They do not throw money around in order to virtue signal. They certainly do not debase their currency, as we have. In short – They are properly run.

    It is not too much to ask if we can do the same.

    1. PeteB
      September 23, 2022

      Agree Mark. Look at the evidence from low tax rate countries and from the history within the UK. Lower tax rates leads to faster growth and ultimately more tax revenue.

      Also agree that the money raised should be spent with scrouge-like mentality. People on here criticised when I suggested a few weeks ago that the Government should question spending on sport and arts. Was £800m on the commonwealth games money that needed to be spent? How about £120m on the ‘unboxed’ art project?

      1. Hope
        September 23, 2022

        Welfare not only pays it is a massive draw for boat people to be housed in four star hotels at taxpayers’ expense! Tory govt mass immigration policy should stop now. Meanwhile Johnson told people to get two jobs! People in their sixties not able to give up work!

        How,many political non jobs could be axed overnight in all public sector organisations, local authority, and NHS especially!

        Can ministers actually take control of their public sector responsibilities?

      2. a-tracy
        September 23, 2022

        I’d never heard of ‘unboxed’ until I googled it. Communication seems to be an issue, have the BBC featured programs about it or Channel 4 with its public remit and love of the arts?

    2. Lifelogic
      September 23, 2022

      We have the highest taxes for 70+ years and yet abysmal public services so appallingly is the money wasted by government much spend doing positive harm like Net Zero and endless red tape.

      So Sir Chris Whitty is now Twittering about “Net Zero” and “Clean Energy” – has this deluded man not done quite enough harm with the appalling extended lockdown, pointless masks and vaccinating children (surely doing net harm and for no net benefit? Will someone tell him CO2 is not “dirty” and is vital for plants, trees, crops, animals, humans and all life on earth.

      1. glen cullen
        September 23, 2022

        Net-Zero is a rich mans disease …tell it to the poor families who have too eat or heat

      2. Lifelogic
        September 23, 2022

        So a few smallish tax cuts from Kwasi Kwateng from the highest tax levels for 70+ years – rather “thin gruel” but better than nothing.
        The highest rate of stamp duty is now an appalling 15% it was 1% under Thatcher. So some pathetically tiny cuts here.
        Nothing on CGT which is still not indexed against inflation and far to high.
        He talks of a World energy crisis no Kwasi we have a self inflicted energy crisis in the UK and Europe you were the energy secretary and still you stick to the insane “net zero” plan and witter on about “Clean Energy” CO2 is very clean mate. Time to get real and ditch net zero.
        No moves on honouring the £1m each IHT threshold promised by Osborne,
        Nothing of the taxation of landlords on profits not even made – double taxation of loan interest or the 3% extra stamp duty effectively paid by tenants.
        Nothing on fair competition in the NHS, IPT tax, tax relief from medical cover…
        He praises the work of the office of tax simplification – whatever this Quango did tax complexity and more than doubled over the time this Osborne organisation has existed.
        Special tax areas just move businesses from one place to another. They move back once the tax breaks stop. We need tax cuts and simplification everywhere mate.
        Little for the low paid or small businesses as usual.

        Still a very tiny step in the right direction.

        1. Lynn Atkinson
          September 23, 2022

          Agreed, the first step on a very long road…

          1. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            a Road to Wigan Pier springs to mind.

        2. rose
          September 24, 2022

          I agree, LL. What a huge fuss in the media about not very much, but it is at least a start or let us hope so. I suppose they were never going to let go of that £20 billion they get from stamp duty or whatever it is. But until they do, old people aren’t going to downsize, and young people won’t be able to move into the family houses. It would have been so much cheaper, simpler, and better than building in our green fields.

      3. Lifelogic
        September 23, 2022

        Nothing on VAT 20% or CGT up to 28% without indexation or IPT 12% or income taxes for people on under £150K, or the taxation of non profits on landlords and thus tenants. The top rates of SDLT stamp duty still absurdly high at up to 15%. Tax borrow and piss down the drain and net zero looks set to continue but at last a small step in the right direction.

      4. Mitchel
        September 23, 2022

        Bloomberg this morning:”India will expand it’s coal power capacity by 25% through 2030 to meet surging demand.Without a big drop in power storage costs,India will add ~56 Gw of coal plants said it’s power minister.

        Bloomberg also reports that that the EU is secretly lifting a ban on coal and timber from Russia.

        1. formula57
          September 23, 2022

          “..the EU is secretly lifting a ban on coal and timber from Russia.” – is there no end to its evil ways? Are Remoaners not now ashamed?

          1. Lynn Atkinson
            September 23, 2022

            Remoaners are shameless – look at Boris!

          2. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            ashamed for being sensible? Getting dependent in the first place was the mistake.

        2. glen cullen
          September 23, 2022

          Who’s the fool – them or us

      5. Cynic
        September 23, 2022

        Re: C Witty. Strange sort of scientifically trained expert who cannot be bothered to ascertain the facts about CO2 before he pontificates. There is no objective evidence that CO2 released by humans leads to dangerous levels of global warming.

        1. Leslie Singleton
          September 23, 2022

          Dear Cynic–What there isn’t is proof. Indeed there can hardly be any proof at least not until we can have a separate identical Earth to experiment on–unlikely. ‘Correlation is not causation’ cannot be said often enough. The fact that there are huge unexpected changes right and left in climate is awesome but is not proof. Remember that in a heatwave icecream consumption invariably goes up but that does not mean that eating icecream raises temperature.

        2. Antisthenes
          September 23, 2022

          At what level would you consider global warming dangerous? On a globally annual average basis? On a regional monthly average basis? On a local daily average basis?

          royalsociety.org ‘The basics of climate change’.
          climate.nasa.gov ‘How do we know climate change is real?’
          ‘Steamy relationships: How atmospheric water vapor amplifies Earth’s greenhouse effect’, 08/02/2022.

          1. glen cullen
            September 23, 2022

            If it was such an issue you’d think governments around the world would have measuring post every mile along the coasts …they don’t; because deep down they know its all a money making scam

        3. Lifelogic
          September 23, 2022

          Indeed did not seem to see that the young were are very little risk from Covid and that the vaccines we not very effective not very safe. So have probably done severe net harm on balance certainly to the young.

          1. Mickey Taking
            September 23, 2022

            not very effective and not very safe.
            I really wonder how you keep a straight face writing this nonsense.

          2. Lifelogic
            September 23, 2022

            @Micky Taking

            I repeat:- the Covid Vaccines are not very effective nor very safe – they have almost certainly done net harm – especially for the young!

          3. Lynn Atkinson
            September 23, 2022

            Well that’s what the morticians across the world are showing us, clots (not blood) as long as a leg and fibrous. A friend in South Africa had such a growth from her uterus to her heart. They have managed to untangle her heart and will perform a hysterectomy next month. I know 3 people in intensive care because of these ‘clots’ – all in South Africa where few were vaccinated – all three of these friends were in that lucky band!

          4. Lifelogic
            September 24, 2022

            @Micky Taking – take a serious look at the published statistics available and not just in the UK.

          5. hefner
            September 24, 2022

            Proof LL? Show us your mastering of the Yellow Card Reporting statistics.
            http://www.gov.uk ‘Coronavirus vaccine – Summary of Yellow Card reporting’, 01/09/2022.

            You might need to dig deeper into ‘Data’, ‘Frequent adverse reactions’ in particular Table 1 for Pfizer/BioNTech, ‘Frequently reported adverse reactions’ for AstraZeneca, and Frequent adverse reactions’ for Moderna.
            Do not forget to tell us how many deaths resulted in the UK from Covid vaccines, and also how many ADRs (adverse drug reactions) of different kinds, obviously all related to the 144,789,737 injections made in the UK between 08/12/2020 and 23/08/2022.
            You’ll have the numerator by adding up all figures in Table 4.

            The final result, provided you know how to carry out additions and divisions is a 0.299% chance to get an Adverse Drug Reaction from any of the three injections of Covid-19 vaccines that the majority of UK people got these last 21 months. And ADR being essentially a sore arm, some fever, headache or something like that.

            To put that in perspective this percentage is of the same order of magnitude as the level of ADR one could get from flu vaccines, and other vaccines given to babies and toddlers.

            It is quite clear, at least to me, that the frenzy displayed by some particular tranches of the population is related to the fact that the Covid vaccine was practically given to the whole population and that despite the usual swashbuckler attitude of some (WW2 and all that jazz) they were afraid of a little prick on their arm, the poor dears.

          6. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            Do you have comparable stats on the people who had bad scares or even death on the way to a jab? And after the jab on the way home due to road traffic accident, tripping on a pavement/kerbs etc. (even muggings might be considered in some towns).
            Then considering a similar number of the people who had no reaction, what stats are available to inform us how many died, or had other tragic mishaps nothing to do with the jab?

        4. am
          September 23, 2022

          He, like Carney before him, is looking for a job with wef?

          1. hefner
            September 24, 2022

            MT, completely spurious argument as the cases you point out in your first paragraph although real are not linked to the vaccine.
            As for your comment in the second paragraph, just look for example at the usual ons.gov.uk statistics ‘Total annual deaths in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’, 23/03/2022

    3. Narrow Shoulders
      September 23, 2022

      Quite – low taxes are very welcome but if national debt and deficit continue to rise the siren voices will start to wail.

      Tax cuts need to go hand in hand with tight public spending (paying for people’s gas and electricity is not tight public spending).

      1. Lifelogic
        September 23, 2022

        Tight public spending – sure that would be a first in the last 40+ years. The idiots have not even cancelled HS2, subsidies for EV cars and “renewables” or net zero yet! Tax, borrow, currency debase and piss down the drain is still the agenda. Corruption, party donors and vested interests making it even worse. Government by the state sector for the state sector largely living off the backs of the hugely over taxed, over burdened and over regulated 80% working in the private sector! Yet they cannot even deliver a half decent health care, ambulance system or a sensible energy policy. Plus there have their many idiotic wars against motorists, landlords, small businesses, the self employed…

      2. John O'Leary
        September 23, 2022

        It is quite apparent to me that the unaffordable price of gas and electricity is entirely due to successive governments’ mismanagement of our energy needs. Hopefully we now have a government that will reverse some of the damage done by the net-zero fetish that has persisted for far too long. However, we are now in the situation where many people, including myself, are faced with energy bills that will require going without many other things, more expensive and nutritious food items. As we plebs are in that situation through no fault of our own I don’t see what else Kwasi Kwarteng could do other than ease the situation using borrowed or QE. Hopefully the energy situation will ease fairly quickly.

        1. John Hatfield
          September 23, 2022

          “due to successive governments’” love affair with the EU, following the EU’s energy philosophy. Raping our country.

        2. Lifelogic
          September 23, 2022

          Well the Truss government are sticking with the bonkers net zero and Kwasi who was the last energy secretary leading the net zero lunacy (and clearly knows even less about energy than I do about Beowulf and Mandarin) is now Chancellor. His is still wittering on about clean energy and the world energy crisis – no it is a net zero UK and Europe energy crisis mate! Created by you Kwasi – and deluded people like you!

    4. Nottingham Lad Himself
      September 23, 2022

      In more civic countries, residential accommodation is not so ridiculously priced that many people cannot afford to pay any more tax because their last brass farthing is snatched by either their lender or their rentier.

      This means that there is more scope for taxation without resentment, and so for investment in building a decent country for its people.

      1. Donna
        September 23, 2022

        In countries where the Government works in the interests of the people who elected it, they don’t dish out 1 million visas in 1 year and ferry in 30,000+ criminal migrants ….. all of whom, legal or otherwise, need accommodation.

        Housing is expensive because there is an excess of demand, fuelled by both legal and illegal migration. Since it is not possible to concrete over every corner of the UK (they’ve already done it in the SE) it isn’t possible to supply accommodation for the millions of people who would like to come and live here. So the demand must be cut.

      2. Peter2
        September 23, 2022

        Lots of cheap housing available in Cardiff and Nottingham NHL

        1. Bill Brown
          September 23, 2022

          What a load of unnecessary nonsense

          1. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            You are becoming a silly troll bill
            NHL above, claimed property is so expensive that “their last brass farthing is snatched away by either their lender or their rentier”
            Which is both complete nonsense and hyperbole
            A quick look on well know property sale sites show lots of properties near where NHL lives for less than £150,000.
            And rents of well under £1000 pm

        2. hefner
          September 23, 2022

          But that would cost a mint to commute every day from Cardiff or Nottingham to a job in the City, don’t you think P2? Not everybody can be a distinguished exporting businessman.

          1. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            But that isn’t what NHL was claiming was it heffy?
            You are making up your own trolling argument as usual.
            PS
            Have you not noticed the work from home plus occasional commute days trend recently heffy?
            Apparently not.

          2. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            PS
            Further to your trolling post heffy, when did I ever refer to myself as “distinguished”

          3. hefner
            September 24, 2022

            It was just to flatter you P2, you appear to be in such a need for recognition.

          4. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            Another strange idea of yours heffy.
            You seem to think about me a lot.

      3. IanT
        September 23, 2022

        High property prices are the result of many years of ultra low interest rates, thus creating an asset bubble. I’ve been somewhat frustrated recently by all the complaints on media about “how high” interest rates are and might go. Historically (pre 2000) 5% was about the norm.
        In previous decades, savers got a reasonable return on their savings (above inflation) and that money was lent to others at a higher rate. Most mortgages were made through Building Societies that required savers to fund their lending to others. There were simple rules that helped to ensure affordability, like two and half joint salary, or three times a single salary and these were rarely exceeded. My last mortgage was started at a variable rate of 9.5%, which had risen to 15% a year later. Naturally, house prices fell sharply that year but eventually so did mortgage rates. There was a degree of balance in the system.
        Then Governments decided rising house prices made folk feel wealthier and constrained interst rates (at the expense of savers btw). Twenty years later we have a housing bubble and many younger people will discover that negative equity still exists and that property prices do not go up forever – at least not in a straight line. We have been living in a financial Never Never Land and it had to stop sometime and it seems that time has finally arrived.

        1. Mickey Taking
          September 24, 2022

          The 10% rate rose to 12% on 16/9/1992. John Major threatened to raise it to 15% the same day. The uproar ended next day when the rate was dropped back to 10%. A lot of us remember him fondly – NOT.

      4. a-tracy
        September 23, 2022

        NLH, why does it cost more to build residential accommodation in the UK? Which Countries are you comparing us to? Who builds the low-rent accommodation, and from what funds?

        Do the UK Unions build any low-rent accommodation with their investment portfolios and pension portfolios for their members?

        1. Bill Brown
          September 23, 2022

          What a load of unnecessary nonsense Nordic countries

          1. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            Rubbish bill.
            House prices and rents in Nordic main population cities are expensive and increasing.
            Maybe out in very rural areas.

          2. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            And bill don’t forget high tax levels in Nordic countries need to be factored in versus house prices.
            Denmark and Sweden have the world’s 2 highest taxes.
            In Sweden anyone earning over £32,000 will pay between 49% and 60% in a combination of state and local taxes.

          3. a-tracy
            September 24, 2022

            Bill I wasn’t addressing you, I was asking the person that made the statement unless you’re one of the same Martin?

            Why is my question nonsense, how are you going to solve the problem unless you have the examples? Land costs in the areas where people want to live are very high, connecting to sewerage and services is high, there are low cost areas with low cost housing in the UK a lot of the housing under £100,000 but the people don’t want to live there so they become unemployed centres for immigrants to live in.

            I’ve been reading up on Nordic Countries and their housing co-operatives and I will do some more research on where they get the money from. But you didn’t answer my main question do the UK Unions use their investment portfolios and pension investments to build co-operative housing for their members, if not why not?

            Also why aren’t our housing associations building more homes, our local HA has a 1,000 less homes than when they bought them for buttons, they must have made hand over fist over the last 20 years because they picked up every home for an average £7500 even if they spent £20,000 on each one and they didn’t they’re still quids in.

          4. hefner
            September 24, 2022

            Funny, the Happiness Index goes Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherland, Norway, Sweden. The UK is in 17th position. Maybe the Nordic countries do some things better than here in this country. (worldpopulationreview.com ‘Happiest countries in the world 2022’)
            Could it be that there is more to life than money, specially when it is very unequally distributed?

          5. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            hefner likes the idea that you will own nothing be poor but happy.
            The leftists dream world

        2. a-tracy
          September 25, 2022

          Hefner, Interesting I looked the worldhappinessreport up. I wonder if results are the same if people are asked in Winter some genetic people get ‘sad’ syndrome more than others. I wonder if there are racial differences due to responses to heat and light levels. The levels of suicide in some of these countries is high. 30-40% of the differences in happiness between people is accounted for by genetic differences between people. Some people will be born with a set of genetic variants that makes it easier to feel happy, while others are less fortunate. Are Nordic people that moved or live in the UK generally more happy?

    5. Mitchel
      September 23, 2022

      Kwasi Kwarteng wrote a book in 2014 – “War and Gold-A Five Hundred Year History of Empires,Adventures And Debt”.I bought a remaindered copy -for £1 – shortly after -I think it was around this time of year;it was on a table in Poundland’s window next to their Halloween tat.I’ve read bits of it but it’s not very original.The jacket blurb reads:

      “In the sixteenth century,Spanish conquistadors discovered the New World and it’s vast quantities of gold and silver.Such incredible wealth would bestow immense power on Spain for decades to come,as it waged international wars on many fronts.But the Spanish government’s spending would eventually bankrupt the country multiple times over,leading to the demise of the grand empire.

      In this accessible account of money through the modern age,historian and politician Kwasi Kwarteng shows how this cautionary piece of history has been repeated many times up to the present day,which has seen some of the world’s great nations slip into a state of economic ruin from which many are still trying to escape.”

      Not so much remaindered as totally junked!Perhaps he should go back and re-read what he wrote not so many years ago.

    6. Michelle
      September 23, 2022

      Fully agree but I suppose we are faced with a generation of politicians who have been EU puppets and are all at sea when it comes to running things without that crutch!!
      I’ve often wondered if it’s why so many wanted to stay in the EU. Not just for the perks for them and theirs but somewhere to hide, lay the blame.

      1. glen cullen
        September 23, 2022

        European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is being accused of election interference after threatening to use “tools” if the wrong election result is achieved in Italy’s national elections, set to take place this Sunday, Sept. 25 https://rmx.news/article/shock-eu-commission-president-threatens-italy-on-eve-of-election-says-brussels-has-tools-if-wrong-parties-win/?fbclid=IwAR3GyA0w021jOHgsj7CCWKenq1qgB49Fam4wdXevk9rPaSosvb1BOtOZidQ

        1. Donna
          September 24, 2022

          The Italians haven’t had a democratically elected Government for most of the period since the banking crisis 2007/08. They’ve had EU puppets foisted on them. All von der Leyen is doing is stating the fact that unless Italy votes “the right way” the result will be over-ruled by Brussels.

          1. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            EU democracy at its finest.

    7. Lifelogic
      September 23, 2022

      They do not debase their currency, as we have. Swiss Franc was 6 to the pound 47 years back now worth about the same as £1! Well done all to those dire Chancellors Healey, Major, Clarke, Brown, Darling, Osborne, Hammond through to Sunak!

    8. Mike Wilson
      September 23, 2022

      The Scandinavian model seems to work well. High taxes. Good public services. Admittedly small populations.

      1. Mark B
        September 23, 2022

        And in the case of Norway and Sweden, well husbanded of natural resources.

      2. rose
        September 25, 2022

        Yes, small populations, lots of space, and when the model was conceived, homogeneous populations. Will the model survive mass immigration?

  2. DOM
    September 23, 2022

    ‘generate more tax revenue to improve public services’

    Why do Tory MPs act like Socialists? Spending more scarce resources on services delivered by unionised State employees does not improve public provision, efficiency of delivery or convenience for the end-user, it merely helps to finance a massive expansion of Socialist State power and control through the mechanism of divide and control politics the left have been using at local and national level

    What Labour and their Marxist backers understand is that they can build their power bases (by using insurrectionist tactics like diversity and inclusion ideology borne from Marxist scholars) using taxpayers money and then assert control even when they’re in opposition. It seems the Tory party understand this but couldn’t care less anyway as this party’s only raise d’etre is put party first to survive

    I know hypocrisy and double standards is part of politics but we have a party in government who is playing a balancing game with the Neo-Marxist cabal and in many cases participating in their politics rather than governing in a moral manner.

    The more the State spends the more powerful and totalitarian it will become. Authoritarianism is expensive and ruinous

    We need LOWER spending by the State, lower tax revenues flowing from the private to government and less government involvement in all areas of life. I suspect this ideal will never now be achieved. The move is towards full on surveillance of all areas of life using digitalisation. Is this what John and his party desire? I don’t it does but they’re not fighting back against it and that should concern us all

    1. DOM
      September 23, 2022

      ‘I don’t believe it does but they’re not fighting back against it and that should concern us all’

      1. a-tracy
        September 23, 2022

        It’s not only the public sector it is disguised public sector operations that wouldn’t survive without significant taxpayer funding.
        1. The bus services operate inefficiently, are wasteful of energy, don’t use enough logistical planning because they don’t have to trim costs, and ours disappeared for a month recently.
        2. Housing Associations don’t build new homes to add to their existing portfolio, or buy up ex-council housing that comes back on the market; there is the land they could put houses on but they leave overgrown and untidy between other houses, there are shops they leave to rack and ruin and rooms above shops left derelict. Nothing has been done about this for 25 years.
        I could go on.

    2. Mark B
      September 23, 2022

      Agree. We do not need to spend more, but spend better.

      1. Lifelogic
        September 23, 2022

        Spend better? They could hardy spend any worse!

      2. Mickey Taking
        September 24, 2022

        sometimes why spend at all? HS2, cycle lanes, thousands of ugly ‘windmills’ imported, provide Channel ferries and 4* hotels for the often daily illegal 1,000 amateur sailors. All the road signage constantly changing 30 to 20, bus lanes painted, road humps built, shoddy tarmac laid, dug up again, under -road service pipes dug up and roads made one-lane for weeks when often the work could be done over 2 nights in a row. I’ll stop there it gets SO frustrating.

    3. Michelle
      September 23, 2022

      Spot on with regards the power of the radical Unions.
      A better system for work relations would be a non-politicised one but I can’t see that happening here their power is immense. They have had decades to learn the art of organisation and propaganda alongside terrorising those who are just pawns in their political ambitions.

      One way to fight back would be to get hold of the BBC by the scruff of the neck and stop it using its position as a mouth piece for the radical left. It must stop being allowed to put across one sided views, the old soft interview for their champions versus the hard interview for their opposition with endless interruptions from the clearly biased journalist. They must also stop being allowed to throw out statements without showing evidence or being robustly challenged on their one sided assertions.
      I can’t see that happening though.

    4. John Hatfield
      September 23, 2022

      I remember Gordon Brown’s favourite expression “investment” in public services. I don’t recall Gordon’s investments earning much interest. The public sector is in severe need of reduction in size and more efficiency.

      1. Lifelogic
        September 23, 2022

        Reduction by at least half!

      2. Mickey Taking
        September 23, 2022

        was it dear Gordon who liked to say he was ‘prudent’.?

        1. Lifelogic
          September 24, 2022

          “Investment” when used by politicians is almost always a euphemism meaning “to piss down the drain” or “to buy votes” usually both.

  3. Cuibono
    September 23, 2022

    Taxes are a very bad idea full stop.
    Our money is forced from us to be used in whatever way a government sees fit.
    We are not protected, cared for or listened to.
    Our money is given to chosen groups to enable queue jumping in every area, on a vast scale.

    1. Lifelogic
      September 23, 2022

      Indeed government should stick to the very few things they can actually do better than people, businesses and charities. Defence, Law and Order and not much more. 20% of GPD government spending is about right. Currently they are spending/wasting nearly 50%. They even shut down the productive private sector with lockdowns and two extra bank holidays (so far). They create virtual monopolies and grossly unfair competition in health care, schools, universities, transport, banking, energy, housing…

      1. Cuibono
        September 23, 2022

        +many
        But charities…I’m not sure.
        They have pushed a great deal of all the wokery.

        1. Lifelogic
          September 23, 2022

          True but I mean real charities. Tax relief for charities should be limited to only efficient, honest and well directed charities.

          1. Cuibono
            September 23, 2022

            +1
            Agreed!

    2. Ian Wragg
      September 23, 2022

      I see we are un for a replay of the Brexit debate on fracking. A large cohort of your own members are against it. Shielded from the large fuel bills we face they can virtue signalling with the eco loons.
      We need to draft the military in to guard these sites and be ruthless with demonstrators.
      We may then have more revenue to allow further tax cuts rather than sending the money abroad to finance despots.

      1. Dave Andrews
        September 23, 2022

        The companies competent to do fracking will only do so if they own the gas and can sell it at the global rate and pocket the profits. Any benefit to the UK consumer will be tiny.
        I don’t have a problem with fracking in principle, just the deceit that it will bring energy prices crashing down.

        1. Mark B
          September 23, 2022

          Dave

          As I said before, we can issue contract on the understanding that a percentage of the gas goes to the UK, at cost plus 5% profit with the rest being sold. It is our gas !

        2. Mark
          September 23, 2022

          I suggest you check out what happened in the US. A shortage of domestic production topped up by LNG imports over 15 years ago meant that US prices were higher than for any other major gas hub around the world. Fracking totally transformed the situation, taking prices down to and even below cost at times, and generating a significant export surplus that we are relying on in Europe. Their domestic Henry Hub prices are currently around $7/MMBtu which gives producers a good profit, while ours are nine times as much for winter supply.

        3. Lifelogic
          September 23, 2022

          Rubbish – the companies will employ people in the UK, make taxable profits in the UK and gas is expensive to transport so much will be sold here at cheaper prices. Just look at US prices of gas often about 1/3 of the UKs.

      2. Cuibono
        September 23, 2022

        +many
        Agree.
        The Truss govt. may feel safe unbanning fracking knowing the huge strength of the anti frackers?
        ie govt has no intention of resuming fracking.
        If they are serious why not mine coal in Cumbria?

      3. Ian Wragg
        September 23, 2022

        Today we are not Importing any power and gas is providing 58% of demand.
        We have 3 steam units online and an open cycle gas turbine.
        This is in a mild autumn day with demand at 31gw.
        If this was during the winter we would have power cuts.

        1. Lifelogic
          September 23, 2022

          +1 get those piles of coal ready!

        2. Bill B.
          September 23, 2022

          But Ian, we’re helping Ukraine to win… aren’t we?

      4. Fedupsoutherner
        September 23, 2022

        I agree Ian. Fracking is possibly one of the most important issues right now. It would create many well paid jobs in an area that needs them. They would pay taxes. More importantly it just might save our bacon if they can get going on it. We can’t have a good manufacturing base and small businesses like hairdressers and pubs will sttuggle if we are having power cuts.

      5. Mike Wilson
        September 23, 2022

        I read today that the former boss of Cuadrilla(?) has said that fracking in this country is not practical because of the geology. And I guess he ought to know.

        1. SM
          September 23, 2022

          And I read today that the current CEO of the company said that the quoted gentleman has been out of the business for 10 years and is not au fait with current technology.

        2. jerry
          September 23, 2022

          @Mike Wilson; Not necessarily, there are many reasons why someone close to an industry might say such things, it might even explain why he is the former boss of Cuadrilla! 😮

        3. hefner
          September 25, 2022

          Chris Cornelius, founder of Cuadrilla 22/09/2022 ‘No sensible investors would take the risk of embarking on large projects here… It’s very challenging geology compared to North America … The shale resource in the UK is heavily faulted and compartmentalised making it far harder to exploit at any scale’.
          express.co.uk ‘Will fracking help keep UK energy costs down?’

          UK councils’ pension schemes invested up to £9bn into fracking between … 2014 and 2018.
          Obviously the present Cuadrilla’s CEO, Francis Egan, keen on hoovering state support for his company is all in favour of the current Government’s stance.

          A somewhat more balanced account on the state of UK fracking is on lse.ac.uk 22/09/2022 ‘How much shale gas is there in the UK and what is the status of fracking?’

      6. Old Salt
        September 23, 2022

        Ian
        Dare I suggest one checks out the chemicals used. Frack focus used to have a more comprehensive list now somewhat restricted so as not to frighten the horses. Not to mention the eventual contamination of the subterranean water systems. Also check out the useful life of wells.

        ‘Wrong kind of shale’ and 280m years too late: Geologists react to fracking move (msn.com)

        https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/wrong-kind-of-shale-and-280m-years-too-late-geologists-react-to-fracking-move/ar-AA1286yD?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=340d85cab944458b8d99047253781316

        1. jerry
          September 23, 2022

          @Old Salt; MSM, is not exactly a reliable source… and have you checked out the pollution being caused by the rush to EVs etc, but then lithium and cobalt for example dont tend to be mined and processed here in the UK so that’s OK then (although we might end up suffering from the reprocessing of such waste when EV batteries die)?

      7. No Longer Anonymous
        September 23, 2022

        Like lockdown there is only ever one sided risk assessment.

        An expert on tv yesterday, “The risk of fracking needs to be assessed.”

        The risk of energy blackouts need to be assessed too but they won’t be. The old we wrecked our economy saving from Covid will now die of hypothermia. But that’s OK apparently.

    3. jerry
      September 23, 2022

      @Cuibono; “Taxes are a very bad idea full stop.”

      All taxation, even taxes that pay for our national defense, should successive govts have not build the motorways, is universal education wrong, if not how should they be funded if not via taxation?

      “We are not protected, cared for or listened to.”

      Funny, many who are opposed to tax cuts say the exact same thing! The truth is, far to many plebs are just simply self-centered, unable to see or understand the wider picture, if everyone was listened to nothing would ever get done, and everyone would be loose out.

      1. No Longer Anonymous
        September 23, 2022

        Jerry.

        Lifelogic doesn’t think there’s a problem with your spelling ‘loose’.

        I’m not having a go at you but the deliberate debasement of our language debases our culture too.

    4. Mark B
      September 23, 2022

      The more that government can extort from us, the more it has to throw around. Those that live on the government (taxpayer) teat like little chicks always demand more because they cannot control their expenditure.

    5. glen cullen
      September 23, 2022

      Governments have got so use to taxing us; that they don’t know how to stop

  4. Margaretbj.
    September 23, 2022

    Whilst the country is making us slaves to taxes Russia is making it’s people slaves to unwanted aggression.Reservists are being called up to fight this antiquated war.The choice is fight for Russia or go to jail.Peace negotiations are the only way.Whatever loss of lives both sides endure eventually some peace deal is inevitable.Why flex muscles with killing innocents in between the alpha and omega.,?

    1. SM
      September 23, 2022

      Margaret, do you really think that a paranoid psychopath like Vladimir Putin is the slightest bit interested in negotiating for peace?

    2. Roy Grainger
      September 23, 2022

      Putin doesn’t agree with you unfortunately.

    3. Cuibono
      September 23, 2022

      But who is stoking the war? Even when peace negotiations make a tentative appearance? ( As earlier this year).Who is FUNDING the war with ill afforded billions ….Paid for by TAXES.
      But no matter …war makes money for some and reduces the population. It also helps with Net Zero impositions on the West!

    4. Mitchel
      September 23, 2022

      If I were you I would not rely on western mainstream media for reportage on Russia-all major outlets have been co-opted in the information war (not that the globalists amongst them need to be compelled as Russia is destroying their aspirations).

      Do your own research.The truth is out there-take this Euronews.com item this morning:

      “Debunked:Russians were NOT in a 35km queue at the Finland border.”

      1. Mark
        September 23, 2022

        It was always a simple matter for the Russians to control the roads to the few border crossing points, most of which pass through Vyborg. Certainly when I crossed the border in Soviet times our journey was monitored at every crossroads. By train, armed army border guards checked every passenger. Border No Man’s Land was cleared, fenced and patrolled.

        1. Mark
          September 23, 2022

          Checking traffic flow on Google Maps shows that traffic is apparently light, but stops at border posts are prolonged and very little or no traffic is actually crossing the border in either direction. Zakreet (shut).

    5. Clough
      September 23, 2022

      Yes indeed Margaret, what a shame Johnson didn’t allow peace negotiations to go ahead in Turkey back in April. He and his NATO cohorts wanted this war to go on so Russia could be economically and politically ‘weakened’ (US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin). That’s not going well. It’s Europe that’s being economically and politically weakened. Jordan Peterson has an excellent video where he explains why EU country governments are going along with this – ruining Europe’s economies helps the transition to a Green new order.

    6. Mickey Taking
      September 23, 2022

      another choice is to ‘run for the hills’ – thousands of Russians at risk of call up are heading for borders to escape, after all flights out were taken and enormous hikes in ticket pricing – the usual entrepreneurial step even in so-called communist state.

    7. No Longer Anonymous
      September 23, 2022

      In defending Ukraine’s borders against Communists we are becoming… er… Communists !

  5. Cuibono
    September 23, 2022

    Who exactly are “ the poor”?
    Those who go to work and just about keep their heads above water..to be forced back under by the govt. on many occasions?
    Or those who get every benefit going and have no responsibilities, social, financial or moral?
    And are always bailed out.

    1. Lifelogic
      September 23, 2022

      Those on benefits are often behaving rationally given the idiotic tax & benefit system that pertains.

      1. Cuibono
        September 23, 2022

        +100
        As IDS said.
        However the tax payer is behaving logically too in wishing to protect his earnings from funding the luxurious lifestyles of others.
        Not to mention subsidising the wage bill of some large companies.

    2. Shirley M
      September 23, 2022

      +1 gross up the benefits to pre-tax levels, and you’ll see that very few could earn that kind of money, so why bother trying?

      1. Cuibono
        September 23, 2022

        +1
        Absolutely!

      2. oldwulf
        September 23, 2022

        @Shirley M

        +1

        I’ve never understood why some benefits are taxable and some are not.
        https://www.gov.uk/income-tax/taxfree-and-taxable-state-benefits

        Also, charities (which generally receive tax and other advantages) often provide tax free benefits.

    3. Dave Andrews
      September 23, 2022

      There are the poor through misfortune, and there are the poor through idleness. Unfortunately the government can’t tell the difference.

    4. jerry
      September 23, 2022

      @Cuibono; Good question! Ever heard the expression, ‘Cash poor, asset rich’?

      Such people are often the most vocal in denouncing those who are BOTH cash poor & asset poor, they tell such people to be more self reliant rather than claim handouts, yet demand help for themselves from the State via personal tax cuts when many could easily release equity from their own assets…

    5. Fedupsoutherner
      September 23, 2022

      Quite tight.

  6. Al
    September 23, 2022

    “If you want an aspiration society you need to make effort and hard work worthwhile.” – JR

    Very true, but the papers this morning report Kwasi Kwarteng disagrees and would rather force people onto the dole than have them work part time. We are told this morning that “Workers must now lobby for 15 hours a week, not twelve”. He has not put anything in place to create the extra work for them to do, or cover the employment costs to business, so any business who did raises those hours for four workers, can fire one, get the same work and save overheads. The government can then pay full support to one family, and continue paying partial support to four others. A rather false economy.

    His ‘focus on over-50s’ isn’t going to do a thing unless he wants to resolve the issue of references timing out for work returners or those who made ends meet through covid in the gig economy, something that has been needed to be fixed for many years.

    1. Donna
      September 23, 2022

      I fail to see what is wrong with incentivising people to work more – whether that’s people who already work 12 hours a week or those who work 30 or more.

      Some people will do the bare minimum of hours in order to gain the welfare top-up it attracts. They must be encouraged to work more and earn more, rather than rely on taxpayers to increase their income.

      1. Al
        September 23, 2022

        Encouraging people into work is an excellent idea, when it won’t cost the taxpayers more money for no return. The 12 to 15 hour rise is pointless, for example:
        – As set out before, employers will up four employees and fire one, costing the taxpayer more to support the fifth family and making it harder for the fired worker to find work.
        – Workers in the gig economy will just add 3 hours to their timesheet, doing no more work and receiving the same support (and find it hard to get other jobs due to issues like the references problem).
        – The abuse of zero hours contracts in areas like retail.

        There are a huge number of vacancies but the workers available don’t have the right skills and often not the money to retrain into them. The people who do have the skills are often under-employed because references have timed out or employers went bankrupt during covid. Fixing these systemic problems would do far more to create jobs (and save money long term) than saying people should work three more hours a week.

    2. a-tracy
      September 23, 2022

      AI but we are told there are thousands of nursing vacancies unfilled, care vacancies, local council vacancies. We are told people are struggling to recruit, I read they are trying to match people up with jobs as private job agencies do.

      1. Bill B.
        September 23, 2022

        If only the millions and millions poured into test-and-trace, fear propaganda and Nightingale hospitals, that did such little good, had been invested in better-paying wages for vital jobs, and training, so as to get the healthcare vacancies filled. It seems tragic to me.

        1. a-tracy
          September 23, 2022

          Bill B. There were people that thought at the time the level of free testing kits, was excessive, schools testing every day, there were calls from the left for more every day or they were going to close down schools, hospitals, care homes and the rest. The sick pay costs of staff in the NHS was exorbitant during the covid 18 month period. I know people that came back into the NHS to work after retiring at 60 even though their age group was at the higher risk we were told. I also know people whose businesses were closed down and who survived by working in test and trace operations.

          The nightingale hospitals, I want to know where the 8,000 bed booths went, if people are blocking acute beds in hospitals that aren’t requiring nursing care just general care then we should get these beds set up and care givers trained, preferably the part-time people looking for more hours as if they earn more for themselves the less in handouts they need.

          I think we need to really investigate all the degree students over the past ten years, they should check how many of them are paying back more than the interest level on their student loans and courses that have very low outcomes be checked and funds redirected. We should ask the students who aren’t paying back their student loans more information about their jobs, are they working part-time or full-time, are they working part-time by choice, did they need their degree for more than 60% of their paid work. Instead of just keep pouring money down the same drains we need to stop, look and act to improve outcomes for people.

          1. Bill B.
            September 24, 2022

            A lot of common-sense there, A-Tracy. Pity it was switched off at the time, by those who made policy.

        2. Mickey Taking
          September 24, 2022

          a point of accuracy – it was £billions not £millions.
          Test and Trace – – but bet you can’t trace where the profits went !

  7. turboterrier
    September 23, 2022

    All good Sir John.
    The problem is that nobody in government is listening. I suspect that they don’t, won’t, can’t understand the basics of how to manage finances.
    But they can waste millions on pet projects and allowing the creation of woke positions and policies across both the civil and public services to be implemented. Common sense and understanding has no place in their plans and aspirations.

    1. glen cullen
      September 23, 2022

      I see from the mini budget that the government isn’t going to repeal the ‘green levy’ !!!

  8. Wanderer
    September 23, 2022

    I agree with the piece, but it’s a hard sell when the BBC and other media take the opposite position.

    1. jerry
      September 23, 2022

      @Wanderer; Selling is not hard, just so long as the public want the product!

      So is the MSM reflecting a minority or majority view, most of the dailies seem over the moon with the prospect of tax cuts, so I’ll take it when you said “and other media” you really mean Ch4, and perhaps LBC…

  9. Cuibono
    September 23, 2022

    Do people really land on our shores illegitimately to increase our GDP?
    Who cares what the size of the economy is.
    Personally I would settle for going back to the old normal!

    1. Mark B
      September 23, 2022

      Well I hear that the 4 Star Hotel trade is doing really rather well 😉

    2. glen cullen
      September 23, 2022

      Bang On +1
      That spreadsheet the government uses doesn’t have a row for the loss of english culture

    3. rose
      September 23, 2022

      It is GDP per capita, not GDP which counts, and it is never mentioned. Only: “we are the sixth richest country in the world, blah blah blah.” The more millions of poor people we take in, the higher goes the GDP, because more people are going to Tescos, etc. That is not an increase in national wealth. The EU, in order to increase our annual tribute, even added in prostitution and crime as part of the GDP, most of it coming from them.

      1. Bill Brown
        September 24, 2022

        What a load of absolute nonsense

        1. Peter2
          September 25, 2022

          Any facts to base that comment on billy?

    4. Mike Wilson
      September 23, 2022

      Do people really land on our shores illegitimately to increase our GDP?

      No, they land here because even being at the bottom of the pile here is a hundred times better than where they come from.

      It is OUR government, sorry, YOUR government, that allows mass legal and illegal immigration because YOUR government sees this as the only way to get Mr. Redwood’s holy grail of growth. He, lately, has started to refer to ‘GDP per head’ but he is on a hiding to nothing with 300,000 more people here every year.

      1. Mickey Taking
        September 24, 2022

        I know the outskirts of Calais is pretty rough – but it can’t be that bad?

      2. hefner
        September 26, 2022

        MW, It took him more than ten years to realise that his beloved GDP ‘don’t mean a thing if it ain’t’ related to population, and I guess it will take him another ten years to accept that in comparison with other countries it necessitates to be put in Purchasing Power Parity.

  10. PeteB
    September 23, 2022

    “He has not put anything in place to create the extra work for them to do, or cover the employment costs to business”
    Hundreds of thousands of job vacancies within the UK would suggest he doesn’t need to do anything. Workers can find jobs that offer more hours.

  11. Narrow Shoulders
    September 23, 2022

    Can I have my child benefit back?

    I am not rich, especially not with London housing costs, and probably have less disposable income than my neighbours who are in receipt of benefits including child benefit

    1. Mark B
      September 23, 2022

      . . . disposable income . . .

      Nail. Head. Hit !

      We can earn large sums of money but, we may also have large bills to pay, thereby reducing what we can spend. When spending is reduced so to is the wider economy (service) which is reliant on it.

      The government wants to reduce inflation (which it has caused due to QE) by reducing spending. It really cannot do it through interest rates as people have become over leveraged having to take out large loans for overpriced property.

      1. Mark
        September 23, 2022

        They should be consoled that when selling the small reduction in stamp duty will allow them to get a marginally better price.

    2. Ian B
      September 23, 2022

      @Narrow Shoulders, I guess its the hazard of being UK born and bred. If you enered the UK illegaly, therefore becoming a Criminal, you would be handed the world

    3. jerry
      September 23, 2022

      @NS; “Can I have my child benefit back? “

      Fund your own children, do not expect others to fund them via their tax codes! 😛

      1. Mike Wilson
        September 23, 2022

        If other people didn’t have children, you’d have no state pension and no-one to do the jobs yo can’t do when you’re old.

        1. jerry
          September 23, 2022

          @Mike Wilson; Indeed, but I said nothing about people not having children, just that parents should not expect others to fund their parenting costs; and in any case isn’t that what some on the right also say, when single unmarried mothers with anything from one to ten+ kids in tow turn up st the DWP – talk about ‘do as I say, not as I do’… 🙁

          Did you also miss the emoticon?!

      2. Narrow Shoulders
        September 23, 2022

        @jerry universal benefit or it shouldn’t exist. I am competing for living costs against people in receipt of this extra funding (but I agree with your premise).

        However child benefit is merely the monetisation of the child’s tax free threshold so you are not funding other people’s children any more than you are funding any one else in receipt of a tax free threshold.

        As my children don’t work, maybe they could claim universal credit. Pity the household savings prevent that happening.

        Can’t catch a break can they?

        1. jerry
          September 23, 2022

          @NS; “universal benefit or it shouldn’t exist”.

          Perhaps, best you tell that to the current Chancellor, and the current Ministers at the DWP & DHSC!

  12. Lifelogic
    September 23, 2022

    The main banks are currently paying 0.4% on bank deposits and yet charging 39.9% on “all” personal overdrafts regardless of credit ratings, 100 times more.

    What damn fools do we have at the FCA, BoE and in government? Can we please have real & fair competition please Kwasi. In banking, healthcare, education, housing, transport, energy…?

    1. Mark B
      September 23, 2022

      Then don’t take out the loans !

      1. Lifelogic
        September 23, 2022

        I do not. But that damages the economy!

    2. hefner
      September 23, 2022

      HSBC will give you an annual 3.06% on a six-month £170k deposit and 2.47% on a three-month £170k deposit. (flagstoneim.com ‘Our latest banks and interest rates’).
      And some less well known banks will even give you a bit higher rate on up to £50 m deposits.

      You’re a clown LL.

      1. Mark B
        September 23, 2022

        Cheers mate, I’ll look into that.

      2. Mickey Taking
        September 23, 2022

        its a great pity rather a lot of us pensioners don’t have over £170k to deposit for at least 6 months.

    3. jerry
      September 23, 2022

      @LL; More to the point, what “damned fools” have overdrafts (other than for mortgages or other authorized structured personal or business loans). That 40% interest fee is trying to tell you something, take the hint!

      No, we can not and should not go back to the days of easy money, what you call real & fair competition, that lead to the 2007/8 banking crash.

      1. Lifelogic
        September 24, 2022

        Do not want it tied for months I need instant access.

        1. hefner
          September 24, 2022

          In that case could you please stop your repetitious moaning on the topic.

      2. Lifelogic
        September 24, 2022

        Overdrafts at sensible rates as they used to be (circa 2% over base) make a lot of sense as you only pay interest when you need to use them. In effect the moronic FCA (while under Andrew Bailey has banned them for sensible borrowers. Thus forcing people to take repayment loans that often are less well matched to their borrowing needs. They have force the banks to charge the same rip off rates for all on personal overdrafts – whereas on loans they have different rates for different credit risks as they do on business loans.

  13. Roy Grainger
    September 23, 2022

    Labour’s position is clear: Sunak raising NI contributions was a bad idea and Truss not raising NI contributions is a bad idea too.

    You need to be careful because the leftie BBC types are framing the middle-tax tax cuts as “trickle down economics” which implies their purpose is ultimately to benefit the low-paid. I’m glad to see Truss pushing back on this – middle-class tax cuts are to benefit the middle-class, and why not ? There are separate measures for the low-paid.

    1. Mark B
      September 23, 2022

      There are now rival news outlets hungry for a part of the BBC Media pie that will, as our kind host and others have discovered, are more than willing to give the government sympathetic air time.

      They just need to use it 😉

    2. jerry
      September 23, 2022

      @Roy Grainger; You appear to have a very weird definition of “middle-class”, or did you truly miss all the MSM references to the expected (now confirmed) removal of restrictions on bankers bonuses etc. Nice to know that you seem to define the the destitute as a ‘lower-class’ though, at least in your eyes they have reached the bottom of the greasy pole… Not much for the true middle-class to cheer about this afternoon, many of whom will be JAMs tomorrow just as they are today, most just fearful, rather than hopeful.

      More should have been done on B2B VAT, UBR, and local planning rules, if the govt really wants to promote SME growth, rather than the scrapping the 45% top rate tax, certainly if it’s scrapped without strings attached to promote (re-)investment into UK Plc. Yet to look at the small print but first impressions are the tax changes appear to be a ‘smash and grab raid’, typical Tory voters being told to grab what they can in the next couple of years, before Labour are (likely) back in govt, 1964 or 1974 style!

  14. MPC
    September 23, 2022

    If only you would write a piece entitled ‘why Net Zero is a bad idea’. No sign of a firm and unambiguous critique of the real reason why tax cuts pale into insignificance against it.

  15. Bryan Harris
    September 23, 2022

    I fear that all of this groundswell to improve the tax system will be wasted as we are likely to see, as so many times in the past, that a few rates are tinkered with but the end result will see the vast majority of the unfit for purpose system in place.

    Tax shouldn’t be so taxing – It penalises and distorts life as well as making us prisoners of an ever changing and harmful set of new policies when a new government comes in.

    Simplify, FGS KISS
    There are ways to make PAYE less painful – and if we were to switch more taxation to VAT with a suitable tax rate – so that those that have pay for what they can afford, then some of the other wretched taxes could go.

  16. Donna
    September 23, 2022

    I want to see the Socialist Stealth Taxes cut.

    Cutting 1 or even 2 pence off income tax means nothing to part-time workers who are below the Income Tax threshold, and very little to those in full-time minimum wage jobs. Any gain they may get from such a reduction goes immediately as soon as they spend what little money they have: VAT (levied on virtually everything); Energy Taxes; Fuel Duty; Insurance Taxes; the BBC Poll Tax; etc.

    These are all unprogressive, flat-rate taxes, which proportionally, punish low-income citizens far more than the wealthy/highly paid. Chancellors cut Income Tax (talk about cutting IT) because it’s a high-profile policy, but it doesn’t benefit low/middle income people as much as cutting or scrapping the unprogressive, flat-rate stealth taxes would.

    There are over 100 different taxes operating in the UK; just one reason why the Tax Code is a ridiculous 11,500 pages long.

    1. a-tracy
      September 23, 2022

      Donna, yes but the part-time worker earning £12,500 (25 hours on the nlw over the age of 23) doesn’t contribute 1p in national insurance to pay towards their healthcare or state pension now, everyone else has to pay their share for them as well as their own.

      1. Donna
        September 24, 2022

        Yes, and that is NOT a good thing. People should contribute towards the cost of public services they use … then they value them more and also have an interest in getting good value for money. I think it is a mistake to keep increasing the number of people who do not pay IT and NI and who therefore have no “skin in the game” when debates about public spending take place …. and votes.

        What I am arguing for is for people to pay a sensible level of IT and NI, based on their income ….. but for the spending stealth taxes to be cut because they disproportionately punish the low-paid every time they spend what little money they have.

  17. Mike Stallard
    September 23, 2022

    As an OAP, a man who was a child in the second world war and the hungry fifties of last century, I am feeling the smack of poverty once again. Martin Lewis does not help. Not worried though: we are veterans.
    I live next door to a man who mends lorries on the road (think AA or RAC). He has a comfortable income, he tells me but it is currently decimated by high tax which makes him very cross. As he sees it, he is paying for a lot of layabouts and whingers.
    There are plenty of vacancies, I read, round here, of apprecenticeships. And very few takers this year.

    1. Mickey Taking
      September 24, 2022

      An apprenticeship, if you find one, pays £4.81 per hour for under 19s.
      Not an enticing prospect, but if they live with parents maybe reasonable. Those living away at university don’t earn about £1000 p.a. – they incur a debt of twice or threetimes.

      1. Mickey Taking
        September 24, 2022

        oops – the £1000 placeholder should have been replaced with £8,500.

  18. Ian B
    September 23, 2022

    I don’t agree that Tax should be progressive in the de-facto Socialist way, particularly in a way the our recent Socialist Tory Party has aggressively applied it. It should be fair and equitable first

    As I understand it Taxes are there to provide the infrastructure, welfare, sustainability and security of us all equally. If that is the case we should all be asked to contribute equally. Then in that situation that is what it should be used for, getting working and fulfilling a ‘best of the best’ scenarios – before anything else.

    All so often the Government is massively over charging, so creating the need to offer rebates, allowances and other handouts to address the inherent in-balances. i.e. high tax is needed just to be able to give it back, how ludicrous is that. If it was all just on an equal basis we would all pay less. I would guess in order to subsidies one thing and extra 50% in costs and manpower is required to tweak the imbalance. UK tax is to convoluted

    The biggest problem the UK has with tax, is the way the Government wastes it and wastes it big time. One illustration of late is the Tax-Payer is funding purely political views(diversity, equalities and so on) of the mangers in those UK taxpayer funded entities, without the tax payer having a say or being able to hold individuals to account. I would hazard a guess the taxpayer wants to see value for money from this resource, as in the intended purpose of the funding. The delivery of the ‘best of the best service’, not political gesturing or personal beliefs. This applies directly to all Government Departments, Quangos and all those Charities that receive taxpayer funding. If a Political viewpoint is to be made that person/entity should be voted in and held to account by the whole electorate. Otherwise is there any point to position of an MP, Parliament.

  19. glen cullen
    September 23, 2022

    Higher taxes, higher spending and higher borrowing are all bad ideas

    Why, when we voted to leave the EU and all its institutions, is this government seeking to rejoin the £81.2bn ‘Horizon Europe’ the scientific funding programme
    Europe’s Council Europe Research Nuclear (CERN), Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and Horizon programmes to date haven’t produced anything to help people heat their homes or reduce energy bills….and they cost us billions upon billions upon billions

    1. Mark
      September 24, 2022

      Jasper Kirby’s CLOUD group at CERN were doing excellent research on louds and upper atmospheric conditions that was producing results that undermine the guesses used in climate models. Had they been allowed to pursue and publish their findings we might be shot of the climate scam. I would like to see that work pushed forward. Spending the odd £100m to save several £trillion seems like a very good investment to me.

      1. glen cullen
        September 24, 2022

        All research and work that could be done at UK universities

        1. hefner
          September 25, 2022

          GC, Because UK universities all have a particle accelerator, haven’t they 🤪?

      2. hefner
        September 25, 2022

        Interesting but Kirkby’s Nature 2011 paper with numerous colleagues associated with CERN research (‘Role of sulphuric acid, ammonia and galactic cosmic rays in atmospheric aerosol nucleation’, Nature, 476, 7361, 429-433, 10.1038/nature10343) ends up with ‘However even with the large enhancements in rate due to ammonia and ions, atmospheric concentrations of ammonia and sulphuric acid are insufficient to account for observed boundary-layer nucleation’.

        In simpler terms cosmic rays have negligible impact on low-level cloudiness (the bright stratiform clouds that were thought to be modulated by those rays as a negative feedback to climate change).
        Furthermore Kirkby is well-known enough and could have got grants (either here in the UK, in Europe (his team was very international) or in the USA) to pursue his research if he had thought worthwhile doing it.
        Then at the time of IPCC AR5 (2014), part 6 ‘Radiative forcing of climate change’, p.350-417 has a chapter on the impact of cosmic rays (p.384-385) with a similar conclusion that the impact albeit non null is negligible relative to the other forcings.

        1. Mark
          September 26, 2022

          As I’m sure you know he was muzzled by CERN management who refused to allow him to publish his findings that threatened to undermine a key plank of climate science.

          1. hefner
            September 26, 2022

            Wrong, Kirkby did his work pre-2011 and published it in Nature, a top British science journal, in 2011. But could he have been interested in looking muzzled to get a warm seat within the GWPF. The Forum is keen on recruiting this type of wailers (I certainly do not say here that Kirkby is one of them).
            Where did you get this info that Kirkby has been muzzled?

            Kirkby went on publishing his and colleagues’ CERN work in Nature 2013, 2016, 2020, Science 2014, 2016, J.Geophys.Res. 2016, 2017, Proc.Nation.Acad.Sci. 2013, 2014, 2016 … a rather extensive list of publications for a ‘muzzled’ scientist.

            Cosmic rays as a potential source of Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCNs) have been investigated since Svensmark and Friis-Christensen 1997 with many scientists looking at correlation between amount of cosmic rays and amount of cloud cover, particularly of low-level stratiform water clouds. A correlation exists between observations of solar cycle, sun spots and amount of cosmic rays; the one between observations of cosmic rays and particles big enough (O(micrometre)) to start a nucleation process giving cloud droplets is much more tenuous.

            Kirkby’s work was original as it was taking the problem from experimental creation of fluxes of high-energy protons and nuclei (HEPN) in a particle accelerator (similar to naturally observed cosmic rays) and seeing whether these HEPNs could modify the formation rate of new particles that could act as CCNs. (CCNs are usually sea salt, desert dust, and sulphate, carbonaceous or organic particles of natural or anthropogenic origin).

            Kirkby and others after him who pursued this type of research concluded that what resulted from these interactions were particles too small (O(nanometre)) to have a sizeable influence on the creation (and lifetime and dissipation) of clouds.

    2. Mickey Taking
      September 24, 2022

      No improvement in fertilisers, crop yields, birth control jabs, Removal of Radioactive Material (Decontamination), plastics recycling….

      1. glen cullen
        September 24, 2022

        They’ve developed some ‘highly’ paid jobs all funded by taxpayers

  20. Ian B
    September 23, 2022

    In The UK well over half of Householders recieve TaxPayer funded handouts – mainly to address the issue of one fudge on top of another.

  21. turboterrier
    September 23, 2022

    If the Chancellor wants to get some easy tax revenues let him try applying basic supply and demand principles.
    Markets Reject ‘Coal is Dead’ Mantra: Global Thermal Coal Prices Surge to All New Record
    Mark Twain noted reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated. So too, is the ‘death’ of coal-fired power. For years, the wind and sun cult have been bleating triumphantly that ‘coal is dead. Energy markets, however, don’t share their peculiar worldview.

    What are we being told we have in abundance under the ground? Let’s get it out and start trading it on the world markets. Something about making hay when the sun shines
    http://stopthesethings.com/2022/09/23/markets-reject-coal-is-dead-mantra-global-thermal-coal-prices-surge-to-all-new-record/
    What is more important than getting this country out of the mess it is in especially with energy supply problems or maybe saving the world in maybe the next 70 years that’s if it is needed?

  22. Bloke
    September 23, 2022

    Overtaxing the rich seems daft. Money is virtually worthless until it is spent. What they do spend creates income for others. Taxing expenditure which consumes needed resources makes more sense.
    Rich folk deriving high income from the UK and spending it overseas is what would need preventing.

  23. turboterrier
    September 23, 2022

    Sir John.
    Has anything really changed since Adam Smith first published The Wealth of Nations in 1776?
    Cheap and abundant energy sources reduce the entry costs of building a business. Minimal taxation that seeks neither to confiscate wealth nor to punish successful innovation produces an endless supply of creative talents and energies. Limited regulation keeps the costs of market transactions low. Respect for private property and fair and impartial application of commercial laws encourage capital investment. Refraining from taxing the fruits of an individual’s labor fosters an exponentially more productive labor force. Providing populations with the tools to pursue and obtain knowledge and skills at minimal expense promotes not only an educated workforce but also politically competent citizens.

    I have a strange feeling that you may well be aware of Adam Smith’s work and are aware of the book? What has changed over the centuries? Not a lot. What will be will be. It is a pity that more of our politicians visit history once in a while and maybe learn something to give them food for thought.

  24. rose
    September 23, 2022

    You shouldn’t have to set this out. It is common sense and decency. But listening to the BBC this morning, it is still apparent the opinion formers have no idea what you are talking about. They don’t appear to know what happened in the seventies, eighties, and nineties, both sides of the Atlantic, even though one of them was the main correspondent in America. They love to use their favourite straw man phrase, “trickle down economics”, and don’t seem aware of the need to encourage prosperity, any more than they realize we need energy.

  25. Lynn Atkinson
    September 23, 2022

    I am disappointed that the tax and VAT thresholds have not been moved. That’s how to help the poor middle class, burdened with much worry, too much income to be considered and not enough income to shrug off the state.
    I am also disappointed in the pitiful reduction in Stamp Duty, the Govt gained record amounts during the ‘stamp duty holiday’ as people were able to move home.
    I want just 1 area targeted for growth with much reduction in tax and red tape instead of 40! How about thinking of the U.K. as a whole for once instead of tinkering at the edges all the time?
    ‘The Bank of England is independent’ 😂😂

    1. Mickey Taking
      September 24, 2022

      Well Stamp Duty has been a wonderful cash cow for as long as I can remember, starting almost harmless but as the house values rose so did the milk output.

  26. No Longer Anonymous
    September 23, 2022

    Also ‘giving’ us things for ‘free’ is also a bad idea. Furlough – eat out to help out.

    And now gas price caps.

    We should be told right away that WE will be paying for these things. There was far too much enthusiasm from the populace for what they thought were freebies.

    We should also be steadied for the fact that there will be energy rationing. The fundamental issue is a shortage which the caps (subsidies) will not address and there will be rationing.

    I believe that the invasion of Ukraine has triggered Credit Crunch 2 which was inevitable anyway. Putin is a convenient scape goat.

  27. XY
    September 23, 2022

    Well put.

    Conservative politicians have never been able to articulate the case properly, differentiating between:

    – “Rich” and “high earning” (with the emphasis on earning).
    – Tax RATES versus tax TAKE
    – GDP versus GDP per capita

    (1) Socialists deflect any discussion about wealth into high earners, ignoring the truly rich people with millions/billions.

    (2) When it come to “cutting taxes”, we really mean lower rates, not (necessarily) reducing GDP. This often increases tax take because people are incentivised to do more (some people can choose to stop work when more work would mean higher rates of tax).

    Unlike socialism, the failed social experiment that never dies, cutting tax rates (and regulation) from high levels has been tried in the past and shown to be successful (Weimar Repulc led to a massively successful post-war German economy), JFK’s govt reduced rates and were actyuyally suprprised to find that tax receipts went up. Then there’s Thatcher… 🙂

    (3) China may have the 2nd largest economy in terms of GDP but in terms of GDP per capita they are relatively poor. There’s an emerging middle class with higher incomes, but still many, many people living in poverty and oppression. We need to stop the immigration and invest in technology not more low-skilled people.

  28. XY
    September 23, 2022

    A good start, but nothing on IR35?

    Sadly, Truss seems to be focused on the employment rights aspect, but giving zero hours workers holiday pay only makes the job more expensive for the company (since the company pays the holiday pay, while the govt rakes in the extra taxes from IR35).

    Such workers are ot looking for a paid holiday, they want to work without being taxed to death.

    1. XY
      September 23, 2022

      I see the detail, not reported by the media, shows that IR25 will revert to pre-2017 rules, where contractors will assess their own status from April 2023.

      An improvement in a sense, but still not great.

      If they insist on keeping this daft measure they should at least increase the “Employment Allowance” to a high level so that small companies are outside of employers NI.

      It’s crazy that there’s a tax on jobs whereby all businesses pay it, no matter how succesful (or otherwise) they may be. Taxing businesses on profits is one thing, taxing them anyway – successful, failing or just getting started – is quite another.

      Why should a self-employed plumber pay no employers NI but a lorry driver does? The only real difference is that the driver’s engagements last longer, often a contract for a set period – and if he wins repeat business for good performance, he is punished for it by the tax system.

      It’s a myth that a plumber has “more than one client at a time” – he cannot be fixing a radiator in my house at the same time as he’s fixing a tap at a house down the road. In reality, he has serial clients, one after another, the same as other one-man band or small businesses – the only difference is that his engagements are so short that he often has more than one client per day, but that’s not the same thing as having concurrent clients (which is a ridiculously contrived attempt at differentiation anyway).

  29. glen cullen
    September 23, 2022

    Rescind the Business Rates for all SMEs, it’s the main reason why small businesses never get off the drawing board or never survive their first year(s) in operation

    1. R.Grange
      September 23, 2022

      +1

  30. turboterrier
    September 23, 2022

    With the current unrest and uncertainty throughout the country is it really justified that the political elite hold their party conference’s? What purpose will they achieve apart from giving the party faithful a mini break to be lectured on the justification of the action of the ministers.

    1. Donna
      September 24, 2022

      They’re big fund-raisers for the parties. Self interest…..

  31. hefner
    September 23, 2022

    It is extremely sad to see again today the argument linking tax cuts and growth without consideration of what the economic situation will likely be on a timescale of a few years, without any mention whatsoever of the impact on the country’s annual deficit, longer term debt, inflation rate and currency exchange rates.
    Over the last fifty years tax cuts created some growth within a short period of time usually within the year they were applied but have nearly always contributed to increased deficit and debt spiralling upward, leading to weaker currency, increased price of imports (and more expensive weekly shopping baskets).

    But what can one expect from politicians whose perspective only goes as far as the next GE.

  32. Peter Parsons
    September 23, 2022

    The market response to today’s announcements (at the time of posting):

    FTSE 100 down
    FTSE 250 down
    FTSE 350 down
    £ down to $1.1050
    £ down to EUR 1.1322

    All those folks making their living by judging the quality and impact of these decisions don’t seem to be rating them very highly.

    Reply Dax down, Eurostox down, Nasdaq down, Euro and yen down against dollar. It’s the worlds Central banks creating a recession doing this

    1. Peter Parsons
      September 23, 2022

      Euro and Yen down against the dollar, yet both are up against Sterling. FTSE down more than the American markets, the Asian markets and the DAX.

      If the message is that the markets don’t like what those in charge are doing, then the message seems to be that they like what the UK is doing least of all.

      Reply FTSE down less than Dax or S and P. All main markets slaughtered by fears of excessive rate rises from CBS.

      1. Bill Brown
        September 24, 2022

        Sir JR..
        One day makes no difference

    2. Sir Joe Soap
      September 23, 2022

      Reply to reply: When borrowing’s expensive, cut taxes AND borrowing, not just taxes. Trying to keep borrowing high to pay welfare and unnecessary public sector largesse in place when you’re cutting taxes to grow can’t work – lenders won’t lend to a borrower who can’t support the borrowings.

    3. Bill Brown
      September 23, 2022

      Do the central banks have a choice

      1. hefner
        September 24, 2022

        Yes, they all could have Sir John as Governor, the most skilled rearview mirror driver. Wouldn’t that be wonderful for the world economy?

        1. Mickey Taking
          September 24, 2022

          well they are welcome to Gordon Brown, Dave Cameron, Diane Abbott, Prof. Whitty, Professor Neil Ferguson.

  33. Michelle
    September 23, 2022

    I’m glad Sir John has recognised that growing an economy by mass immigration is ridiculous (I believe at one time we had a larger GDP than China, with nowhere near as many people) and also dangerous for cohesion which we need in a dangerous world.

    A lot of those on the left seem unable to grasp the fact that higher earners pay higher taxes anyway.
    My husband was working for a firm that gave a generous incentive based on their profits per month.
    At times this was high enough to put him in a higher tax band, which sort of really took the shine off the incentive when he could see how much was taken off him. A sort of punishment for working hard really.
    The other thing I find annoying is that many on the left especially the celebrity cadre would be the first to jump ship to protect their money.
    They also seem unable to grasp that it isn’t the amount of money a service has that is a sure indicator of its success but what they do with it. If money was the route to success then the NHS should be far better surely.
    It is the reason some individuals are poor, not because they have low pay or no pay but they don’t use the money wisely.
    This we have seen repeatedly by successive governments.

  34. jerry
    September 23, 2022

    I note the govt is suggesting customers deserve a “minimum level of service”, great idea, but the suggestion from the Chancellor this morning was just another baseless attack on unionized labour, not any real desire to protect the paying customer from little or no customer service, be it due to strikes or companies changing their T&C’s -and no, changing who you do business with, assuming there is an alternative, is no help when so many act the same.

    The Chancellor even had the gall to suggest European countries have such a “minimum level of service”, that might be so, but most European countries also have far better tri-part (company, customer, trade-union) relations, backed by strict labour relation laws that lay down how both trade unions and management must act.

  35. wab
    September 23, 2022

    The market has spoken about the “budget”. But sure, Tory MPs know better than the market.

    I’m sure the red wall voters are happy that folks in the City can make more money from a bonus than they make in ten years.

    Obviously we might get a short term blip in income taxes from the rich, because they know that in two years this sad government will get kicked out and then these tax cuts for the rich will be reversed, so it will be better to front load income.

    Trickle-down economics has never worked, and it will not work again.

    1. Peter Parsons
      September 23, 2022

      We’ll see the same blip as last time, caused by income deferral as the Chancellor has given people 6 months of notice to engage in tax planning and income deferral strategies resulting in a significant reduction in top rate tax paid this year as income is shifted into the 23/24 tax year. Perfectly rational behaviour for anyone in a position to take advantage of it, and I won’t criticise someone for taking advantage of an opportunity, only the politicians who created it in the first place.

      After that we will then hear the siren calls of “cutting taxes raises revenues” when all that deferred income is taxed at a lower rate than it otherwise would have been.

    2. acorn
      September 23, 2022

      Reaganomics is alive and thriving in the UK. That is supply side trickle down economics. An historically expensive way of boosting the economy. The theory that large Laffer type tax cuts will more than pay for themselves with economic growth, has never been proven to work. Reagan tried it in 1981 and was forced to back-pedal on much of it by Congress. By 1988, less than half of his tax cuts had been paid back and the federal debt had tripled.

      Then, as now, the Treasury was making a large, slow acting, fiscal injection and the Central Bank was extracting it. The Bank over did it with large rate rises and caused a recession and a rise in unemployment.

      Unfortunately, Kwasi appears to not know the difference between the cost of funding his plan via the Debt Management Office and the National Loans Fund. Likewise, allowing his Central Bank to still operate to the Phillips curve, decades after the Breton Woods system collapsed means he is bog standard neoliberal.

      1. Peter2
        September 24, 2022

        Well done acorn.
        You got reagonomics, trickle down, Laffer curve, Phillips curve and of course your favourite neo liberal all in one post.

        1. hefner
          September 24, 2022

          P2 could you please tell me what your comment has added to the decent debate started by acorn? Or is it your usual windbaggery?
          Not that long ago you were mocking the ‘magic money tree’ economics. Please tell me how do you call what KK has produced yesterday? And don’t try your usual trick of not answering.

          1. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            I love having you as my personal troll heffy.
            Carry on with your sarky posts.
            PS
            I have asked acorn and you several times about your MMT creation.
            Is there any limits?
            Are there any consequences.
            And neither of you have ever replied.

          2. hefner
            September 25, 2022

            Sorry P2, in your limited mind there can only be lefties and right-thinking people. I do not feel obliged by anything that acorn or any other people write here. So why should I reply to your dumb injunctions to reply to something somebody else has written?
            I am not a priori a supporter of Modern Monetary Theory nor of any Classical, Marxist, Liberal, neo-liberal economic … theory.
            There are situations/points I support and some I don’t and most of the time I don’t care if people are in favour of them.

            If you were like most of other contributors on this blog actually trying to answer with some support to previous points of view/new information/thought out arguments/references, I could not care less about you.
            But your seemingly only way of interacting with people is, to me at least, like some rather tiring pub bore with already a bit too much drink. In an actual pub the landlord would likely have asked you to turn it down or leave the premises. In that respect Sir John is too good.

          3. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            Vert rude and unnecessary heffy
            You need to calm down

        2. Bill Brown
          September 24, 2022

          Peter 2

          I own social housing in the Nordic capitals so probably know more about than you do

          1. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            So give us some facts bill.
            Isn’t that what you keep coming on here demanding of others when they post?

          2. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            So how does owning social housing in the Nordic capitals compare to owning social housing in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff?

          3. NBill Brown
            September 24, 2022

            As seen social rental rates are kept at half the inflation rates in Denmark and Sweden by law

  36. Ian B
    September 23, 2022

    Kwasi Kwarteng – is sounding like a Conservative. Logic is it will be war by those seeking to criple the UK

    Simplify, simplify and simplify. While ensuring were the Tax Payers money goes to do the purpose specified and nothing else. Get Politics back into a strong Parliament as it is there and only there that the Tax Payer is paying for it.

  37. Stephen Reay
    September 23, 2022

    I hope Truss’s plan works. Most of the news I’ve read this morning says her plan will fail.The markets are worried , the IFS is worried, Sunak is worried, everyone is against her. She hasn’t much time to make it work, she’ll go to the election in May 2024 or earlier if her plan goes bad.

    1. Lifelogic
      September 24, 2022

      No surely only earlier if it goes well, if it goes badly she will probably hang on until the bitter end of Dec 2024.

  38. believe me
    September 23, 2022

    All of that borrowing to reduce taxes for tory ideological reasons – and what if it doesn’t grow the economy? – who’s going to pay back the debt? It won’t be Kwasi or Liz for sure they’ll both have hightailed it to the hills.

    1. a-tracy
      September 23, 2022

      Believe me… these people benefitting from this budget best get their fingers out and make it work, because the people paying it back will be them with nobs on,

  39. ChrisS
    September 23, 2022

    At last, for the first time since the loss of Margaret Thatcher, we seem to have a genuine Conservative Government! Our host might not have got the big job we were all hoping for, but they must be listening.

    The tax cutting agenda and other changes are refreshingly un-progressive. All we need are some other cuts to Inheritance tax and CGT to complete the transformation. I would also have removed Osborne’s restrictions and tax reliefs on buy-to-lets as well as doing away with the lifetime cap on pension contributions, even if that had to be accompanied by a limit of tax relief to the basic rate.

    It also appears that Net Zero by 2050 will be quietly allowed to be extended into the long grass with the welcome return of fracking and North Sea exploration.

    Liz Truss is bravely going for broke, She has only a little over two years to show her plan is working before going to the Country. Let’s hope it works !

    1. Bill Brown
      September 23, 2022

      It will not work

    2. Peter Parsons
      September 23, 2022

      The opinion of the markets seems to be that “broke” is where the UK is headed.

    3. Peter2
      September 24, 2022

      You’ve been told Chriss
      Bill has spoken.

      1. Bill Brown
        September 24, 2022

        More nonsense

        1. Peter2
          September 24, 2022

          Don’t be so hard on yourself bill.

  40. mancunius
    September 23, 2022

    The ISA investment allowance has been frozen at £20K since 2017. It needs to be raised to £25,000 to keep pace with inflation.
    Osborne put up the taxable dividend allowance to £5000, then having enticed savers into investing their already-taxed income in business, quickly reduced the allowance to £2,000, a grossly unfair move that forced low-earning small investors to make unavoidable extra tax payments. The taxable dividend allowance should be restored to £5,000.
    The government should be encouraging investment in business.

    1. a-tracy
      September 24, 2022

      Mancunius, they don’t want people saving they want people spending.

      The public should be told every year how much the combined top up from the taxpayer is into public sector final salary pension funds, on top of what is already allocated in the annual payroll, 6-10% from the employee, 20-25% from the employer. If the striking rail and bus workers don’t appreciate the value of that benefit they need to be told or offered nest with higher pay today.

  41. Mickey Taking
    September 23, 2022

    Returning to support for the poor. Several millions poorly paid and those pensioners who top up state pension with a few £thousand added contributed pension will not get excited by the 19% instead of 20% income tax above 12,500 payable after next April. So, formerly they would pay £200 per thousand in future that crashes to £190.
    Lets all invite pensioners to a big celebration party, but don’t expect any heating to be on.

    1. Peter Parsons
      September 24, 2022

      To quote Mark Littlewood from the IEA on Sky News yesterday: “You’re not going to like this package if you care more about the poor.”

      Says it all.

    2. a-tracy
      September 24, 2022

      I disagree Mickey, they certainly got excited when it went 1.25% the other way in April!!

      11 million of the lowest paid (anyone earning over £6500) got hammered with workplace pensions, on top of their employee and employers NI contribution made on their behalf supposedly towards their state pension (yes I know they’re trying to unlink that but that is what the National Insurance contribution was sold as.). This is why they feel worse off from 2012 the take went up and up to 5% now on top of their 13.25%, they were sold it being told it is their personal private pension, it is a con because anyone getting it will just get less state pension or pension benefits, it has no guaranteed return and won’t give anything like the 6% contribution a public sector pension contributor gets back. Their employer also got stuck for an extra 3% on top of the 15.05%, 18.05% then get criticised for not rising pay enough, the NLW increased by 6.7% pushing up differentials, its not enough! And people wonder what is fuelling inflation.

      1. Mickey Taking
        September 24, 2022

        so tracy – do tell us are you impressed with 19% from 20%, AND frozen Personal allowances for how many years?
        My heart bleeds for the ones who paid 45% who can look forward to jam tomorrow and 40%. Remember where the Food bank deposit is in Harrods or Waitrose please!

        1. a-tracy
          September 25, 2022

          MT, Ten years ago the personal allowance was £7475. They put it up to £12500 in 2019, and £12570 in 2021. I would prefer it rose in line with the % increase to the NLW. I hadn’t realised they were freezing it for the next few years. Perhaps because they rose the National Insurance threshold from £9500 to £12570 so combined there is quite a big jump before people pay their NI tax, pensioners over the state retirement age that still work were getting dragged into paying NI. Pensioners that don’t get it, didn’t I read their triple lock would be reintroduced?

          The claw back on people earning £100k is 60% tax until £120k if that makes you feel any better because they get their personal allowance withdrawn. I wonder if the highest tax bracket would have preferred that just to be removed and the higher % just left as it is. I would guess these people introduce the trickle down benefits spending this money in the hopefully British economy, by paying their workers more money. I’d be interested to speak to some of these people and ask them.

  42. glen cullen
    September 23, 2022

    The data below is for the 24-hour period 00:00 to 23:59 22 September 2022.
    Number of migrants detected in small boats: 1,150
    Number of boats detected: 21

    As Stalin would say ‘’its just a statistic’’

    1. Mickey Taking
      September 23, 2022

      Do we ever ask the French ‘where do all these boats come from? ‘
      21 set off successfully – how? So how many were detected and stopped?
      And were they confiscated and destroyed?
      Is that an embarrassing question for both sides?

      1. Donna
        September 24, 2022

        If the Government WANTED to stop it, they would take the action necessary to stop it.

        Johnson didn’t want to stop it. It remains to be seen if Truss does.

  43. hefner
    September 23, 2022

    A mini-budget in trompe-l’oeil:
    – state pensioners do not get anything.
    – for people with the UK average salary (£613/week, £31,876/year) seeing their tax rate going from 20 to 19% will give them an extra £193.
    – anybody previously with the 20 now 19% tax rate on the first £50,270 (£37,700 after £12,570 deduction) then 40% rate will gain a maximum of £377. Higher energy bills, higher mortgages, higher borrowing costs have already wiped or will wipe out these ‘gifts’ from KK.
    – Only those previously having a sizeable amount taxed at 45% over £150k now taxed at 40%, say somebody with a £300k annual income, will see a noticeable reduction (£7,877= £7,500 + 377).
    Middle-class people are in practice not benefitting from these tax cuts.

    Furthermore moving the sunset clause for VCTs, EISs and SEISs beyond 2025 now will likely only encourage ‘dubious’ actors in trying their luck fleecing not too careful investors.

    1. Sir Joe Soap
      September 23, 2022

      Taxes down today, slightly, but at least the right direction of travel.
      Now on to Why higher borrowing is a bad idea.
      Slash it. By 50%.
      Then cut taxes some more.

    2. Peter2
      September 24, 2022

      Pensioners get the recently introduced £400 and benefit from the energy price cap heffy.
      You sneer at an extra £193 and £377 but it’s a useful extra sum of money.
      If Labour were in power taxes would have gone up.

      1. a-tracy
        September 24, 2022

        Peter, a few weeks ago the papers were saying Pensioners got too much and inter generational fairness was out of kilter with too much falling on the younger people, we were having articles every week about how asset rich pensioners are and how they could downsize, the triple lock was roundly criticised.

        As well as the £400 from October to March, they also got £150 recently from their council tax, the winter fuel payment and cold weather payment and any pensioner on UC will get the increases. This government need to document every 1p they have given because it is not being represented properly. They knocked off the covid increase £1000 then gave £1250 back.

        1. Mickey Taking
          September 24, 2022

          I’m still waiting for any contributions to help pay the bills !

          1. a-tracy
            September 24, 2022

            MT didn’t you get your £150 from the council to help over the summer. The £400 kicks in from October when the winter heating goes on and the evenings are so dark so more lights have to be used.

            https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

            https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/debt-savings/energy/cost-of-living-payments/ £100-£300 available depending on your circumstances

            https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment

            https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-much-could-the-state-pension-rise-by-next-year-as9WE0h1kxoh

          2. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            Tracy no I didn’t. In the ‘home counties’ us who raised families and extended homes and renewed rooms like kitchens, bathrooms etc. and having lived here for over 30 years now find the asset rated too high to get any support, when in fact with limited health giving activity and blood thinners makes us cold. Our energy needs and council tax for the fact I borrow a book perhaps every month (now libraries are open again) and carry/wheel our waste quite some yards to the pavement says I’m ripped off big time.. Try downsizing people say. We tried – quite a lot. You may want to live cheek by jowel with a lot of elderly folk in a posh God’s waiting room – but we don’t. There are a lot of rabbit hutches around Wokingham where once we walked – you know animals, birds, farms silly stuff like that. Mostly starter homes living next to all-night ravers. Or a 4-bed box like we had when the kids were about to go to school.
            No thanks – one of us will probably have to give it up when the other is ‘forcibly’ taken to what euphemistically is called a Care Home, or a hospital that might mean never returning to our house. So we enjoy what remains and know we are better off than most, but that doesn’t make observing the really poor families ignored time and again while so many grumble about being taxed another thou’ out of their £150k salary a pleasant experience. I don’t even look out for the postman – he calls with bills not subsidies.

          3. a-tracy
            September 25, 2022

            I know the problem, my father in law did equity release to pay for a big roof repair and to give him some capital. Some of those schemes I have heard are dangerous and people can lose their homes, his turned out to be ok but I don’t know who it was with, we think it was the council? He also didn’t want to move out of his bungalow that he’d extended, far too many rooms for him on his own, he only used 3 of the 6 rooms but he was happy there and like you say it was detached, close neighbours but not connected. I told him to equity release more to make him more comfortable and spend the money trapped in his home.

          4. hefner
            September 25, 2022

            From October to March, some sixtyish pounds should be taken off your gas/electricity bills every month (for a total of £400). If it is below £60 some little money should appear at the end of each month on your bank account. This is part of the gov.uk ‘Energy Bills Support Scheme’.

            Under some conditions one can get £140 off the electricity bill as part of the gov.uk ‘Warm House Discount Scheme’. Check whether you qualify.

            The provision for Winter Fuel Allowance requires you to be in your home in the week 19-25/09. If you are already registered you should get it some time in December or January. If not you can get the form to be filled from gov.uk ‘Winter Fuel Payment Scheme’. You could get between £250 and £600 depending on conditions if you were born before 25/09/1956.

        2. Peter2
          September 24, 2022

          I agree tracy
          The Left were complaining about high taxes now they are complaining about tax cuts.

          1. Mickey Taking
            September 24, 2022

            Tracy – a correction. I can usually spell jowl but didn’t read my ‘rant’ back.

      2. Bill Brown
        September 24, 2022

        Taxes would have gone up

        Peter 2 you don’t know this speculation

        1. Peter2
          September 24, 2022

          Above you said…”this will not work”
          ie the budget changes.
          Bill you don’t know this (is) speculation.

          1. NBill Brown
            September 24, 2022

            Yes I do because you have given no source as usual

        2. mancunius
          September 24, 2022

          Actually we do know (assuming) : the Shadow Treasury Secretary has proudly declared as much.
          Now watch her backtrack having discovered that Labour voters actually do want lower taxes.

      3. hefner
        September 25, 2022

        ‘If Labour were in power taxes would have gone up’. Obviously as told by P2 that could not be a speculation but a fact. What a laugh this guy is.100% ridiculous and 0% aware of it.
        Keep on the good work P2, you’re a star.

        1. Peter2
          September 25, 2022

          Ah my troll speaks
          Keep it up heffy
          PS
          Labour have said just today that they would reverse the top rate reduction.
          So already I have been proved right.
          Apologise heffy.

          1. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            And heffy fails yet again to understand the difference between an opinion a fact and a prediction.
            As his pal bill does.
            Despite their huge IQ

  44. anon
    September 23, 2022

    Armed with tax lawyers and accountants and able to change places to live and invest, the very rich have freedoms and opportunities the rest of us do not enjoy.

    Well drafted laws would soon fix that. Just make them short , sharp and brief. That way they don’t get the bad stuff written in.

    Ban private jet flights and or charge vat and supertax on journeys. Based on flight distance of the primary passengers. Ensure all flight logs are passed to the HMRC and pro-rata residence taxes applied.

    Next.

    Combine NI&PAYE and have a flat tax with much higher personal allowances, which exceed the maximum paid out in benefits to a family. Make unused allowances transferable, this would help all those with non-working dependants (for good reasons) that get zero benefits. It happens more often than you think.

    The HOL need abolishing and a senate put in place. With fixed numbers and fixed duties, for fixed terms. Voted in by the population directly, with regular confirmatory votes if triggered by petition events.

    IHT & all taxes should apply to residents equally.

  45. Stephen Reay
    September 23, 2022

    Larry Summers gave a blistering condemnation of the UK government, speaking on Bloomberg Television’s “Wall Street Week” with David Westin.

    “It makes me very sorry to say, but I think the UK is behaving a bit like an emerging market turning itself into a submerging market.

    “Between Brexit, how far the Bank of England got behind the curve and now these fiscal policies, I think Britain will be remembered for having pursuing the worst macroeconomic policies of any major country in a long time.”

    Summers, who was Secretary of the US Treasury from 1999 to 2001, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the pound eventually gets below a dollar, if the current path is maintained.

    He added:

    This is simply not a moment for the kind of naïve, wishful thinking, supply-side economics that is being pursued in Britain.”

    Truss and those who support her economic policies might have to do a mighty U turn, it may turn out a little embarrassing, I hope not.

    1. a-tracy
      September 23, 2022

      You are quoting a democrat treasurer from Clinton’s era, he mustn’t have been too competent only lasting a short while then losing the election.

      1. hefner
        September 24, 2022

        April 1993–August 1995: under Sec. Treasury for Intern.l Affairs
        August 1995-July 1999: Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
        July 1999-January 2001: Secretary of the Treasury
        That’s a bit more than 7.5 years out of Clinton’s eight years.
        I wonder how you judge competence/competency.

        If comparing to the UK, most UK ministers only stay a couple of years in their jobs.

        1. a-tracy
          September 24, 2022

          The Clinton administration was responsible for sub prime lending and the resulting crash dragging Browns government with him!

          Yes but you’re not comparing all the UK ministers, deputy, secretary etc jobs before their ministerial appointment as you have done in this chaps resume, are you?

          1. hefner
            September 25, 2022

            You were specifically hinting at a particular Democrat treasurer saying he had a short tenure. I pointed out that 7.5 years all in Treasury-related jobs under eight years of Clinton is longer than what the majority of UK ministers (and SoSs for that matter) ever achieve in one given department. That’s all.
            And for some reasons I suspect you would never have made the same comment about a Republican treasurer.

  46. Gary3
    September 23, 2022

    We are living in these uncertain times – so it is not good that Truss and Kwasi go off on a bender right now gambling with our kids future – more borrowing is more debt – especially as we are post brexit and have not yet developed any suitable alternative trading pattern for the future – ‘Out of the pan’. There is always a chance that this strategy might get us elected again in 2024 but there is also the chance that it might all go down the pan

    1. Mickey Taking
      September 24, 2022

      so apart from telling maybe the least well off third of the country not to eat or heat for the next 6 months minimum, what other solution do you suggest? They could resort to selling anything they have and using up any meagre savings (many will protest the savings have gone already) in order to survive. Then of course they will arrive at the door of requiring benefits. Sounds like a good solution?

  47. Bill Brown
    September 23, 2022

    The latest budget seems to be more about ideology than deep economic sense.
    The idea that lower taxes will lead to more growth and more income is very sketchy.
    (Source UBS)

    1. a-tracy
      September 23, 2022

      Who at UBS said lower taxes leading to growth and more income “is very sketchy”? I tried to google search but nothing came up

      1. Peter2
        September 24, 2022

        It’s is of bill’s special “facts”

        1. Bill Brown
          September 24, 2022

          Peter 2

          Paul Donovan chief economist UBS.
          Do your homework before you come up with silly remarks

          1. Peter2
            September 24, 2022

            One economist speculating about the next few years doesn’t make it a fact bill.
            It’s just as you recently said just speculation.
            Don’t you agree?

      2. Bill Brown
        September 24, 2022

        Taxes would have gone up

        Peter 2 you don’t know this speculation

        1. Peter2
          September 24, 2022

          Above you boldly stated ” this will not work”
          ie the budget changes.
          This is pure speculation on your part bill.

          1. Bill Brown
            September 24, 2022

            Peter 2

            Again no source or argument

          2. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            From what source is your comment “it will not work” nbilly
            Which was what I was actually commenting on.

      3. Bill Brown
        September 24, 2022

        Paul Donovan

        1. a-tracy
          September 24, 2022

          Can you provide a link please Bill, I searched for Paul Donovan UBS said lower taxes leading to growth and more income “is very sketchy”?
          Google said ‘It looks like there aren’t many great matches for your search’

          1. NBill Brown
            September 24, 2022

            His daily morning outline to clients happy to send to your email

          2. a-tracy
            September 25, 2022

            No need I’ve found him, I’ve been watching a couple of his videos, cnbc interviews and reading some his press releases. The estimates of his personal worth for a 50 year old man are high, and he says ”the UK is a relatively low tax and limited regulation economy”. Hmmm.

            Couldn’t find anything about his saying, “lower taxes leading to higher growth is very sketchy”, and what he means by that. But to say the UK is low tax when a single earning adult with children earning over the Upper level of £50k loses all of his families child benefit then if they are successful, as I’m a sure a man like Paul would be, as an investment banker that an effective 60% tax between £100k and £120 as the individuals personal allowance is taken back is “low” compared to where I wonder? I’d love to know if he has his money in a tax haven or abroad wouldn’t you?

          3. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            I’ve looked too tracy and I cannot find that quote.
            Maybe billy made it up.

        2. Mickey Taking
          September 24, 2022

          Would you two take your running spat somewhere else? I like an occasional dig, but not endlessly every day.

    2. Jason
      September 23, 2022

      Knowing that there is a good chance they are going to lose the next GE they don’t care if the economy is tanked they have already calculated that they can leave the mess to Labour – but what if Labour instead decide to throw the election and stay in opposition for another term?

    3. Peter2
      September 24, 2022

      We shall see billy.

    4. Bill Brown
      September 24, 2022

      Taxes would have gone up

      Peter 2 you don’t know this speculation

      1. Peter2
        September 24, 2022

        Above you said ” this will not work”
        ie the budget changes.
        You don’t know this speculation

        1. NBill Brown
          September 24, 2022

          I at least use sources and you don’t

          1. Peter2
            September 25, 2022

            From what source is your comment “it will not work” nbilly
            Which was what I was actually commenting on.

      2. Peter2
        September 25, 2022

        Already at Labour’s Conference Starmer has said Labour’s would reverse the top rate reduction .
        Proved right billy.
        Apologise.

      3. Peter2
        September 25, 2022

        Already Starmer has said he would reverse tax reductions.
        So you have been proved wrong billy.

  48. Donna
    September 23, 2022

    So Labour is now signalling that their next GE Manifesto will include a commitment to abolish/reform the House of Frauds ….. in favour of an assembly of representatives from the devolved nations and regions.

    The CONs have had 12 years to deal with the anti-democratic upper chamber and have comprehensively failed …. as usual …. despite the blatant attempt of the unelected, unaccountable members to overturn the result of the EU Referendum.

    When will the CONs learn? If they don’t grasp the nettle of carrying out Constitutional reform, they will end up having to live with the dog’s breakfast which Labour will make of it.

    1. Ian B
      September 23, 2022

      @Donna +1 – One of the Worlds most corruping versions of democracy. ‘Political Class’ – lets stuff the upper chamber with our chums that can’t get elected or find a productive job on this planet. A total horrendous waste of taxpayers money (there it is again the elephant in the room Governments dont now how to spend other peoples read taxpayers money – just how to tip it down the drain)

      It has no place in a democracy

    2. Richard II
      September 23, 2022

      I agree with you about the referendum, Donna, but whenever I’ve listened to House of Lords debates on TV, the standard of discussion and depth of knowledge usually sounded to me way better than what you get from most MPs. Also, they didn’t waste their time on political point-scoring. So on balance I’d be for keeping the upper House.

      1. Donna
        September 24, 2022

        So you’re not interested in democracy, cronyism, or the ability to hold to account those involved in making the law?

        Or the fact that we are now subsidising over 800 of these unelected, unaccountable, unrepresentative Establishment figures?

  49. Pauline Baxter
    September 23, 2022

    Yes. I agree Sir John.
    The ‘socialist view about tax’ that you mention is quite simply one of envy.
    Isn’t that one of the seven deadly sins? (L.O.L.!)
    Quite frankly I have never envied those better off than myself and you are right that encouraging that situation is the way to increase tax take and to increase the prosperity of the whole nation.

  50. The Prangwizard
    September 23, 2022

    I liked the tone of the Chancellor’s speech and his detail. I do hope gets on fast with deregulation and admin mentioned.

    But while I’m here just thought I’d go OT on a regular subject. The Home Office target of 1000 ilegal immigrants per day has been met again. I don’t know how times this is now but the figure of 32,000 so far this year cannot be true. There must be more than 50,000 so far..

    Nice work on the way to destroying our nation and culture. How much of the tax cut benefits will be lost this way? Just part of the deceiving of us I suppose.

    1. Ian B
      September 23, 2022

      @The Prangwizard – they are not immigrants they are Criminals First. Just as those that are involved in this trade it will only stop when they(the criminals) and those that facilitate their entry serve the prison time that befits the crime, before being returned.

  51. Graham
    September 23, 2022

    Some people will judge the mini budget by the ‘markets’ and whether the pound goes up or down. Me? I’d prefer to get analysis from the various commentators and tomorrow’s newspapers or better still from the shocked look on the faces of the different newsreaders – I kid you not – I am horrified by the shocked look on the faces of the TV news readers.

  52. am
    September 23, 2022

    https://www.niesr.ac.uk/publications/independent-assessment-mini-budget
    A favourable review of the mini budget by think tank NIESR.
    It will take time to fix the problems created by May and Johnston. Kwarteng made clear that there is more to come including policy on fiscal responsibility.
    https://www.niesr.ac.uk/publications/independent-assessment-mini-budget

  53. alastair harris
    September 24, 2022

    it would be lovely to also hear people talking about making tax simpler. What the Chancellor has just announced is a small step in the right direction, but we need a tax code that is understandable without the need to refer to specialists. And I for one applaud the termination of the office for tax simplification, instead putting the onus on HMRC and the Treasury. Not least because it offers a small saving in government spending, which is something else to be prioritised.

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