There have been some great replies to the challenge to name some taxes.
I like:
Alcohol Duty – Fun tax
Betting Duty – I have a dream Tax
Congestion Charge Fine – Forgetful Tax
Air Passenger Duty – I should have stayed at home Tax
Vat on fuel – Tax on Tax Tax
and I would add
Inheritance Tax – The In case you’ve something left Tax.
May 6, 2008
How about:
Student Loans- Intelligence Tax
Insurance Premium Tax- It will probably never happen Tax
Cigarette Duty- Up in smoke Tax
Beer Duty- Down the Drain Tax
Car Tax- One for the Road Tax
Prescription Charge- Get well soon Tax
Gas and Electric 5%- Futility Tax
SavingsTax- Rainy Day Tax
Air Pass. Duty- Sunshine Tax
Bin Tax- Hasbin Tax
May 6, 2008
After the laughs…what are the Conservatives going to do about it?
Has the message got through that the Conservatives are a low tax party?
Do you remember George Osborne doing a Gordon Brown and sliding off when he spoke, earlier, about lowering taxation?
One of the biggest lies NuLabour perpetrated was, when they took over in 1997, that the "Iron Chancellor" was responsible, after Black Wednesday, for reforming the economy.
Under Ken Clarke, Britain was booming. So it was under the first two years of Blair.
It is a flat lie to say that the Labour government has been the best custodian of the economy this past century or whatever. Talk about pigmies on the shoulders of giants!
May 7, 2008
Passport, Identity Card and National Identity Register "fees" = Poll Tax (literally)
May 7, 2008
mikestallard: "..what are the Conservatives going to do about it?"
Yes, I agree it has been fun. But, I also, would like to hear the answer to the question, what *are* the conservatives going to do about it?
The other day, Mr Redwood you urged the new Conservative councilors to 'be bold', I agreed then. Now it is (long past) time for the Tory leadership to be bold too.
We are currently witnessing numbers of companies relocating to Ireland because of tax, the opposition policy on non doms was to tax them to pay for the cut in inheritance tax – I thought that a cowardly policy at the time, and I still think it so.
If companies are leaving for tax purposes, clearly non doms could do so too. PLOP! down the drain goes the Tory policy on inheritance tax.
Inheritance tax is wrong, an individual who has worked (or not) and accumulated his *legally* obtained wealth and paid his tax dues during his life time should be able to pass his wealth on to whom ever he/she wishes without interference from the government.
Simply abolish inheritance tax!
Likewise, tax on savings interest. Surely facing a credit crunch, we ought to look at ways to encourage saving, taxing the interest is a policy designed to discourage saving.
Abolish tax on interest for individuals – actually, for UK domiciled corporations too!
The Tories should be "sending the message" (I hate that phrase) that is is good to take responsibility for your own financial welfare, encouraging people to do so, and unashamedly *sticking it* to the socialists on their ground of fairness and equality.
In the United Kingdom the only place you need equality is before the law.
"Fairness" is a matter for individuals to measure, not governments.
We *know* incentives work better than penalties.
Abolish the whole Brown tax credit system, and raise the personal allowance across the board to £10,000, index linked.
Here is a bold suggestion, zero rate the UK for VAT. Since VAT goes straight to Brussels, it would have no effect on the UK governments revenue.
Reply: I set out my views on lower business taxes in the Economic Policy Review, and on personal taxes in Singing the Blues.
May 7, 2008
John said
"Gas and Electric 5%- Futility Tax"
Fantastic.
May 8, 2008
My American fiancee will have to pay more than a thousand dollars to get a spousal visa, so could that be considered a marriage tax?
May 8, 2008
Student fees – Beer and traffic cone tax
Utility profits – Poverty tax
National Lottery/betting tax – Stupidity tax
Car VAT – Tax on taxes
Savings tax – Rare tax
Motorbike tax – Congestion subsidy tax.
Inheritance tax – Fair tax
Non Dom fee – No tax
Bin tax – Naive tax
Council tax – Political tax
May 8, 2008
I love your reference to Henry Reed's excellent poem, John.
http://www.solearabiantree.net/namingofparts/nami…