Politics of envy clouds judgement when it comes to taxing the rich
When John McDonnell ‘gently’ announced Labour wants earners earning over £80,000 per annum to pay just a ‘little’ more tax (5p in the £1) to help fund everyone’s wish list, in order to gain office, I personally would like to know how much disposable income would they be left with after, not only tax deductions, but National Insurance contributions before others vote for them to part with even more of their hard-earned income.
Having seen Jeremy Corbyn state in two of last week’s TV debates that ‘only the top five per cent of earners would pay higher taxes,’’ why did he fail to mention the aforementioned tax increases?
When my, now retired, husband was earning less than half of £80,000, during and after Family Tax Credit was introduced in 2003, along with increases in National Insurance contributions by the then Labour government, each time he was awarded an inflation-linked pay rise, it was virtually wiped out by increased National Insurance, and Tax demands.
Prior to retirement, he was paying £270.63 per month NI and more than twice that amount in tax, at a basic rate of 20p.
I suspect these amounts reflected, as now, the tax/NI burden is greater for single people and couples not claiming/enjoying Family Tax Credits, who officially have financially lost out tax-wise since their introduction by Gordon Brown.
Before voting for workers to sacrifice even more of their income, I hope those receiving tax free money from the public purse take into account earners’ net pay. I think it would be in the interest of those earning over £80,000 to kindly enlighten the general public to your existing burden of tax (presently 40p higher rate) and NI contributions to enable us all to make an informed decision before polling day.
Also, to enable the electorate to have grown up, honest and informed debate (with true figures) could someone in Shropshire kindly inform us of the official salary of registered nurses (plus service increments) before Jeremy Corbyn’s statement regarding ‘a nurses visit to a food bank’ is used to sway the public vote? (internet data suggests the average salary is 23k to 30k). Labour’s answer to everything is, tax the rich. Politics of envy seems to be clouding their judgement as to what is fair tax for all. History proves, tax always rises under a Labour government. National Insurance certainly did.
Voters may need reminding of Labour’s last boom and bust stewardship, when a note left by Liam Byrne to his Tory successor stated ‘’there was no money left’’ (after Gordon Brown had promised to raise FTC, in order to gains votes, no doubt).
After another possible Labour spend, spend, spend term in office, shall we look forward to another note being left? ...’Santa has left the building.’
Marilyn Buckenham, Habberley
