Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[BrianW]

In Germany, they pay a much higher proportion of GDP in tax, and their GDP is larger than ours. So their public services are (generally) much better.

You end up paying one way or another. In the world of transport, the price of low taxes is high fares and shit services. Of course, if you don't use public transport you pay in another, less obvious way. Increased congestion and high parking charges. And higher maintenance and insurance costs because of the shit condition of the roads. Either way, you pay.

Of course, you might say that some aspects of government spending could but cut. But the minute you get beyond that simple statement you enter controversy because one person's 'unnecessary' is another's sacred cow. For example, I think we could get rid of 99% of the ornamental and ceremonial aspects of the state, but I admit it would save relative buttons and would upset a lot of people.

 

[Maly]

I can't say but you could check here ... https://www.uktaxcalculators.co.uk/tax-calculators/personal-tax-calculators/payslip-calculator/

Maybe you're paying some additional owed taxes from previous self assessments.

Personally I wouldn't object to paying extra to subsidise local transport. Perhaps we could have free Metrolink and buses at weekends and evenings subsidised by city taxes like other cities & regions do in the US for example, so not directly taxing residents but getting it paid for by people visiting the city attractions.

Thanks for that mate, you’re clearly a top person trying to help, but I was taking the piss a little. I do pay 40%, it’s only for earnings over £50k, not on total earnings, which was in response to the poster who said we had low taxes

 

[BrianW]

I am old enough to remember paying 35p in the pound on a below-average wage! And the personal allowance was minuscule, measured in hundreds rather than thousands. Top rate tax was far higher, pushing 90% I think. Direct tax has been slashed in my lifetime. Indirect tax is more complex, but even at 20% VAT it is lower than in some countries.

 

[manchester blue]

is that like a taxi?

Haha. I once walked 14 miles along cliffs in Cornwall and ended up in a small harbour town. Had a few pints and when I asked for a taxi they looked at me like I was simple! I knew not to try Uber (well I did try it actually) but thought there may have been a local company. Nope.

Luckily someone at the bar got us one from Looe, 25 miles away. Wasn’t cheap, lol.

 

[Gingers Dad]

Seeing as we’re slightly off topic, re high speed rail, and the Governments broken promises announced today, everything you need to know about what the broken promises mean to Manchester. Apparently Manchester has come out of it pretty well. Scroll down the page to read the views of the SSC-MCR Transport forum members views of today’s Government announcements.

High Speed Rail (HS2)

www.skyscrapercity.com

Derailed I'd say

 

[Gingers Dad]

In Germany, they pay a much higher proportion of GDP in tax, and their GDP is larger than ours. So their public services are (generally) much better.

You end up paying one way or another. In the world of transport, the price of low taxes is high fares and shit services. Of course, if you don't use public transport you pay in another, less obvious way. Increased congestion and high parking charges. And higher maintenance and insurance costs because of the shit condition of the roads. Either way, you pay.

Of course, you might say that some aspects of government spending could but cut. But the minute you get beyond that simple statement you enter controversy because one person's 'unnecessary' is another's sacred cow. For example, I think we could get rid of 99% of the ornamental and ceremonial aspects of the state, but I admit it would save relative buttons and would upset a lot of people.

If we paid more tax then civil servants would pay themselves more.

 

[nmc]

I am old enough to remember paying 35p in the pound on a below-average wage! And the personal allowance was minuscule, measured in hundreds rather than thousands. Top rate tax was far higher, pushing 90% I think. Direct tax has been slashed in my lifetime. Indirect tax is more complex, but even at 20% VAT it is lower than in some countries.

Addressing this issue might help….

Tax lost in UK amounts to £35bn – almost half, say campaigners, due to fraud

Annual snapshot from HMRC comes as public finances are under biggest strain since the second world war

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gray]

Elon Musk is planning to launch his hyperloop train in nine years time while we are half way to our single "low-speed" line. There is a new industrial revolution happening across the world but this time, instead of being the leaders, we are the losers.

People around the World will flock to the UK to wallow in the nostalgia of how things were in their own countries years ago.

 

[pace89]

If we paid more tax then civil servants would pay themselves more.

At higher grades civil servants are significantly underpaid.

 

[Gingers Dad]

At higher grades civil servants are significantly underpaid.

Really? My partner is a former NHS manager. Although not strictly civil servants their wages against responsibility are obscene. Holiday entitlement and pensions generous to say the least. Redundancy money when offered is eye watering. As her job was briefly part of the civil service I've got no reason to believe their pay and conditions are any different. My lads are both and Uni but I keep telling them the civil service is the place to get a job. Far outstrips the private sector and if you can't do your job they will hire management consultants to do it for you