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Li0nh3eart Profile
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Registered: 01-2008
Posts: 7732
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Well said Archbishop


The rich are failing to shoulder their load

Over time I have come to realise that these cuts are too much too fast. I understand that Labour has left the economy in a mess, but you can't expect everyone to be happy about cutting back so drastically in a short space of time, the cuts should be a gradual process. That way you can still aid the damaged economy and you keep the people happy as they experience a less dramatic slash in income and a less dramtic rise in expenditure.

It's no coincidence that it's the poor being hit the hardest. The areas that are experiencing the harshest cuts are Labour areas with a high percentage of working class citizens, whereas the areas being hit the least are the regions with a high proportion of the rich. It's not fair, the rich should take the most of the burden, I'm sorry but the richer you are the more you should expect to pay in taxes and the harsher the cuts should be, as the rich have the most money. I suppose the rich areas aren't being hit because they're traditional Tory areas, so they don't want to upset supporters, but tough! The rich should take more of the burden as they can afford it, but they won't accept this, any suggestion of a tax rise for them would lead to a tantrum where they threaten to leave for Spain, France or Australia, which is another reason why the Tories are letting the rich off the hook. They know that the proles can't do anything to stop them. All this talk of "we're all in this together," is nothing but spin. It's not just the cuts, the VAT rise and tuition fee hikes will all hit the poor the most, typical.

I can't stand David Cameron either, he is such a liar. He's worse than Tony Blair. He was babbling on about how he loses sleep over each death in Afghanistan the other day. I'm sure he is upset by it, I'm not denying that, but there's no way that he loses sleep over it. That's just a cheap tactic to win over the jingoistic Daily Mail readers.

I hate to say it, but I'm beginning to hope this coalition collapses, so where does that leave us? The Tories are still detached from the reality of the common man, the Lib Dems will never be voted for again after going back on promises, Labour got us into this mess in the first place by overspending, the Greens will demand too much money in an effort to make us more carbon friendly so they have no hope, UKIP are too far right for my liking and the BNP are despicable and represent all that's wrong with humans in general. We can't keep saying "at least we have more choice than Americans."


Dec/26/2010, 12:46 Link to this post Send PM to Li0nh3eart
 
Morwen Oronor Profile
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Location: South Africa
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Re:


Well said Leo.
I've never been in favour of tax cuts. This is exactly what the ANC government did here when they came into power.

We had a well-run bureaucracy in place with everyone being able to benefit from it, when they took over. They claimed that the "previously disadvantaged" weren't getting a fair share of the pot, so in order to give them a 'fair share' they cut taxes. And they've been doing that consistently for 16 years. Instead they raise taxes on petrol, alcohol and tobacco, which isn't a terrible thing but it still has the filter effect of pushing prices up.

Giving tax cuts to people who earn a lot of money is nothing short of buying vote, and making the poor even poorer. I can't imagine why anyone has to live in a house that costs millions to buy and tens of thousands to maintain every month. Not that I'm saying people shouldn't have them but why should people who are working at jobs be entitled to have homes that would make good hotels.

I understand that the idea of wealth in Europe is different to what it is here, which is why I don't think that we should have people earning more than 100,000 a month while they are employing people who earn only 1,000. And then that the person why earns that vast sum is able to get away with tax loopholes. I get really annoyed with people who tell me that we shouldn't be paying as much tax as we do and that we should get a "consultant" to do our taxes so that we pay less. What that means is you get some shyster to make up nonsense expenditure so that you can avoid paying tax. I prefer to be honest and pay up according to the tax tables. Of course it would be nice if retired people didn't pay any tax at all but then that would let ex-company directors who retire with millions to also get away with not paying tax.

So yes, I agree. If you want to be paid big bucks, you must also expect to pay half of your income back to the government. If you don't want to pay half of your income over, then take a salary cut.

There's another thing I have a problem with regarding tax here. We have casinos in every major city and slot machines all over the place. We have a national lottery that's supposed to be for the benefit of charities but they never see any of the money. Any money won in a casino or on the lottery is tax-free. So we have poverty-stricken types winning the lotto, and then blowing all of it before it's been able to accumulate interest in the bank. I think that of any winnings, half of it should be paid in tax. That would create a pile of income for the state coffers, and make up for the tax lost with the ridiculous tax cuts they come up with.

Pensioners here pay only around 13% of their income in taxes, which is fine for people who don't earn much, and I think pensioners only pay tax if they earn over R5,000 a month, but what about the people who are still earning tens and hundreds of thousands even as pensioners? So yes, I agree. I don't think that people should be paid a "dole" for sitting at home and not making an effort to get work. I do think they should be put to work for the money, even if it is only shovelling snow or helping out in hospitals, but I also think that people who earn more, should contribute more to the tax pot. emoticon
Dec/27/2010, 5:47 Link to this post Send PM to Morwen Oronor
 
Petal Alderin Profile
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Registered: 01-2008
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I think prisoners should be made to work - bring back the old chain gangs and get them to fix potholes, cut lawns in public parks and on pavements, clean up litter, etc instead of lolling around in jail getting three meals a day and dealing drugs.

---
Anything Goes
Dec/27/2010, 16:26 Link to this post Send PM to Petal Alderin
 
Morwen Oronor Profile
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Good idea Petal. There always seems to be less crime when being in prison involves hard work.
Dec/27/2010, 17:25 Link to this post Send PM to Morwen Oronor
 


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