lib dems as good as gone

[Simster]

It is SO depressing.

Well it might be, but as it happens, that inheritance tax threshold rise isn't going to happen. The money that would have cost is instead funding the £10k income tax threshold.

It's this sort of reigning in of crap Tory policy that I'm hoping to see more of, in this coalition. It's the key to Clegg's party not falling apart when we next go to the polls.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Well it might be, but as it happens, that inheritance tax threshold rise isn't going to happen. The money that would have cost is instead funding the £10k income tax threshold.

It's this sort of reigning in of crap Tory policy that I'm hoping to see more of, in this coalition. It's the key to Clegg's party not falling apart when we next go to the polls.

You misunderstand me. I didn't mean that the policy was SO depressing. I meant that it was SO depressing that there were so many people in the elctorate stupid or selfish enough to vote for the party proposing it...

 

[pork pie]

Well it might be, but as it happens, that inheritance tax threshold rise isn't going to happen. The money that would have cost is instead funding the £10k income tax threshold.

It's this sort of reigning in of crap Tory policy that I'm hoping to see more of, in this coalition. It's the key to Clegg's party not falling apart when we next go to the polls.

I tend to agree. If they were trying to stop normal working people who had made some money in life suffering, who go so high as £2million. I think things should change slightly, but would have though a figure of less than half would be sufficient. My concern is that to pay for the no tax under £10k thing, normal people's taxes will need to increase.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Why would they wish to do that? They now have more power than they could have ever expected to obtain. Or maybe it is like the Dick Knight cronies amongst our fans who appeared to revel in being fans of a homeless football team, but are less than happy with Tony Bloom investing and turning us back into a proper football club again, with a young manager who will not be held to ransome by any player?

At grass roots level their support is going to be hit hard with members leaving the party in exodus proprtions.

 

[pork pie]

At grass roots level their support is going to be hit hard with members leaving the party in exodus proprtions.

In that case they should all vote Labour and be honest with themselves. In voting Lb-dem, it is either a wasted vote that obtains no power, or a vote that will only ever count if they do a deal with Labour as the only acceptable partner.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I tend to agree. If they were trying to stop normal working people who had made some money in life suffering, who go so high as £2million. I think things should change slightly, but would have though a figure of less than half would be sufficient. My concern is that to pay for the no tax under £10k thing, normal people's taxes will need to increase.

paying no income tax under £10k will be done over the lifetime of the government and not all at once. With no increase in NI next year the money will have to come from somewhere else so the basic rate of income tax will go up.

 

[Simster]

I tend to agree. If they were trying to stop normal working people who had made some money in life suffering, who go so high as £2million. I think things should change slightly, but would have though a figure of less than half would be sufficient. My concern is that to pay for the no tax under £10k thing, normal people's taxes will need to increase.

The £10k tax threshold benefits EVERY working person. Raising the inheritance tax threshold only benefits those who have amassed phenominal amounts of money - it's worse than a disproportionate rate of income tax on high incomes, IMO.

One thing that I think the Conservatives miss time and time again, is that the amount you earn does not reflect how hard you work. There are plenty of hard working people who don't even earn the average wage of around £20k. I'm hoping that the Lib Dem's presence in government will ensure the cabinet never forget this fact.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

In that case they should all vote Labour and be honest with themselves. In voting Lb-dem, it is either a wasted vote that obtains no power, or a vote that will only ever count if they do a deal with Labour as the only acceptable partner.

They will do at the next General Election

 

[pork pie]

paying no income tax under £10k will be done over the lifetime of the government and not all at once. With no increase in NI next year the money will have to come from somewhere else so the basic rate of income tax will go up.

Yes, and the problem with that is that in reality, people it will hit are working families, where as, I would guess, a lot of people on less than £10k are young people with nobody else to support.

 

[Pantani]

How does that work?

I'm not sure, it was not a very good sentence really. What I am trying to say is that years of voting for the Lib Dems in the South West is unlikely to be undone by a coalition with the Tories. As the Lib Dems are the only viable alternative in most of the South West.

 

[pork pie]

They will do at the next General Election

That is fair enough. We can all vote for who we wish. However, I feel quite positive about the prospects of our new coalition government, and there is every chance that Lib-dem supporters will be pleased with it if they give it a chance.

 

[Pantani]

I tend to agree. If they were trying to stop normal working people who had made some money in life suffering, who go so high as £2million. I think things should change slightly, but would have though a figure of less than half would be sufficient. My concern is that to pay for the no tax under £10k thing, normal people's taxes will need to increase.

Are those who earn less than £10,000 abnormal?

 

[pork pie]

The £10k tax threshold benefits EVERY working person.

Only if there is not an increase in the basic rate of tax to pay for it. The devil is in the detail as they say.

 

[pork pie]

Are those who earn less than £10,000 abnormal?

Yes, it is below minimum wage for someone over 22 working a 35 hour week. What I was pointing out is that the cost may have to be carried by average working families.

 

[DerbyGull]

They did look very chummy together at the press conference and as they walked off looked like best mates. Do you think Gideon Osbourne is now getting jealous when he sees their love-in? Could there be a falling out with Gideon and Nick over their feelings for Davey?

 

[Simster]

Only if there is not an increase in the basic rate of tax to pay for it. The devil is in the detail as they say.

Well of course. But you're not seriously begrudging a cleaner earning £11k a year of paying a small amount of tax at the expense of someone earning a lot more than that are you?

The alternative might be that those cleaning jobs don't get filled because the gap between a heavily taxed wage of £11k and various unemployment benefits is not considered wide enough. Personally I'd rather have someone earning a wage as a cleaner, without being forced into it (and effectively subsidising them slightly by paying a bit more top end tax) as opposed to paying them dole money.

 

[pork pie]

Well of course. But you're not seriously begrudging a cleaner earning £11k a year of paying a small amount of tax at the expense of someone earning a lot more than that are you?

The alternative might be that those cleaning jobs don't get filled because the gap between a heavily taxed wage of £11k and various unemployment benefits is not considered wide enough. Personally I'd rather have someone earning a wage as a cleaner, without being forced into it (and effectively subsidising them slightly by paying a bit more top end tax) as opposed to paying them dole money.

It is perhaps not helpfull to talk about cleaners in particular. Many only work part time for a few hours each day, and are often the second or even third (students) income in a household. My concern is simply that to pay for such a move, may result in the basic rate of tax increasing to pay for it and hitting the average working family hard.

 

[SI 4 BHA]

You wait. If you think they will find £6 billion by sacking middle management, and reducing the number of paperclip delieveries to Whitehall, you're very much mistaken.

Instead we are going to see school and NHS budgets slashed in the name of "prudence". I find it unbelieveable that anyone could vote for a party that advocates this while at the same time promising to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million. Quite unbelievable.

The state spends around £700 billion a year apparently, so £6 billion is less than 1% so how does that affect "front line" services! Any fool could save 1%off their outgoings, even a politician! It's really little more than you or I having a couple of pints less each week.

 

[Simster]

It is perhaps not helpfull to talk about cleaners in particular. Many only work part time for a few hours each day, and are often the second or even third (students) income in a household. My concern is simply that to pay for such a move, may result in the basic rate of tax increasing to pay for it and hitting the average working family hard.

Of course it is. These low earners are the ones who will be affected the most. The people earning low incomes are either part time or unskilled, and surely it is cheaper for the country to have these people in work but paying neglible tax than any other scenario. Yes, I accept the average family will have to pay a little for this, BUT we all might have paid that low earner in dole money instead. I don't think anyone would get hit "hard" by this at all.

And I'm fairly sure that if the Tories had got in, and implemented their disgraceful inheritance tax threshold increase, you wouldn't have been talking about how hard the average family would have been hit to pay for that particular change.

 

[Billy the Fish]

You wait. If you think they will find £6 billion by sacking middle management, and reducing the number of paperclip delieveries to Whitehall, you're very much mistaken.

Instead we are going to see school and NHS budgets slashed in the name of "prudence". I find it unbelieveable that anyone could vote for a party that advocates this while at the same time promising to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million. Quite unbelievable.

I voted for them and cirtainly don't think that's the case. The paperclips and potplants is just rhetoric being spouted by labour in the election. I've heard talk of cutting the government advertising budget and getting rind of a few quangos.

I'm sure they've just said that they were going to increase NHS spending.

It could all be bollocks, but surely they should get a chance to prove people wrong before they get slated for making cuts that haven't been made yet