Budget 2015

[Herr Tubthumper]

~2% of the workforce are employed on zero hours contracts. For many of these people, it is an arrangement which suits them very well. This 'issue' seems to get more attention than it deserves. Perhaps because it suits the Red Ed agenda?

It deserves full attention as it is being exploited and affects the least well off.

 

[mikeyjh]

You own Buckingham Palace not Windsor Castle.

I'd better return that vase then.....

 

[bobby baxter]

~2% of the workforce are employed on zero hours contracts. For many of these people, it is an arrangement which suits them very well. This 'issue' seems to get more attention than it deserves. Perhaps because it suits the Red Ed agenda?

Sorry mate, your talking absolute b*llocks, I work in local authority, many of the workers collecting your refuse and sweeping streets throughout Sussex are agency employees, on minimum wage with zero hours contracts. They turn up for work each morning around sic o clock not knowing if they are working that day or not, often getting only one or two days employment a week.

Many of these guys have family commitments and live in poverty.

Zero hours contracts are an abomination, credit the Labor parties pledge to abolish them.

 

[Superphil]

But it is tax ON TAX. If you want to redistribute wealth then do it via income tax which happens once, don't do it via IHT. As things stand someone can earn £100,000, pay £45,000 in income tax and £2,000 in NI, then drop dead and pay a further £21,200 in IHT on the £53,000 that the government didn't touch first time around. So that's the government taking £68,200 - 68.2% - via 2 bites of the cherry. Totally wrong.

Isn't all tax, a "tax on tax"? The person who works, pays tax on the wages he gets for doing the work, let's say, making a TV. The person then buys a TV from a shop, the price of which is a combination of labour and materials, labour which has been taxed, and materials on which tax has been paid. The Person buys the TV from another person, whose wages are also included in the cost of the TV, and who also is paying tax. It's all Tax, Tax, Tax.

 

[nicko31]

We need to REDUCE economic inequality - taking even more wealth away from regular people would have the opposite effect.

When you are dead you are neither regular or irregular....

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Whilst Labour manage the NHS better IMO, they ball's up the economy every time they are in power, which impacts on everyone.

I really think this election will be NHS vs Economy in terms of where the votes go.......

Apart from in wales where they have a crap economy and a crap NHS

 

[yxee]

But surely if more people have access to more money, more money will be spent, therefore business would be more profitable?? Or is that too simplistic?

There's not "more money", there's higher wages which will be offset by less employment. The net earnings would probably be unchanged.

If you hired 100 people on £7 an hour and were told you had to give them all £2 wage increases, how many would you let go? I don't think any employer could absorb a 30% hit on one of the most expensive business costs.

I think for this reason, the minimum wage is a mechanism for actually increasing the distribution of wealth (more unemployed and more employed at a higher salary). Doesn't seem very left-wing to me!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

You own Buckingham Palace not Windsor Castle.

He doesn't even own that .... the state does.

 

[perseus]

Ohhhh..should I be sacking my accountant ..a digitalised tax account for self employed
Can't wait for the devil in the detail

For Bozza cider duty down 2%

Cider is still seriously overtaxed compared to beer, even the weak 5.5% draughts.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Sorry mate, your talking absolute b*llocks, I work in local authority, many of the workers collecting your refuse and sweeping streets throughout Sussex are agency employees, on minimum wage with zero hours contracts. They turn up for work each morning around sic o clock not knowing if they are working that day or not, often getting only one or two days employment a week.

Many of these guys have family commitments and live in poverty.

Zero hours contracts are an abomination, credit the Labor parties pledge to abolish them.

And what about those people who actually like to work under a zero hours contract ( as I did as a student ) ? Put some safeguards in by all means but ban them ? No.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

He doesn't even own that .... the state does.

We are the state.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Whilst Labour manage the NHS better IMO, they ball's up the economy every time they are in power, which impacts on everyone.

I really think this election will be NHS vs Economy in terms of where the votes go.......

Really? I'm 41 this year, and I don't remember the Tories managing the economy through the 80's and early 90's any better than Labour did from late 90's to 2010. I think this whole Labour can't manage the economy is a complete fallacy, because frankly neither party has managed the economy that well.

In 2010 were the foundations not already laid for a recovery faster than we've had over the last 5 years? Hypothetically we can't know, but it is the same argument you could apply to 1997 when we were coming out of the Tories financial chaos at the start of the 90's.

Does either party really have a great track record with the economy? At the end of any recession, you have to rebuild. A lack of investment in the state from pretty much the '70's required any government recovering in the mid '90's to start rebuilding schools, hospitals, infrastructure. The same will be required at the end of this recovery, it's all very good reducing the state and saving money, but by 2020, all our schools and other buildings and infrastructure are going to again require massive building programmes and expenditure. Even before Labour got in in 1997, the Tories were already making massive spending plans as so much needed to be done.

If we start from my year of birth 1974, the Tories have had 23 years in power compared to Labours 18 years, and there is no real evidence to suggest the Tories have managed their 23 any better than Labour did their 18. Interest rates at 15% above at the end of the '80's, people you knew left right and centre losing their homes or in massive negative equity were the scariest times I can remember - even compared to this recession.

This election I think is going to be fought more on ideology. It is going to be about a core belief in who is fairer, what is important, and what party shares those principles.

 

[Worthingite]

There's not "more money", there's higher wages which will be offset by less employment. The net earnings would probably be unchanged.

If you hired 100 people on £7 an hour and were told you had to give them all £2 wage increases, how many would you let go? I don't think any employer could absorb a 30% hit on one of the most expensive business costs.

I think for this reason, the minimum wage is a mechanism for actually increasing the distribution of wealth (more unemployed and more employed at a higher salary). Doesn't seem very left-wing to me!

To be honest [MENTION=22209]yxee[/MENTION], right wing, left wing, it makes no odd's to me. All I want is to be able to earn a wage that, after paying the bills and keeping a roof over my head, gives a me quality of life, that's all. Prices are rising faster than wages, so if you are caught on the bottom rung financially there is literally no room for any "life living". Consider that a 1 bed flat in Brighton (even the ropier parts) is around £750 a month, plus say £40 each gas electric and water, plus TV licence, plus broadband (let's face it, internet is more of a necessity in todays world than a luxury). So you're looking at a grand a month, there or thereabouts. NMW is £1005 pcm BEFORE tax. Now, I appreciate there are working tax credits, which are individually dependent, but what you're looking at is a massive shortfall in the ability of people who are working full time in jobs that no one really wants to do, and not having an ability to be able to afford to live adequately.

I might add that personally, I am not actually in this scenario at the moment, as I am currently off sick, but I can easily see this sort of situation happening to myself, although I hope not as I have experience and qualifications that I would hope give me the opportunity to earn more. But many people haven't.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

We are the state.

That's OK then .... the state owns all tax returns so I'll be popping along to the Treasurey later to pick up a few quid ... after all it's my money.

 

[gjh1971]

Osborne say's that 80% of new job's are full time, yeah either below minimum wage or a zero hour contract, how can you live like that, the budget is totally laced with Tory Propaganda to try and win the sheep over for more votes in May, Well they haven't duped me, only a fool would vote Conservative...only Labour will look after the working class...vote labour if you have any sense... It's Labour or bust in May for the working class...

Agree. A lot of these so called new jobs created are JSA sanctioned and also include disabled working for free under the workfare scheme

 

[Thunder Bolt]

That's OK then .... the state owns all tax returns so I'll be popping along to the Treasurey later to pick up a few quid ... after all it's my money.

I got £400 back from the Treasury recently.

 

[Chicken Run]

Spot on, in my view. Inheritance tax is one of the fairest taxes imaginable, and one which is one of the least distorting of economic incentives.
No surprise that the Tories want it to wither away.

This article, written a number of years ago, well captures some of the relevant arguments in favour of the tax
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2008/04/inheritance-tax-stuart-white

The philosophical arguments in favour are also pretty weak
http://philpapers.org/rec/BRAHEA-2

The only person who thinks inheritance tax is fair is the man who aint due any lol

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I'm a little surprised that more on here haven't pointed out the new 'Diverted Profits Tax' - a small but good step in the right direction IMHO.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Agree. A lot of these so called new jobs created are JSA sanctioned and also include disabled working for free under the workfare scheme

Another way they're reducing the unemployment figures is sanctioning single JSA claimants who then become homeless and end up sleeping rough on the streets.

 

[bobby baxter]

And what about those people who actually like to work under a zero hours contract ( as I did as a student ) ? Put some safeguards in by all means but ban them ? No.

Easy, either find part time or casual employment, your talking about pocket money for students, most people taking zero hours employment are accepting these jobs out of desperation.