Tax - how much of your gross do you pay?

platypus said:
Well, I'm sort of on the fence about it. I don't mind it half as much as it might appear.

What really ticks me off is the self-righteous smug [legal]avoiders like the OP, Flukester, Mad Rapper etc who take great enjoyment in pointing out how much they can avoid, and keep telling people how much of a mug they are for being on PAYE and being annoyed that they can't avoid more tax.
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Wow. Just saw this post. I am on PAYE. Not contracting, but I'd do it if the opportunity arose.

I probably pay more tax than just about everyone on the forums and have been in constant employment since I was 16. Honestly, if I went contracting for a bit and paid less tax I wouldn't care - I have paid well above my due. Are you seriously telling me you'd have a problem with that? Why?
 
platypus said:
It stems from the ideal that those with more money can afford to pay more into the system to better fund the services that everyone uses, doesn't it? Not sure I agree with the top rate of tax btw.
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It did start that way, the starting salary for the higher rate hasn't moved for so long that it's catching people it wasn't designed to catch. It's called bracket creep and even the guy who introduced it said the starting salary should be nearer £80k now.

That said... I think it should be scrapped because it's immoral rather than adjusting the bracket.
 
platypus said:
I think you're being a little sensitive, but I'll apologise. I obviously misunderstood that when you said you would refuse to meet your legal obligation, you don't actually consider yourself above the law. My bad.
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Cool, no worries. :)

Bad assumption on my part.
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It happens to the best of us. But one. Of them is in France ;) :p

It's your legal obligation to declare it, thats what I found odd about your original statement.
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Yes I'm sure it is. Like never driving over the speed limit, is an obligation. But people do it. Doesn't make it right of course.

I've just checked my account, I haven't made any interest in one of my accounts, and the other is enough to perhaps buy a tank of fuel. Yes I know legally I should declare it and then claim back my tax relief, and then end up just where I am financially, minus, my time, the beaurcratic process the HMRC have to go through, the pointless form filling, answering all sorts of inane questions and adding complications to my already heavily taxed life. I'm sorry if that doesn't sit comfortably with you, but if anything I am saving ukplc money because the cost of all that administration and bureaucracy just to get a few pence of tax out of me, which I can then claim back, probably, and the printing of forms, and time and all that jazz is just ridiculous.

Now If I was thinking of starting a business out of the U.K., I would speak to my account and make sure I didn't have to pay tax or at least claim all the tax relief I could.

I don't plan on retiring in the UK so in 30 years time you can report me for tax evasion as I sit on my non declared assets in the sun (when I get them!) ;)

Besides, if you try to bring in more than £10k into the uk you have to declare it, and it would look odd that my bank account would suddenly increase. So leave the money out of the U.K.

Yes it is not for me to decide which laws I stick to and don't. But you know what? I'm quite happy to take a chance. When I earn enough to be able to pay for an accountant to do all the forms for me, and ensure that my 20p of tax that I owe can be scrapped then I will of course do it. Until I feel I'm doing something highly immoral then I'm sorry but I will just carry on not declaring anything. I would concede that if I was running a profitable business and bringing money into the uk without paying tax, that is wrong, but I'm not doing that.
 
Caged said:
That doesn't really address my question though, that effectively says to hack public spending back even further so people in the Taxpayers Alliance can keep more money.
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Was going to post something along the lines of this. The only proposal I've seen are from the TPA, and are just trying to save more money for the richest people.

Eg the abolition of "wealth" taxes; capital gains tax and inheritance tax, stamp duty on properties.. The only people to gain of course, are the wealthy.
 
By the way I'm not suggesting I am right, I concede that I'm technically wrong. However, what I feel is unfair is the tax system. Now I'm all for paying taxes, we need to to make the country run etc... But I just feel some of the rules are daft, like the example I used. I know, I know, I know, doesn't mean it is right, and doesn't mitigate my obligations, or the fact that just because I disagree with something it shouldn't mean I ignore it, but I'm just making the point that I find some of the bureaucracy absolutely ridiculous for such trivialities.


Now sure, you could say, add up all the millions of people (i doubt it would be that many) that do this, and it ends up being a big number... But frankly, the number would still be inconsequential compared to billions wasted already.

Maybe this is me making a stand with my illegal 20p?
 
Freefaller said:
By the way I'm not suggesting I am right, I concede that I'm technically wrong. However, what I feel is unfair is the tax system. Now I'm all for paying taxes, we need to to make the country run etc... But I just feel some of the rules are daft, like the example I used. I know, I know, I know, doesn't mean it is right, and doesn't mitigate my obligations, or the fact that just because I disagree with something it shouldn't mean I ignore it, but I'm just making the point that I find some of the bureaucracy absolutely ridiculous for such trivialities.
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Can't really disagree with any of that.

No one has the appetite to overhaul our tax system, and I cant imagine anyone with it in their manifesto would get elected so I guess it'll limp along.
 
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