Why is the government entitled to a slice of our wages?

[Pawnless Endgame]

My council tax pays for the police.

This is the pie chart in my 2017/18 council tax bill based in the Staffordshire area. Small chunks are given for the police and fire dept. The grey slice (or chunk) covers stuff like bin collections, street lighting, roadworks and local parks / museums, but the vast majority of the grey chunk smacks of pen pushers imo!

 

[Werewolf]

This is the pie chart in my 2017/18 council tax bill based in the Staffordshire area. Small chunks are given for the police and fire dept. The grey slice (or chunk) covers stuff like bin collections, street lighting, roadworks and local parks / museums, but the vast majority of the grey chunk smacks of pen pushers imo!

The large part will be pretty much every other service they do, social services, elderly care, planning, health inspections to name but a few.
They only name the big, obvious spends as if they split it up fully they'd probably have to have about a hundred colours and two or three pages of identification for them.

For some reason I quite like the idea that the restaurant I'm eating in has food prepared in a clean area, and the roof isn't going to fall down on me because they've employed Bill's Bodging Builders who have decided that the steel I beams specified in the plans can be replaced with some wood and foamboard.

 

[Ayahuasca]

Wouldn’t mind some jet fuel in my steel beams

 

[Bear]

The large part will be pretty much every other service they do, social services, elderly care, planning, health inspections to name but a few.
They only name the big, obvious spends as if they split it up fully they'd probably have to have about a hundred colours and two or three pages of identification for them.

For some reason I quite like the idea that the restaurant I'm eating in has food prepared in a clean area, and the roof isn't going to fall down on me because they've employed Bill's Bodging Builders who have decided that the steel I beams specified in the plans can be replaced with some wood and foamboard.

I think a chunk of the large part as mentioned before is pension liabilities

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

The large part will be pretty much every other service they do, social services, elderly care, planning, health inspections to name but a few.

Ah okies. I thought that the social and elderly care aspect and CQC / health inspections would have been from national insurance, but I stand corrected so thanks

 

[Vonhelmet]

Ah okies. I thought that the social and elderly care aspect and CQC / health inspections would have been from national insurance, but I stand corrected so thanks

National insurance just goes into the main tax pot. It's supposed to cover the NHS, benefits, state pension... in reality it barely covers the NHS budget.

 

[The_Abyss]

National insurance just goes into the main tax pot. It's supposed to cover the NHS, benefits, state pension... in reality it barely covers the NHS budget.

Nonsense. National Insurance goes into the National Insurance Fund and no, it is not designed to cover the whole NHS budget. The National Insurance Fund is managed by the Debt Management Office and funding levels are reviewed by the Government Actuarial Department. The link to government is that the funding levels recommended by GAD are advised to government, and that government are not obliged to follow them.

 

[antijoke]

So national insurance and income tax pay for the NHS?

I always thought it was just NI that did.

 

[The_Abyss]

National Insurance contributions account for a relatively minor amount of the funding received by the NHS. The vast majority of NI contributions are used to cover state pension payments.

Have a look at the latest accounts for the NIF: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-fund-investment-account-2016-to-2017

 

[LeeUK]

As I've already said, no money to pay for anything, unless you are the Tories trying to cling onto power by paying the DUP for votes.

 

[TJM]

So inspired by a post in the housing market thread, why are they are entitled to a slice of our wages (slice increases mores you earn)?

Many of the things that you relied upon to earn that income - including your education, your health, your route to work and a legal system that underpins commercial activity - were paid for with taxes. I have no problem with paying back in.

- The government doesn't use our money properly. E.g. pays extortionate prices for drugs. Hence always wanting to put more money into the NHS (read: into drug companies).

The NHS' enormous buying power actually drives down prices of drugs from American pharmaceuticals. They hate it.

- The government does things we don't really want it to do. E.g. tell us how to live our lives (e.g. gay marriage).

I'm not aware that anyone has been forced into a gay marriage.

 

[Hotwired]

The NHS' enormous buying power actually drives down prices of drugs from American pharmaceuticals. They hate it.

Whats there to hate?

A large customer can demand lower prices through sheer volume but since the NHS isn't a wholesaler selling on their discounted drugs to undercut regular pricing it has no bearing on anyone elses prices.

So the NHS pays its price for the drugs it needs for the UK and meanwhile the companies can still bend over their american customers in a tag team with insurance companies because individuals can't negotiate the price of a dam thing.

 

[Randomface74]

Drug prices depend on patents.
I'd make the argument that the NHS shouldn't be buying patented drugs at all.
Wait for the patents to expire and buy cheap generic versions.

 

[Hotwired]

Drug prices depend on patents.
I'd make the argument that the NHS shouldn't be buying patented drugs at all.
Wait for the patents to expire and buy cheap generic versions.

That's a very long term view, somewhat like planting trees for others.

Except the NHS is tasked with improvement of peoples health so they have to balance cost vs improvement in quality of life.

Obviously if you ignore a proven drug because it's patented you're avoiding that cost but there's also no improvement in your patients quality of life either.

Meanwhile the patent is whatever is left of its 20 years and maybe more delay if the company owning it can legally interfere with generics trying to produce it afterwards.

 

[Energize]

When you combine all taxes together you are looking at something like 50% in the UK which is ridiculous and leads to evasion.

The government should only provide the bare minimum, ie what the private sector can't provide, such as the justice system, police and military

 

[Sankari]

Why is the government entitled to a slice of our wages?

Why are you entitled to government services?

Spoiler

HERE'S A CLUE: IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH TAXES.

 

[theone8181]

When you combine all taxes together you are looking at something like 50% in the UK which is ridiculous and leads to evasion.

The government should only provide the bare minimum, ie what the private sector can't provide, such as the justice system, police and military

I'm still trying to work out how you get 50%. I work off nhs and paye being 30% (I know it's not but I can work out 30% easier than 28% come bonus time). Where's your other 20% or are you generalising with VAT? I personally don't agree with inheritance tax at all, why should the government get anything as the income will have been taxed when it was originally earnt. It seems to me that normal people pay tax, while the rich can pay someone to help avoid being taxed.

 

[Lakeland]

Tax, NI, VAT and Inheritance / Dementia tax, anything else I’ve forgotten? It’s all a bit much.

 

[kedge]

What about the road network.

Motoring and fuel taxes generates £millions where does all this money go? the charlatan's expenditure?

 

[Mr^B]

I'm still trying to work out how you get 50%. I work off nhs and paye being 30% (I know it's not but I can work out 30% easier than 28% come bonus time). Where's your other 20% or are you generalising with VAT? I personally don't agree with inheritance tax at all, why should the government get anything as the income will have been taxed when it was originally earnt. It seems to me that normal people pay tax, while the rich can pay someone to help avoid being taxed.

The thresholds for inheritance tax are quite generous. A married couple passing on their estate to their children/grandchildren, that's a limit of £850,000 without having to pay any tax at all.