O/T. To misquote Henry II...

[ramAnag]

I don't believe I suggested it was bad, just NIMBY. My question of you is this: how much are you happy to see your personal tax go up in order to allow a tax cut for the more needy. Or can you talk the talk but not walk the walk?

I’m not sure what your obsession with my personal pension/tax is. I’m not particularly well off although we are ‘comfortable’ largely as a result of having trained for eight years plus between us and having worked full time for in excess of 65 years between us.

I’d guess that your pension is significantly better than mine although I have no idea what your wife’s contribution/situation is which obviously is relevant but has nothing to do with me.

Beyond that...all I am advocating is a philosophy of ‘from each according to their wants to each according to their needs’ and yes, of course I would be happy to see my taxes rise if I believed the money raised would be targeted wisely and appropriately. Hand on heart...I am more in favour of society benefitting from decent services than from low taxes and I recognise that the two are not always compatible.

[Geoff Parkstone]

It's not an obsession, but I've encountered many people in my life that advocate helping the less well off, as long as it doesn't cost them anything - another (of many) magic money tree moment.

It's refreshing to find someone who appears to genuinely be happy to reduce his own income to help others. As someone who has, like you, trained 6 years and worked over 40 more (and counting) it is perhaps to my discredit that I struggle with the theory. Possibly having to create my own pension fund, rather than having an employer pay into it, informs the different approach! Or maybe you're a nice guy and.....

[Geoff Parkstone]

RA "although I have no idea what your wife’s contribution/situation is which obviously is relevant but has nothing to do with me."

Nor me

[MadAmster]

I also presume MA is not a UK taxpayer any longer, so it's a tad rich of him to suggest how another tax authority choses to levy taxes - I don't comment on Cloggie tax policy.

Ergo, Johnny Expat Foreigner isn't allowed an opinion? How very Conservative of you GP.

You probably don't comment on Cloggie Tax because you know little about it. It's not much different in the basics to UK Tax. Income derived from actual work gets taxed the highest. Tax on company profits is 25% IIRC. Tax on profits made buying and selling stocks and shares is zero. Same goes for money derived from renting out flats/houses. One junior member of the Dutch Royal Family owns 6 large houses in the centre of Amsterdam, rents them out for 4 figures a month and pays zero tax on them, as also would I not pay tax on rental income if I had any. The Googles etc of this world pay nowt or next to it.

I'm actually quite disappointed in your apparent Little England censorship approach to my daring to have an opinion on UK (the land of my birth and I am still a UK national) tax matters and daring to share that opinion and then you use NIMBY aimed at rA I'm quite certain rA will have seen the irony in that and permitted himself a wry smile.

[Geoff Parkstone]

My perspective is this, MA: its easy to suggest changes to another country's tax rules when you don't have to pay the consequences of your suggestion in increased tax yourself.

It would be rather like me (now you've taught me) suggesting that profits from renting out houses should be taxed in Holland and then being startled when a Dutch property owner was unhappy with me.

NB if you look at post 82 you will see there is no issue of rA and NIMBINESS, he has said that he's happy to pay more tax under the right circumstances.

To corrupt the American reaction to the Stamp Act of 1765, "no representation without taxation"

[Andy_Faber]

You probably don't comment on Cloggie Tax because you know little about it. It's not much different in the basics to UK Tax. Tax on profits made buying and selling stocks and shares is zero. Same goes for money derived from renting out flats/houses. .

Not looking for a scrap here MA just pointing out that for someone in that position (renting houses) that is VERY different in terms of impact. I pay ‘the marginal rate’ (lets say up to 40%) on an income I’ve bust a beauloq for decades to achieve, not complaining but 0% v 40% is significant. NB before the wolves start howling I rent out at below market rate

[Geoff Parkstone]

oh go on, Andy. the other interestingly significance is the absence of any tax on dealing stocks and shares. I know several people who make (literally) millions doing this and they would love it all to be tax free - be that CGT, corporation tax or simple stamp duty. Cant help feeling the Cloggies are missing a trick there too, but I shouldn't comment!

Then there is the question of how to tax crypto traders..........

[Geoff Parkstone]

Not looking for a scrap here MA just pointing out that for someone in that position (renting houses) that is VERY different in terms of impact. I pay ‘the marginal rate’ (lets say up to 40%) on an income I’ve bust a beauloq for decades to achieve, not complaining but 0% v 40% is significant. NB before the wolves start howling I rent out at below market rate

Why?

[Andy_Faber]

Why?

Go on then. Why what?

[Geoff Parkstone]

" I rent out at below market rate"

WHY