Carers Of Dundee ad on TV

[Deeranged]

Council tax should be replaced by a local sales tax.
At present 76% of a local authority’s annual income is paid by Holyrood with the remaining 24% being raised by Council Tax, Business Rates and other income.
A local sales tax would be the fairest way as the wealthier people would spend more and contribute more in sales tax.
It would also mean that people who live in Muirhead, Birkhill, Invergowrie and Monifieth but do their shopping in Dundee would pay their local sales tax to Dundee City Council.

I must be going soft - I agree with Islay.

[frankiekopel]

Are employees banned from owning shares?

No

Of course anyone can buy shares ,I have £50k plus worth of shares ,would doubt many people on minimum wage would have any shares though

[BCram]

Since 2000 to 2019 ,average wages have increased by around 25%,share dividends have increased by 132% in the same period ,employers not sharing the wealth is the problem these days

I think you have misinterpreted your own figures. dividends have increased by 5 times the rate that wages have increased. I thnik that implies that employers have been sharing the wealth that their companies have generated with their shareholders.

I don't know the answer but I think total wages paid will be a much bigger figure than total dividends paid. Would like to confirm that thought but can't find any reliable info.

[frankiekopel]

Bcram ,I have no doubt the wage bill is higher than total profits ,some employees need in work benefits to survive ,paid by us the tax payer ,while the companies post huge profits ,the richest will profit the most ,when companies share the wealth through dividends

[frankiekopel]

I think you have misinterpreted your own figures. dividends have increased by 5 times the rate that wages have increased. I thnik that implies that employers have been sharing the wealth that their companies have generated with their shareholders.

I don't know the answer but I think total wages paid will be a much bigger figure than total dividends paid. Would like to confirm that thought but can't find any reliable info.

The company I hold shares in made £24783.12 profit per employee

[BCram]

The company I hold shares in made £24783.12 profit per employee

Thanks for the information. I think that Karl Marx would argue that this £24783.12 of retained profit was the undistributed value of each employee's labour. I don't think that companies should be expected to distribute all their income, by way of wages, to those who work for that company. There needs to be some element of retained profits to replace machinery, build new facilities and invest in research and development.

I agree that it is unfair to have workers requiring in work benefits to make their lives economically bearable. I think the answer is to increase rates of pay but if prices are to be pegged and inflation is to be avoided and a lower level of profits seems to be the only answer. Lower profits will inevitably mean less investment in the business.

The National Board for Prices and Incomes was created by the government of Harold Wilson in 1965 in an attempt to solve the problem of inflation in the British economy by managing wages and prices. It didn't last very long because it didn't work.

I think that there is much wrong with the way our society is behaving. Those in authority seem to see themselves as being above the rules that apply to those they lead, and this applies to both the public and private sectors. There are companies being sold to foreign owned venture capitalists and even some that have been sold to foreign national governments, I think that this is a long term danger to our country but as long as we have politicians who worry more about their job than the good of the country I am afraid we will just have to put up with it.

[frankiekopel]

Thanks for the information. I think that Karl Marx would argue that this £24783.12 of retained profit was the undistributed value of each employee's labour. I don't think that companies should be expected to distribute all their income, by way of wages, to those who work for that company. There needs to be some element of retained profits to replace machinery, build new facilities and invest in research and development.

I agree that it is unfair to have workers requiring in work benefits to make their lives economically bearable. I think the answer is to increase rates of pay but if prices are to be pegged and inflation is to be avoided and a lower level of profits seems to be the only answer. Lower profits will inevitably mean less investment in the business.

The National Board for Prices and Incomes was created by the government of Harold Wilson in 1965 in an attempt to solve the problem of inflation in the British economy by managing wages and prices. It didn't last very long because it didn't work.

I think that there is much wrong with the way our society is behaving. Those in authority seem to see themselves as being above the rules that apply to those they lead, and this applies to both the public and private sectors. There are companies being sold to foreign owned venture capitalists and even some that have been sold to foreign national governments, I think that this is a long term danger to our country but as long as we have politicians who worry more about their job than the good of the country I am afraid we will just have to put up with it.

In agreement re foreign ownership, most of the profits going out of the country, so tax not being paid to our government, plus companies like Google, amazon and Facebook taking their huge profits out the country

[frankiekopel]

Thanks for the information. I think that Karl Marx would argue that this £24783.12 of retained profit was the undistributed value of each employee's labour. I don't think that companies should be expected to distribute all their income, by way of wages, to those who work for that company. There needs to be some element of retained profits to replace machinery, build new facilities and invest in research and development.

I agree that it is unfair to have workers requiring in work benefits to make their lives economically bearable. I think the answer is to increase rates of pay but if prices are to be pegged and inflation is to be avoided and a lower level of profits seems to be the only answer. Lower profits will inevitably mean less investment in the business.

The National Board for Prices and Incomes was created by the government of Harold Wilson in 1965 in an attempt to solve the problem of inflation in the British economy by managing wages and prices. It didn't last very long because it didn't work.

I think that there is much wrong with the way our society is behaving. Those in authority seem to see themselves as being above the rules that apply to those they lead, and this applies to both the public and private sectors. There are companies being sold to foreign owned venture capitalists and even some that have been sold to foreign national governments, I think that this is a long term danger to our country but as long as we have politicians who worry more about their job than the good of the country I am afraid we will just have to put up with it.

Not saying companies shouldn't make a profit, of course they should as there would be no point in them being in business,all I'm saying there is scope to increase wages without increasing prices at the same rate

I once worked for a company owned by labour lord Willie haughy
At the time he had the contract for the cleaning of the asda stones,the cleaners were on mimumin wage ,zero hour contracts, no sick pay ,found ironic the cleaners employed by a labour lord had to rely on the tory chancellor for a pay rise each year

[Returnofrros]

Of course anyone can buy shares ,I have £50k plus worth of shares ,would doubt many people on minimum wage would have any shares though

Anyone in a pension scheme has shares.

[Returnofrros]

Bcram ,I have no doubt the wage bill is higher than total profits ,some employees need in work benefits to survive ,paid by us the tax payer ,while the companies post huge profits ,the richest will profit the most ,when companies share the wealth through dividends

No those with most shares will.