I published this video this morning. In it, I ask why no politician wants to talk about the positive aspects of taxation during the election campaign. Are they wholly unaware of what they are?
The transcript is:
In this election apparently no politician wants to talk about tax. Well, at least about tax in a positive sense.
There's plenty of discussion about who's going to raise taxes as if this is some disaster for everyone.
Raising tax is not a disaster if it's raised on the right people and if the proceeds of the tax raised are used for social purpose, either to control inflation - which is the primary purpose for raising tax in the UK - or to redistribute income and wealth from those who've got, well, plenty of it, towards those who haven't got much of it and need it to survive.
Tax Is the single most powerful instrument available to a government to shape the society for which they're responsible and which they wish to govern.
Why aren't we getting a positive discussion of tax in this election about what politicians want to do with it for our good? And yet none of them do. Do they understand why they actually want to be in office is the obvious question to raise.
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Excellent question and another good video – short & to the point. Well done.
I look forward to a serious answer from a politician
I had attempted to copy a doubting emoji to “I look forward to a serious answer from a politician ” to show how little hope I have for this, but seems it didn’t work.
Maybe someone can tell me how to include emojis here?
My keyboard lets me insert them…
On a PC? Google obliges; During text entry, type Windows logo key + . (period). The emoji keyboard will appear. Select an emoji with the mouse, or keep typing to search through the available emojis for one you like.
Windows keyboard tips and tricks – Microsoft Support
Microsoft Support
🙂
Thanks Bill re emojis on PC. But I’m on a Mac ….
Fn+E should give you access to emojis on a Mac
To play the devil’s advocate, I wonder whether this is an alternative to tax (which no-one likes because we perceive it as money that it taken from us)?
Obviously there has to be a means in which money is taken out of society (since the government spends it into the economy in the first place).
What could the government offer me that I would willingly pay them for it? A house? Anything produced by a nationalised industry?
Unfortunately it does not address wealth inequality. It was just a thought.
I am not sure I am following your argument….
Healthcare, education, social care, transport infrastructure, military security, social security, flood defences, clean water, what else do you want?
@Cyndy
As well as your list there is the wider imperative of using the tax system to redistribute from the top 10% to the bottom 20%, for example.
The reduction of inequality across society is an important goal for reasons of equity, cohesion, and a wider wealth base is a legitimate tax goal, not just in public service provision.
At the outset this requires applying some of Richard’s proposals to equalise taxes on income from rents and capital gains with earnings, plus taxing pension contributions equally.
Dumping the Bedroom and 2 child taxes plus increasing personal allowances so that they match increases in the minimum wage structure are also necessary to reduce the need for in work benefits.
Then we have the thorny and currently unresolved matters of taxing the excesses of capital wealth and property as well as earnings.
That requires much thought in longer term taxation policy, given the ability of the super-wealthy to conceal their holdings, plus the shambles of council tax and utter failure to reform that.
A long time ago last century Government introduced war bonds as a means to take money out of the monetary system. The problem we face now is that such instruments are regarded as borrowing and are therefore bad because some thinktank representative on the tv said so.
Ah! Will try to explore that (but not sure where to start!). I use Firefox on Mac OS (with French AZERTY keyboard).
Hi Richard,
Almost all of the people going to be elected in GE2024, have no interest in the people they are due to govern. Their only interest is money and position. They have no need to understand tax or anything else required for government, as the complict media will protect them from needing to.
There is both a Green and Independant standing in my constituency, meaning I now have someone to vote for. I would urge all voters to ignore the LibLabConRef canditates and choose only from the rest to provide some hope for the future.
Regards
BOO-WORD “noun: any word that seems to cause irrational fear” (Collins online dictionary)
“Tax” is one of them.
Note ‘irrational’. But after so much consistent repetition of negative associations my amateur guess is that hearing it it may often trigger subconscious, even physiological, reactions before it even gets to the level of conscious thought.
Your proposal would reduce the government deficit which would please the tories as they are always going on about it being too high.
I am not sure how you think so…
I think you hit the nail squarely on the head when you questioned why politicians want to get elected. They very clearly don’t have a handle on the basics of how things work in the economy and the wider picture of the lives of many people.
This leads me to the conclusion that they just like the attention and the kudos associated with being an MP.
Which no sane person would want…