Mike Oxlong wrote:
What would your argument be that they should have to pay more? Why should an MP/judge/solicitor etc, earning £100k+ a year have to pay twice or three times more tax than your average joe on till at Asda earning £12k a year?? Do they not all work a similar amount of hours? Does the work involved necessitate them paying more?...
Well I would have thought the answer is obvious. It's because they can and because the numbers would not stack up if they did not. If someone earns £12,000 at Asda even if they paid 100% income tax that would not pay for their share of the NHS, education, the armed forces, the police, care for their elderly parents, etc, etc. You either have a State and a welfare state or you don't. If you do then someone needs to pay for it. That has to be middle to high earners. It isn't going to be the poorest or the mega-rich. The former can't, the latter have no need to - they could relocate to somewhere warmer and nicer and pay for their own care.
Interesting observation from Titan on his move from supermarket shelf-stacking to professional life. He thinks it's odd that people in better paid jobs get extras as a matter of course - profitable expense claims, regular parties with free drink and food whereas in his lower paid supermarket job there were no extras and they had to pay for the Christmas party. Funny old world isn't it?
