It's surely fair that people that can afford to contribute more, do so ?
Also, everyone gets their first £11.5k tax free, although you would have to deduct your taxable benefits (company car, health insurance etc) and then you end up with the dreaded "k" code.

I know that the Tory ethos is to "keep what you earn". However, too many have been doing just that (and big business too) even my business paid more corporation tax than Starbucks and their ilk and that certainly isn't right.???

If everyone gets taxed at 20% those that earn more pay more what is the issues with that?

If you earn over £123k you lose your personal allowance - you seemed to have overlooked that?

Was that Starbucks in the UK or world wide?

Now we have it.
You want the poor guy on minimum wage to leave himself with 10k a year to live on and the guy on £120k to "manage" on £100k.
Absolutely fair, especially when you take our food costs and a couple of kids.

I was referring to Starbuck in the UK that "devolved" its responsibilities to the Netherlands.
Following protests in the UK it has now slightly re organised and is contributing more but, there are many, many businesses doing the same.
Google is one of the largest culprits and moves funds from country to country to dilute and reduce its tax burden.
This may not be illegal but, it's certainly immoral.

Remember we're all in this together.

Those receiving housing benefit have paid the price.
The disabled have paid the price.
The elderly have paid the price.
Public sector workers have paid the price.
The armed forces have paid the price.
Schools have paid the price.
Students have paid the price.
Health workers have paid the price.
Social services have paid the price.
The richest have got richer.

Forgive me if I don't give a flying fu ck whether you or the richest 5% feel it iniquitous to pay some of their gains back. I note you are more affronted by those who can more than afford it having to pay a little more rather than the persecution of the poorest & weakest.

Prior to being semi-retired I was a self employed sub contract industrial electrician earning over eighty thousand per annum.
Even now I could work in Canada , South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Botswana, Dubai. I have paid more than my fair share of tax in this country.
I have also trained several highly skilled engineers and paid for them to attend technical college. So your attitude to me would be to sod off.
It might be unpalatable to you but in this day and age money has wings, companies and people will move to countries which suit them better. Don't forget quite a lot of high earners create employment for workers who inturn pay income tax.
If you use France as an example, high rates of income tax for high earners meant that literally thousands moved to London.
They now pay tax in London, presumably you will be happy to tell them to sod off.

On tonights leaders debate!
Regardless of what anyone thinks of Corbyn I think May just scored another immense own goal! Not only did she leave herself open to accusations of running scared, but, her nominated stand in, Amber Rudd just pulled off a massive "I'm the next tory leader" performance. The tories are that cold blooded in their inside machinations that they will already be eyeing May's successor and Rudd just put down her marker!

Everyone keeps talking about high earners paying their "fair share" and pay more tax,but I'm yet to hear a valid reason(s) as to why it's supposedly fair?

If I've gone to college, then university, then got my masters degree, got a job, worked up the ladder for 15 years whist paying off my student debt, worked hard to earn myself a few promotions in that time - why should I have to start paying 45p in every pound that I earn over £80k?

What about that is fair, just because some lazy lay about can't be bothered to get a better paid job than stocking shelves at the local supermarket, if they bother to get a job at all and just live off the state?

What is stopping them putting the effort into life that I have?

I agree to an extent. The 'debate' though was little more than a shoutathon the kids in my little girls playground would have struggled to compete with. I found it particularly amusing when Angus Robertson fired off at the PM for being nowhere to be seen when his esteemed leader was MIA too!

Agree entirely - she has been a huge disappointment.

And this is what is wrong with society today. Have you ever thought that the people who do these jobs are not very academically minded? They may even not have had the chance or opportunity to go to university. Heaven forbid, there may be something wrong with them which means they need the state support.

Not everyone has the chances or support in life you have had and not everyone can be in a high paid job. Someone has to do the low paid jobs and its up to the people who can afford to contribute to pay to help those who struggle.

Congratulations on making the most of your opportunities but not everyone is as lucky as you

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. When you drive past the homeless, the beggars, those with mental problems roaming the streets, you can contemptuously sneer at them, possibly stopping to swat them with your copy of the Daily Mail. Or you could contemplate the tax you avoided paying as self employed - the car, parts of the home, capital allowances, loans, paying your partner just below the tax threshold despite them not doing a jot, the partner's car, pensions, paying dividends at the best time of the year, business entertainment, business travel.

Isn't she lined up for the chancellors slot when Hammond gets the bullet next week??