Hey Guv can you lend us a fiver?

[handsomefortune]

the misfortune to watch a bit of Nick robinsons

followed by vomiting and breathlessness?

[teamsaint]

the misfortune to watch a bit of Nick robinsons

followed by vomiting and breathlessness?

kept calm..used to it by now.

did you watch it all? what was your view on it?

[Serial_Apologist]

I imagine he also got round to mentioning the industrial sized tax avoidance of the super rich and the big corporations too... sorry I missed that bit.

I imagine you really mean "not mentioning". Which he did. Not, that is.

[aeolium]

Didn't NR ask a (rhetorical) question of someone to the effect that 'paying tax for the rich is largely voluntary, isn't it?'?

That was fairly early in the programme and I didn't watch much beyond that.

[teamsaint]

I imagine you really mean "not mentioning". Which he did. Not, that is.

not what? mention? or not ?!!

Sarcasm is hard to do on message boards... !!
.
anyway, i take it robbo did accidentally forget to mention the monumental tax theft by those who can afford it.

C,mon, someone tell me i missed the good bits, where the bbc went after the real bad guys, and the admitted after all, that ordinary folks pay plenty of tax when you take evrything into account............someone..........someone....... .......please.............

[teamsaint]

Didn't NR ask a (rhetorical) question of someone to the effect that 'paying tax for the rich is largely voluntary, isn't it?'?

That was fairly early in the programme and I didn't watch much beyond that.

he might have.
He did have some lovely big columns in some posh building, which showed just how much of the income tax is paid by the rich. They were nice. Also pretty meaningless. And misleading, in my humble opinion.

Still. he got out and about to meet some everyday folk down at Leicester market, and got his dog food while he was at it... and discovered some rule on VAT on pet food that ordinary people have to obey. So all was not wasted.
(oh and had a nice day out at the races at public expense.He seemed surprised that there were some half witted and ill informed toffs in the expensive enclosure. Wonders never cease).

[Serial_Apologist]

Sarcasm is hard to do on message boards... !!
.

But your sarcasm stole the thunder on mine, teamsaint!

[teamsaint]

But your sarcasm stole the thunder on mine, teamsaint!

ah, but you can do smileys, including festive ones.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

good ol uk, more better faster etc

[teamsaint]

that ok, we don't want to get rid of incentives for those not in the top 10 %.
in fact we need to increase incentives by making life really tough.

Those at the top have earned their rightful place enjoying the good life. Its not easy being born into inherited wealth or the comfortable upper middle classes. If it was, everyone would be doing it.

[Serial_Apologist]

that ok, we don't want to get rid of incentives for those not in the top 10 %.
in fact we need to increase incentives by making life really tough.

Those at the top have earned their rightful place enjoying the good life. Its not easy being born into inherited wealth or the comfortable upper middle classes. If it was, everyone would be doing it.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

neat summary of OECD Findings

[Serial_Apologist]

neat summary of OECD Findings

Most grateful, Calum.

[teamsaint]

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/06/the-credibility-and-integrity-of-sp%E2%80%99s-ratings-action/

this is pretty interesting in view of todays events.
my very strong view is that there are dark forces at work.
Whether or not that is the case, outcomes are very clear.
non elected or "technocratic" governments.
Increasing big government in europe(fiscal integration etc).
"Austerity measures" for the forseeable future. (for ordinary people and those dependent on the state, not for the rich.)
And who knows what if it gets out of control.
I am very worried..I think we should all be very worried.
Perhaps good will come of it all..........

[Lateralthinking1]

On Calum's figures, it is funny how the earnings for the top 1% only go to 2005!!!! (Share of income 7.1 per cent in 1970 and 14.3 per cent in 2005 - it must be even more now).

Staggering to see the difference in the inequality gap between 1975 and now but I recall vividly the tax changes. I wanted the top rate to stay at 83% (this would be supported by less than 5% of the population today - 75% would think me insane.)

But then we were told that the rich would all leave the country and everything would go down the pan. And the truth of it is that everything has gone down the pan now at 50% with them here so that argument was a lot of old nonsense.

I note that in 2005 the top 0.1 per cent of earners accounted for a remarkable 5 per cent of total pre-tax income. Normally we hear that an increase in the top rate of tax would not be meaningful for the country because few people are in that bracket.

But this figure really exposes that untruth. Surely we must be talking about perhaps 25%-30% of earned income being in the top bracket? If so, that is a huge amount.

I am reminded of recent comments from Michael Moore about the US: "The 400 richest Americans are now richer than the bottom 50 per cent combined".