Mail.
George Osborne was accused of ‘insulting’ middle-class voters last night after claiming that making them pay higher tax rates is ‘good for them’ because it makes them feel successful – and more likely to back the Tories.Now I suppose there could be some idiots out there who might regard reaching the 40% of your earnings stolen margin out there a sign of success, I meant it does mean you're getting past £40K+ .
Conservative MPs were stunned when the Chancellor made the explosive remark at a secret meeting at his Downing Street office, the contents of which have been leaked to The Mail on Sunday.
The disclosure came as Mr Osborne is poised to announce a Budget boost for the low-paid by raising the threshold for income tax to £10,500, while rejecting pleas to stop more middle earners being dragged into the 40p tax band.
MPs at the meeting reacted with horror when he told them: ‘Let’s not forget there are advantages in more people paying tax at 40p.
‘It means they feel they are a success and joining the aspirational classes.
'That means they are more likely to think like Conservatives and vote Conservative.
'If they are paying 40p tax they have a greater interest in cutting Government spending because they are paying for it. All the polling evidence suggests I am right.’
But only a politician would think along the lines of those people welcoming having 40% of their earnings being grabbed by the government and pissed up the wall on various projects.
People might very well have an interest in cutting government spending, but only if they see the direct results of this and those results are not yet forthcoming, particularly as what they gain in the proposed tax relief is pitiful. Nor whilst those on minimum wage still pay tax are those tax cuts going to be enough.
Also a politicians idea on cutting government spending is never going to match my or others ideas on cutting government spending. I'd get rid of foreign aid, quango's fake charities, gut the NHS and others of middle managers and cape the rate at which town halls can pay an executive at that of the prime minister.
But no politician will do that in the mainstream parties, they just joke about people being glad to reach a higher tax bracket...
4 annotations:
Fiscal drag is just another stealth tax.
I actually think that Georgie isn't a bad chancellor - shame he has to ruin it by opening his gob!
Its not just the income tax though is it ?!?!? You have both employee and employers NIC. You have VAT (thanks EU). You have stamp duty, inheritance tax, various duties of fags, fuel and alcohol etc. The list actually goes on and on. And for what exactly ? For some upper-crust nonce who dodges paying his rail fare to pontificate on the virtues of keeping parasite like him in employment.
And they wonder why we hate them so much !
Income tax is one that I can control and I do. I make damned sure they don't get to steal 40% of it by not earning that much.
And if Osborne really thinks that having 40% stolen from me by those avaricious bastards will make me feel successful he is sorely mistaken. And if he thinks that will make me more inclined to vote for his morally bankrupt party he is on another planet. I expect Conservative governments to reduce tax across the board. Clearly, the socialism bug has bitten deeply with the current shower.
I would have been grateful for a personal tax calculator. Something online where you can enter gross and net monthly salary, details of car, smoking and drinking, as well as VAT able expenditure. I'm pretty sure that a smoking, drinking non driver grossing less than 30k would be taxed at somewhere in the region of 75pc. Drivers even more. I suppose it's our own fault for relying on currency rather than money.
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