Comments on: 2010 Budget: Time to face the music http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2010/03/22/2010-budget-time-to-face-the-music/ Thu, 23 May 2013 11:09:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Oliver Chettle http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2010/03/22/2010-budget-time-to-face-the-music/comment-page-1/#comment-10529 Oliver Chettle Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:30:33 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/?p=6687#comment-10529 Tough decisions should not be unpopular. Politicians should not have to worry about adverse short term electoral consequences from making decisions that are in the best interests of the country. Unless the public changes its expectations of politicians, and allows them to show more resolution and vision, our current democratic framework will never deliver a national revival. Tough decisions should not be unpopular. Politicians should not have to worry about adverse short term electoral consequences from making decisions that are in the best interests of the country. Unless the public changes its expectations of politicians, and allows them to show more resolution and vision, our current democratic framework will never deliver a national revival.

]]> By: entitlementculture http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2010/03/22/2010-budget-time-to-face-the-music/comment-page-1/#comment-10528 entitlementculture Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:54:03 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/?p=6687#comment-10528 For any system of taxation to function effectively there is a basic requirement for it to be perceived by the general population as being fair, otherwise you inevitably end up replicating the pitifull tax regimes of Greece, Spain, Italy and a host of others, in which it is deemed a matter of honour and pride on the part of the local citizenry to evade as far as is humanly possible paying any form of tax whatsoever. Legislation in general and taxation in particular within the UK does not and never has rewarded the prudent and industrious middle strata of the nation, instead it tends to constantly penalise the aforementioned group with an ever increasing punative regulatory and taxation burden. A change of this policy is long overdue, however the likelyhood remains as distant as ever. For any system of taxation to function effectively there is a basic requirement for it to be perceived by the general population as being fair, otherwise you inevitably end up replicating the pitifull tax regimes of Greece, Spain, Italy and a host of others, in which it is deemed a matter of honour and pride on the part of the local citizenry to evade as far as is humanly possible paying any form of tax whatsoever.
Legislation in general and taxation in particular within the UK does not and never has rewarded the prudent and industrious middle strata of the nation, instead it tends to constantly penalise the aforementioned group with an ever increasing punative regulatory and taxation burden.
A change of this policy is long overdue, however the likelyhood remains as distant as ever.

]]> By: Dafydd http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2010/03/22/2010-budget-time-to-face-the-music/comment-page-1/#comment-10526 Dafydd Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:57:10 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/?p=6687#comment-10526 Alternatively move NI to local councils and abolish council tax and the business rate. Also, abolish tax releif on charitable donations. I don't want to subsidise other people's religion, and I'm pretty sure other people don't want to subsidise mine. There are many registered charities that compete with businesses, but on an unequal footing. Alternatively move NI to local councils and abolish council tax and the business rate.

Also, abolish tax releif on charitable donations.

I don’t want to subsidise other people’s religion, and I’m pretty sure other people don’t want to subsidise mine.

There are many registered charities that compete with businesses, but on an unequal footing.

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