Comments on: Should the 10p tax rate have been scrapped?

By: peter johnson

peter johnson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:27:16 +0000

My wife is a retired lecturer and has already felt the brunt of this disgusting tax change. She is now losing 51 pounds per month. Her teachers pension was only originally 139 pounds per month! We moved out of the country because we could not afford to live there. It seems that she will still be paying for the well off, even though she worked all her life and never claimed benefit. She was too angry to post this herself and has been a lifelong Labour supporter. NOT ANYMORE.

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:10:17 +0000

I seems that over-65 higher rate taxpayers will be paying more tax as a result of the U-turn. They will not receive the £600 change in tax allowance, but will be liable for the reduction in higher rate threshold.

By: Ross Llewellyn

Ross Llewellyn — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:40:09 +0000

I find it astonishing that the party has abandoned its roots and become gift aid for the wealthy. As labour member for many years i feel i must resign my membership. I live on state pension and a small personal pension the rise in tax has totaly wiped out my cost of living rise on both pensions plus i will be paying over £100 more tax than last year

By: Nancy Parrott

Nancy Parrott — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:46:44 +0000

I think that this 10 pence increase in tax is disgusting. I will be over £100 a year worse off, as I have a very small private pension, which was much reduced by insurance companies investing in stocks and shares as it was. It would have been better for me not to have saved to make provision for my old age. It is the lowest income familes who are not in receipt of state benefits who are suffering the most as a result of this change in the 10 pence tax payment. I for one am really angry that I shall be worse off by such a sum, especially as my electricity, gas, food and fuel costs are rising at an alarming rate, these expenses take up the majority of my expendable income, leaving me with no way of saving for emergencies.

By: pauld

pauld — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:02:55 +0000

someone was once sold out for twenty pices of silver.
brown will sell out his goverment for 10p.
from the 5 million voters with low income at the next
election.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:11:10 +0000

Brown and his supporters in the government are not only breathtakingly arrogant, they are dishonest. They bang on about lifting people out of poverty (but only those who fall in groups deemed worthy by this government, ie people who depend on state benefits). They do not even admit that the scrapping of the 10% tax for the poorest is an injustice. Why did Brown and his croonies not double income tax for everybody? Dishonest.

By: glenn

glenn — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:16:34 +0000

The introduction of the 10p rate was fine. It gave relief to those just above the personal tax threshold and ensured the low paid did not jump straight into a 22% tax band. So, a high personal tax allowance took the poorest out of taxation and the 10p rate gave relief to those just above it. At the same time the quite well off people paying tax at the standard rate or higher benefitted by having both of these allowances.
The problem now is that the quite well offs have the benefit of a reduced standard rate from 22% to 20% and this more than compensates them for the loss of the 10p tax band, which is wholly paid for by the 5.3 million of the poorest paid. This is unfair. The poorest do not benefit…they suffer.
There used to be a great claim in the 70`s and 80`s that the Labour Party had never reduced the standard rate of tax, only incresed it…it was after all the party of higher taxes. I regret to say that Gordon Brown is fighting old battles in his desire to reduce the standard rate to 20%, even at the expense of the poorest in the country.
It is good to know that he feels the poorest in the country can pay more while at the same time, through the Treasury, supporting the bail out of the banking system by putting billions in for the banks` bad debts, the very banks that got us in to the trouble we now face.

Well why are we surprised? Action is only now being taken because Labour MP`s are afraid of losing their jobs. Some have consciences, like Frank Field…good for him….but why only 39 prepared to sign an amendment to the Finance Bill? How can the others be prepared to let the Chancellor say he will look at the issue over the months to come, when all the time poor people are losing money? Do they think 5.3 million people will forget this matter when it comes to voting time? No wonder the population is disaffected with politicians. But I can assure you that the Government`s handling of this issue will get the voters out in droves..but not to vote for them.

By: Marc Hastings

Marc Hastings — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:04:39 +0000

There are always going to be winners and losers, and unfortunately this time it looks like it will be the lowest earners that suffer the most. I’m all for tax simplification, but is this the best way to do it?

http://www.thebusinesslounge.co.uk/index .php/10-tax-rate/

That article suggests that someone earning £7,665 would be the hardest hit.

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:43:04 +0000

I have been a supporter of Labour for years and years but not anymore, i am working 2 partime jobs ones i love and support the community, i pay base rate on the 2nd income and now loss of £28.00 per month on my taxable job.
The only people who are hit are the poor and low income bracket and with everything else going up, Mr Brown lives in cloud cuckoo land i do not get any benefits at all i own my own home with a mortgage and no dependants so how will i benefit……………i will not………..its a disgrace….

By: Marion Pope

Marion Pope — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:23:05 +0000

I did not vote for Labour at the last election but perhaps I can be blamed for this Government’s policies in some other way! I have a state pension and two small company pensions. My total income from all sources comes to less than £14000 a year and I qualify for Council Tax benefit. Although the press recognised the day after the Budget that the poor would be worse off, those MPs who supported the Finance Bill seemed to be unaware of this until the 11th hour. It was also claimed that pensioners would be BETTER off. Today I received notification of an annual increase in one pension but the tax for April is 50% more than it was for March, in effect a substantial REDUCTION of this pension. There has been no change in my tax code.