Our worst suspicions have been confirmed. The British Chancellor Gordon Brown is suffering from SARS (Severe Acute Robbery Syndrome) but every time he sneezes it’s the rest of us who catch the cold:
Pay increases in the private sector have slumped and are not enough to cover Gordon Brown’s tax increases, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed yesterday.
Economists were alarmed by the news as it could make the recent downturn in high street spending prolonged. It may also be politically significant, especially for Mr Brown.
The last time millions of voters had their pay packets cut because of tax increases was in 1974, when the then chancellor Denis Healey put 3p on income tax. Over 21m people currently work in the private sector.
I don’t know how many people work in the public sector but I do know that the number is much higher than in was in the early 90’s. Since 1997 especially, the ratchet of taxation (both direct and indirect) has gradually been cranked up to fund a staggering growth in government. The Labour Party’s natural constituency, the middle-class kleptocracy, has been showered with money and perquisites as a reward for their loyalty while, even now, they moan interminably about a ‘lack of resources’.
Meanwhile, the 21 million wealth creators have sadly bought the lie that only by accepting an ever-increasing burden can their lives improve. These Atlases may soon want to shrug and give their allegiance to a genuine tax-cutting, government-shrinking political party.
Sadly, we don’t have one in this country.
With a new tax slugs fresh in voters minds,the upcoming council elections may prove interesting,to say the least.
Since the Fourth Reich/Euroland requires tax equalisation,they may also wish for unemployment parity and commonality in economic activity so no one zone may enjoy some sort of unfair advantage.
Worse still for Britian,if PM Mosely-Blair’s upcoming Euro vote goes against him,he is likely to have Master Brown slap on another tax increase just in spite.
Are there any goods or services where a voluntary boycott would worry a government hoping for an upturn?
Are there soft areas we could target?
Why do we always complain about taxes?How else is one going to pay for the stuff to liberate Iraq.
Seveal commentators on this site seem to want to wage war at no cost. Guns, soldiers and bombs (etc) cost money. Very few if any contributors to this site actually offered their services to the coalition forces in Iraq. Many of our young and more motivated citizens were prepared to lay down their lives and some did. And what did the various contributing authors do – basically enjoyed the show and rattle their virtual war medals. Now the show is over no one wants to pay the cost of the performance. Armchair generals, or what.
To work effectively armies need food, housing, schooling, health care and pensions and a lot more besides. So, citizens of Airstrip one, if you want an army that can perform as seen, pay up or shut up.
Or has anyone a better idea. I’m willing to listen if one exists…
Well Mr. Mad Dawg: it all comes down to ‘what is the legitimate role of the state’. Of course the anarcho-capitalists would say ‘none’. But the minarchists such as myself would say ‘law and order and military’: strip away everything else and the tax levels go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down to at most 25% of current levels and very probably far lower. It is ‘entitlements’ which really suck modern nations dry, not military spending.
These Atlases may soon want to shrug and give their allegiance to a genuine tax-cutting, government-shrinking political party.
Of course, they’re also all welcome over here across the pond. I’m sure they’d appreciate W’s “tax cut for the rich” (as the left puts it), and we could use some more people who speak English as it is meant to be spoken.
What?
Get the soldiers to pay for their own guns, bombs, tanks, housing, education health care and pensions?
Even though it might be popular with the pacifist left, I don’t think it is a particularly brilliant suggestion, or a viable one.
Next, please.
“I don’t know how many people work in the public sector”
David, the current number is about 7 million, believe it or not. So every three taxpayers are supporting one tax-eater. I imagine this is the worst figure ever seen in Britain (since it gets worse every year!) but it is probably not as bad as the figure for, say, Italy.
No doubt tax “alignment” will come to our rescue and the number will grow even bigger before long.
As for Mad Dog, he needs to check how little of our money actually does go towards defence, as opposed to welfare and (other) general waste. Do your own research on that one. It is a surprisingly small percentage.
barker… what on earth are you talking about? the only thing the state should be pilfering us for is paying squadies and running law courts
Perry, Orcbraeth never misunderestimate me!
I agree that there is a great deal of sense in the minarchist position as described by Perry. I often hold this position in debates as it is the least intrusive starting point from which to present libertarian arguments. But just recently I was “clusterbombed” by the intellectual left while partaking in a debate.
True to style, I had occupied the high ground and formed line ready to repel the advance of the approaching communist columns. The open skirmishes were as expected, easy socialist arguments being identified and targeted. But then in a unexpected turn I came under fire from a direction from which I had received no intelligence reports.
Their line of attack was as follows:
Soldiers demand good equipment, good support and a good life style. Being mercenaries they’ll go elsewhere if they don’t. They rarely want to be less well off than their peirs in, say, America. Certainly they want similar expensive equipment if not the lifestyle.
(Well, yes…)
So we must pay and provide for our army to keep it on par with other armies (or why have it). This would in most cases raise the level of living of the average soldier above that of his fellow country man.
(Well, maybe. But they give their lives not just take money….)
Yes, but why should anyone pay to keep their governments agents in a better lifestyle than themselves. The whole point of any, even minimal, state aparatus is that it should improve the indeviduals lot. If it doesn’t why should anyone partake in it…. What exactly would we be defending by this exercise if not the ability of others to live a better life at our expense?
—- wow where’s the radar when you need it —-
Hmmm. In a moment of hesitation I formed square and took the wheels of the guns. These are very technically sophisticated arguments to which I had no immediate reply.
However one exists I am sure. Libertarians, where is it?
Mad dog,
I could have laughed myself “horse” you old fool, did Sandhurst teach you nothing?
The root of your problem is that “forming square” is only much use against cavalry. And the cavalry are not coming for you for some time yet! Put the cannon in front of the columns and use chain shot.
That should sort it. Anything else – just ask!
P.S. Tactical manual says, “put wheels back on first”, might help.
David, Perry and Mark,
There is a brilliant opportunity here for the IRA to bring about its “wished for”dream of removing British control from Irish soil.The IRA has an extended logistics operation around the world that would better serve them as being a supplier of “products” that the average working stiff is being priced out of.And I refer to “products” that are legally available currently.
Yes yes, I know this is wishful thinking on my part as to even the likelyhood of the various “sects” of the IRA becoming a cohesive single group.But even the concept of the IRA, of all people, becoming the provider of low cost “indulgences” to the masses while at the same time turning PM Mosley-Blair’s operation into a Pariaher State as it tries to ring an ever decreasing amount of revenue from a dwindling product flow, without a single shot being fired, would have to leave someone errr….smiling.
And then watching Labour MPs trying to explain to the masses why they should be paying higher taxes as the quality of government enforced monoply services provide increasing poorer and dwindling services.
And of course with a flourishing trade, they could help out those poorer unemployed fisherman by filling up their holds with rubbish and sailing into British Ports further tying up HM Customs Service,and also on to the continent as well.
This, of course, would end up being the ultimate smack in the face from the Irish to the British as the Irish Government is not likely to stop the money flowing into Ireland, besides, giving them further incentive to dump the Euro…….what a hoot !!!