UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN says

Re:UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN... by chrisseaton on Saturday November 17, 2018 @07:20AM (#18475249)

> in that they want two divergent things, "better public services" and "low taxation"

They think this can be achieved be being more efficient (all the newspaper articles about NHS wastage and middle managers), and spending less money on things they don't want (overseas aid is a common example.) So the two things aren't necessarily at odds.

> unless you believe in trickle down economics!

I think a lot of people do.

> A more rational approach would be to want lower personal taxes surely?

I think a lot of British people see a large successful business as a virtuous success story, and so want them 'punished' less with less taxes.

(I'm not saying any of this is my opinion, but it's definitely what a lot of people here think.)

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Re:UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN... by raesene9 on Saturday November 17, 2018 @07:32AM (#18475294)

I'm not sure about the successful business piece. Look at the protests over tax dodging by companies.

I'd say that kind of attitude is common in the US, but less so in the UK.

Albeit I'm seeing things from a Scottish rather than English perspective, but I've not seen an appetite for lower company taxes..

My guess for continued support of this kind of policy is that people think other things are more important (e.g. brexit) + tribalism in voting habits (we've always voted that way round here) + of course the terminally broken FPTP voting system.

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Re:UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN... by repolfx on Saturday November 17, 2018 @01:24PM (#18476673)

Company taxes are being lowered because last time that was done, tax take went up not down. That is lower corporation tax = more tax revenue and it's revenue that matters.

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Re:UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN... by raesene9 on Saturday November 17, 2018 @05:58PM (#18477839)

for the UK? you got a citation for lower rates == increased revenue?

the only close example I can think of in the UK is the higher rate income tax band bit and that turned out to be clever accountants banking on the fact that a change in gov. would lower the rate so they time shifted income into the period where it was lower...

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