The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[Mrk]

there was a bit in one of the papers this morning, saying that low pay and low wage rises not going up in line with what the goverment expected had cost them 33 billion last year alone.
Wonder if thats what prompted dodgy dave to say last week, that the country deserves a pay rise , or maybe its just the election being around the corner, bet the bosses thought, get to fook dave who do you think you are kidding, have a few bob for the party and let the plebs eat cake.

I don't think it's any secret that wages haven't risen as expected - we've seen businesses focus on employing more people instead of employing less and giving existing employee's pay rises - so while tax receipts haven't risen as fast as they expected, unemployment has dropped significantly faster than expected, so they've made savings there.

As for Cameron talking about a pay rise - that's just electioneering.

 

[Del]

I don't think it's any secret that wages haven't risen as expected - we've seen businesses focus on employing more people instead of employing less and giving existing employee's pay rises - so while tax receipts haven't risen as fast as they expected, unemployment has dropped significantly faster than expected, so they've made savings there.

As for Cameron talking about a pay rise - that's just electioneering.

But why don't they just put the min wage up to £18 an hour

People would have more to spend and the economy would benefit

 

[Mrk]

But why don't they just put the min wage up to £18 an hour

People would have more to spend and the economy would benefit

Because 'those' people don't deserve £18 an hour.

 

[daylightrobber]

I'd love to know how making people on low incomes pay less tax doesn't help them...

If you are already earning below the income tax threshold, raising the threshold isn't going to save you a penny.

 

[tsubaki]

But why don't they just put the min wage up to £18 an hour

People would have more to spend and the economy would benefit

The problem is that the economy probably wouldnt benefit, wages at the low end have to be kept low or even more firms will decamp to those parts of the world where they can get away with paying very little. In any case, the main problem with regards to wages is that executive pay is and has been for the past twenty years totally out of control, and now bears very little resemblance to what they actually do.

 

[Mrk]

If you are already earning below the income tax threshold, raising the threshold isn't going to save you a penny.

We clearly have differing opinions of what 'low income' is, then. Personally, I think people earning £10-15k have low incomes when you consider that the average wage in the UK is £26k.

What counts as a low income to you?

 

[Del]

Because 'those' people don't deserve £18 an hour.

Yes they do mate

Stop being elitist

 

[Milk]

But why don't they just put the min wage up to £18 an hour

People would have more to spend and the economy would benefit

Because everything else would rise in line.

It's all about maintaining margins - what you'd get with one hand, you'd give back with the other.

 

[Toffeelover]

HMRC cuts

One of the things that really puts the Tory rhetoric on combating tax-dodging into perspective is the fact that they have ruthlessly cut the number of HMRC staff working to recover tax from high net worth individuals. Not only does this totally undermine their "tough on tax-dodging" rhetoric, it's also a display of economic illiteracy because cutting the jobs of tax investigators who recover far more than their salaries in unpaid tax each year is almost the definition of a false economy. [source]

A very good post, well done. But on the subject of HMRC. It was under Labour that the two departments were merged back nearly a decade now. Subsequently many jobs were lost due to this. Following that under Labour there was a huge reorganisation whereby almost all local tax offices were closed. Existing staff were left with a choice, Resign, Early retirement or move to a bigger more centralised office which for them in the majority of cases would mean a round journey of upto in excess of 50 miles. The result of this was a huge loss of staff amounting to thousands.

Ask your self where is my local tax office where you can go and see some one.

BTW under Labour the DSS was reoganised on similar lines and there was a loss of staff.

 

[Toffeelover]

https://kittysjones.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/a-list-of-official-rebukes-for-tory-lies/

I am sure there are similar articles condemning Labour, Lib Dems, UKIP, Greens.

 

[Del]

Because everything else would rise in line.

It's all about maintaining margins - what you'd get with one hand, you'd give back with the other.

It doesn't make sense though mate, Just up the min wage and everyone would have more money

 

[Goat]

£18 an hour.

lollollollollollollollol

 

[Seanjd]

The problem is that the economy probably wouldnt benefit, wages at the low end have to be kept low or even more firms will decamp to those parts of the world where they can get away with paying very little. In any case, the main problem with regards to wages is that executive pay is and has been for the past twenty years totally out of control, and now bears very little resemblance to what they actually do.

Why should we pander to major companies who want to pay their work force the minimum wage? Let them go.

 

[Goat]

Why should we pander to major companies who want to pay their work force the minimum wage? Let them go.

Yeah, let them go and take their 000s of jobs with them, then if anybody gets lippy, we let them go as well, its not like we need millions of jobs, who needs it?

 

[Seanjd]

Yeah, let them go and take their 000s of jobs with them, then if anybody gets lippy, we let them go as well, its not like we need millions of jobs, who needs it?

So we let morally bankrupt major company owners dictate? I hate the argument that we cannot force them to pay their work force more money or they will move abroad.