Sounds good at first, but gives the State complete power over the citizenry. Might be OK if the State is benign, but what if it isn't but gets taken over by control freaks with a social engineering agenda or either the right or the left?
I don't particularly see why it has to give State any more 'complete power' than it already has through the tax and social security systems.
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We are talking about a no strings attached, not even means tested , equal portion being gifted, of those much higher fossil fuel taxes, giving it back equally to everyone.
Some will really need it, others not,
(some might not choose to take up their portion, or possibly pass it on to charity instead but that's a side issue)
But the idea is that it massively and quickly shifts revenue in the direction of the less well off, who tend to use less energy anyway.
And via that spending alternative energy usage, and 'consimption' is encouraged to be more sustainable, both in industry and the home
Like I say it's been costed by that den of Marxists the IMF and apparently the figures add up..
This is frequently trotted out under the guise of 'fair' taxation, but at some point, if you exclude the hyper rich, it no longer becomes worthwhile to take risks with running a business or to 'improve yourself' by getting better qualified if ever increasing amounts of your money are taken by the State.
Well some mug had to go and say this. 🍺
It's not actually far from reality, in the company I work for I've known of people promoted to more senior management positions who have given up the promotion because the higher tax bracket their extra salary put them in meant it wasn't worth the extra hassle. Big increase in stress, generous increase in gross pay, petty increase in net pay. It's known as 'cold progression' here.
Conversely it can pay to reduce to a 4 day week as a 20% drop in gross pay entails only a 9% drop in net pay.
I understand that some folks don't want to take promotion and the higher status / responsibility with it, even if incentivised by money.
Maybe that's as it should be, if it doesn't suit them.
So then we can look at job sharing , shorter working weeks and spreading that load of greater responsibility between more people.
Rather than as if often the case now, having large numbers of people stressed by over work and too much responsibility, while others have all the stressors associated of being under employed.
I run two businesses which are both profitable.
I probably work quite hard by some peoples standards
But I don't overdo it.
I pay a reasonable chunk of tax each year, that's fine, I use and have used public services over the years, as have my kids, I will use them in the future, I should pay tax for these things while I'm able.
I wouldn't mind paying more for better services.
As it is 'our' gov is currently shamelessly spaffing, and stealing our tax money whilst trying to blame the poorest in society for the problems in society.
In collusion with the tabloid press they've got large cohorts believing that the already struggling are the ones to blame.
I have more than enough money to live on, am able to give some money to charity, and tithe some of my time to other socially useful work .
I wasn't put off starting my own businesses by the thought that if they were successful I'd have to pay more tax.
I don't think I'm really that unusual in any or all of the above
There is a certain culture of extreme selfishness lately promoted by certain political ideologies (Tories)
But in truth most people see the sense in paying a share towards the services from which we all ultimately benefit..
Even if not directly
