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Janice Atkinson

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Ukip Is the Low Tax Party That Will Get the Economy Going

Posted: 31/01/2013 14:27

The UK tax system is over-complicated, made more complicated under Gordon Brown's tenureship at the helm of the Treasury.

Labour tied itself and us in knots in trying to prove it was the party of low taxation by giving the low paid a 10% entry level to paying tax and then cruelly abolished it.

They slyly and nastily introduced the 50% top rate of tax to prove to their voters that they were not the party that believed in free enterprise and high earners (the donations were starting to dry up at that point, so nothing to lose) and then called a General Election to goad the Tories from opposition about being the party of the rich if they tried to bring the rate down.

Osborne and co duly tied themselves in knots to prove they weren't and came in for much criticism and opprobrium from Labour and, disappointingly, disingenuity from their Lib Dem coalition partners when they reduced the top rate to 45%.

Labour gave with one hand and took back with another. They taxed the low paid highly but then gave it back in tax credits.The tax offices couldn't cope with the complexities and families were being penalised by over and under-payments, which meant that some found themselves in genuine financial difficulty when they couldn't re-pay the over-payments.

There is another way.

Ukip believes in merging income tax and national insurance into a flat rate income tax to greatly simplify our tax code, which currently stands at over 11,000 pages.

At the last election we opted to merge 20% basic income tax with 11% national insurance to create a 31% flat tax on all earned incomes over £11,500. As a tax cut for all, with a higher threshold, it would also take the poorest paid out of income tax altogether.

It would also mean abolishing the existing 40% and 45% (50%) income tax brackets, the latter actually costing the economy rather than taking in revenue.

For employers, Ukip aims to abolish employers' national insurance across a parliament to end the tax on jobs. This will undoubtedly boost employment and simplify the process of employing people.

We can afford this. As one of the two largest contributors to the EU budget, Britain now gives £50million per day to Brussels. Dave may try to persuade you that over 50% of our trade is with the EU. But we actually have a trade deficit and have had for years. Yet we have a trade surplus with the rest of the world.

By coming out of the EU we can afford a low tax economy, benefiting our citizens and economy. And the businesses will come flocking to our shores with increased employment opportunities.

 

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The UK tax system is over-complicated, made more complicated under Gordon Brown's tenureship at the helm of the Treasury. Labour tied itself and us in knots in trying to prove it was the party of l...
The UK tax system is over-complicated, made more complicated under Gordon Brown's tenureship at the helm of the Treasury. Labour tied itself and us in knots in trying to prove it was the party of l...
 
 
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10:17 AM on 02/04/2013
Quote: "At the last election we opted to merge 20% basic income tax with 11% national insurance to create a 31% flat tax on all earned incomes over £11,500. As a tax cut for all"

Tax cut for all? What about pensioners who don't pay NI or anyone who has savings and doesn't pay NI on the meagre interest earned? Come back and talk about tax simplification when you know something about the present system!

Quote: "We can afford this. As one of the two largest contributors to the EU budget, Britain now gives £50million per day to Brussels"

Ah yes this will solve all the UK's problems! Always quote the gross figure because it has the best chance to look significant. But is it? Try working out what it means in relation to the £2,000 million the government spends every day then halve it to get the real effect.
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Ben Wilson
Might as well laugh while you still can.
01:08 PM on 02/03/2013
You mean you will cut the tax for those already dodging it while giving the middle class a cut that amounts to pocket change over the course of a year. While of course upping the tax on the poor to make the middle class deal seem more fair. We've been there and done that thankyou very much.
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10:41 PM on 02/02/2013
Janice, the problem your party will inherit is exactly the same as the Tories and that is the state pension. Will it be for all , or those who have paid full contributions or paid in part to it. Your scenario will create chaos and lose votes. You have made a schoolboy/girl error in the political world and may soon regret putting pen to paper!
08:33 AM on 02/01/2013
I think that the leadership of Ukip should at least get themselves an 'A' Level in economics, for I seem to remember that reducing the number of markets in which to sell our exports has a negative impact on our income. It is farcical of them to discuss reforming National Insurance etc, when our national income will be drastically reduced by leaving Europe, and adopting their isolationist and nationalist policies.

Even though Ukip's ranks may well grow as a result of disenchanted 'Blue rinse' Tories, and middle class BNP supporters, they still have thankfully a long way to go, before they will be in a position to have real power, and Farage and his cronies will be caught out pretty soon, when people probe them on topics other than Europe and Immigration.
09:31 PM on 02/01/2013
Hmmm I think you need an A level in economics. UKIP wants to withdraw from the political union of the EU and renegotiate its membership of the economic community. It wants to keep its European market under a free trade basis in a similar way to Switzerland and Norway (which is likely to happen as Europe needs us more than we need them). Once we are free of the protectionist EU, we can retake our seat at the WTO and most importantly trade with the rest of the world on our terms not the EU's. China, India etc we need trade with these rapidly growing countries, we need to reestablish proper trade links with the Commonwealth.

UKIPs support is from across the political spectrum including Labour and the Lib Dem's. I was a former Lib Dem. Any person holding membership of the BNP or any other far right group is BANNED from joining UKIP.
07:12 PM on 02/03/2013
Yes, but have you noticed how so many in the media and elsewhere carefully try to mention both UKIP & BNP in the same breath, the same way as in tax-evasion and tax-avoidance ?
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barrysturn
Ut Veniant Omnes
10:24 PM on 02/04/2013
If you have a quick word with Dr. Who he may be able to arrange a trip into the past for you.
07:06 AM on 02/01/2013
LibLabCon - they dont like it up em!
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mediumal57
Moderate Extremist
03:17 PM on 01/31/2013
All this line of thinking proves is that UKIP for all their pretenses are just another Right of Centre Party. A sort of equivalent to Labour's more Socialist elements. In other words: Even bluer Tories.

For Low Tax read = greater profits for their mates, lower public spending, worse public services for most, except those that can afford to queue jump, deteriorating social capital i.e. trains and buses.

If the Tories are the Nasty Party - UKIP are The Selfish Party.
07:07 AM on 02/01/2013
That depends if you think simply throwing money at the client state is the solution.....
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mediumal57
Moderate Extremist
07:25 AM on 02/01/2013
The use of money is like anything else. There are seemingly wasteful ways of using it and there are what may be regarded as creative ways of using it. The political /economic arguments essentially to me seems to boil down to these three questions. Who is taxed?; How much money are they taxed? and What are their taxes spent on? Everything else is just polemics or if you want to be a little more generous, philosophical speculation. However it's the last bit which usually determines how those former questions are answered and therefore they are of paramount importance. It sort of defines each of us politically.
07:16 PM on 02/03/2013
Then how come so many (locally) ex-Labour voters are saying they cannot stand posh-boy Miliband and now support UKIP ?
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mediumal57
Moderate Extremist
07:21 PM on 02/03/2013
Maybe they haven't read UKIP's literatutre as closely as I have and are blinded by just one policy - i.e. exit from the EU. Personally I cannot hold myself responsible for the foolishness of others.