All taxation is theft.
 

The state has absolutely no right to our money, and should generate its own.

So, given the massive security response after Manchester, how much should each concert goer have to cough up to pay for it?

If the state had to generate its own income instead of stealing ours, perhaps it wouldn't be so careless about the amount of "hope and change" it forces on other parts of the world, such as Libya.

If the state is to exist at all then, and there is no taxation, then it must fund itself charging for services provided. So, every road becomes a toll road, every call to the police or fire department comes with a fee. And those are just local services. How do you plan to fund national needs like defense? Unless you think the world is ready to play nice with each other? The events of the past week seem to say that's not the case.

I don't like paying taxes either, but unless I see some kind of viable alternative, they are here to stay.

I would start by severely slashing the services that the state provides. I'm sure industry, employers, would jump at the chance to cut out the middle man and provide for a well educated, well trained and healthy population to recruit from. The state has failed in this regard, and exists solely to leech blood from both business and the individual.

I'd get rid of foreign aid payments. Crown resources would only be expended abroad in the event of natural disasters, at request for assistance from the government of any territory in need of help. I would also end immediately any payment to the European Union.

See? I've saved billions in administrators already! I bet the trade unions are already plotting my death!

As for the rest, well, if our head of state, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, asserted her rights to, well, every thing, she could pay contractors to extract our vast untapped oil, gas and coal resources, and sell them. I expect the tree huggers are also plotting my death now, but so what? The money raised could then be used to fund security and military services which are sworn to protect her any way. If we stopped squandering our military resources on providing the rest of the world with hope and change, Bush/Obama/Blair/Cameron style, there might even be enough left to take care of the most vulnerable in our society.

Or we could just carry on paying the political class to do a really shit job of every thing on our behalf....

Trump has just got a bill through cutting taxes in the USA, whilst local authority ombudsmen in the UK want taxes increased so they can increase spending...

Merry, or miserable, Christmas.

I like the Swedish model, where they pay high taxes but all their needs (health, education and lots more) are provided comprehensively. It cuts out greedy corporations as well.

Sweden eh? My understand is that IKEA are the latest company being investigated for tax avoidance. So much for cutting out "greedy" corporations!

The HMRC has decided to apply retrospectively inheritance tax to private individuals that donated to EU referendum campaigns.

If successful it is the donors themselves that will have to pay the tax. It is being described as an attack on democracy, and a form of punishment for Brexiteers.

Of course, individuals that donated to the remain campaign would also have to pay the tax, but oddly enough remain donors were largely business' which don't have to pay inheritance tax, whereas leave campaigns were funded largely by private individuals.

It's a scam designed to make the rich richer. Working people will get a small reduction in some taxes, it's the rich who get the most out of this.

Obviously people with less to begin with will see smaller gains than people with more. Let's go back to those greedy corporations. Of course they want more of the money they make, and for government to steal less and redistribute it. It gives them more opportunities to invest their money in making more money. Investment means jobs and goods and services, which means more money for every one.

You are aware aren't you, that most money isn't made of paper or metal? That it comes in to being when banks lend it? If it were left to governments, there literally would be no money left because they would have taken it all.

Just as it has been announced that changes to the way that local authorities tax business led to those authorities sending bailiffs to seize goods from 40 000 business in England and Wales in 2017, Theresa May has announced that she wants to extend the plastic bag tax to all retailers.

Sky News website are describing the almost immediate way in which employees are benefitting from these tax cuts with bonuses and significant wage rises, as well as some large companies pledging to increase charitable donations.

Though I suppose some might argue that if government did “its job”, there would be no need for charity, eh? So much for trickle down economics not working!

Can you give examples of those "significant" wage rises?

If I could find the article again, I'd give it to you verbatim. However we're talking dollars an hour rather than cents. Of course, not every one is benefitting from these tax cuts, I doubt if people working in bars for example are getting much out of it. Then again, some of those receiving pay rises might find themselves being more generous with tips when they go out for a meal or drink. The bonuses mentioned included $1000 and $2000, so hardly small change.

It's the same in most parts of the world. Bar workers, hotel/motel workers get paid peanuts and most can't even afford basic health insurance.

Bar work is foolish as a long term career move. My niece does bar work. She had an apprenticeship with a hair dresser, and jacked that in to go back to bar work. Then spent months complaining about zero hours contracts, and her hourly rate.

Then she got a job with a major retailer, promotion, put on a good career path to management, and guess what? Yep! Jacked it in to go and do bar work.

So she is back to complaining about her zero hours and hourly rate, the bunch of cunts that pay for the food and booze she serves so that she can have money for makeup and tattoos.

It is baffling to me. I can understand doing it if you need to earn money whilst at university, or just a part time job to make a bit of extra income for the home. To give up a perfectly good career for? No.

Bar work pay in the USA varies wildly. I know some guys getting less than $9 an hour. I also know a woman who was getting over $30 an hour a couple of years ago, which is fine if she could stand getting her ass groped every evening.