Local Income Tax

[novus ordo seclorum]

Now that I'm back from sunnier clime how about a wee debate?
Any views on the proposed Scottish National Income Tax, or Local Income Tax as El Presidente Alec so quaintly puts it (in an attempt to fulfil at least one manifesto promise)?
What have we been told so far?
1. Council Tax in Scotland will be abolished. (Bang goes our half billion a year Council Tax subsidy from Westminster then).
2. To fund our council expenditure, thereafter, those who earn a living in Scotland will pay 3% of their wages to Hollyrood who will then distribute it to the councils in the way they think fit – unless the slippery dems get their way in which case each council will not only collect the loot directly but also set their own rate of tax, (Whichever; sounds like good news for second home owners who make their living south of the wall).
3. The tax will only be imposed on “earned income”. (Good news for the idle rich who live off dividends and interest).
Okay, so not quite a Poll Tax but certainly one which hits the low to middle earners and really helps the seriously rich.
Most of us here pay about £1200 currently in Council Tax. Is 3% of the joint incomes in your household more or less than that? Will your rich (absentee or otherwise) neighbour pay zilch?
Vive la Republique and orff wiv their 'eads!
NoS
Returning sanity to all and challenging shankers to a duel. If you’re up to it old chap, eh?

[Jones]

Think I'll stay on benefits then. I'll happily let the middle income earners pay to keep me here. I'll just pretend I'm rich.

[Herby Dice]

On the face of it, I will pay considerably less than 1/2 of my current cooncil tax as LIT, as both myself and Mrs Dice are at the lower end of the pay scale, so on that basis I welcome it with open arms. Whether the LIT receipts at 3% will be able to fund the level of services we all demand remains to be seen, of course, but it is impossible to say. Both sides of the debate will lie, distort and deceive to prove either that we will all be rich as Croesus or doomed to a life of penury and want, depending the the particular agenda of the source.

Whether it is fair or not is another question. CT is manifestly unfair, as it constitutes a huge proportion of income for skint folk like me, and a mere annoyance for the better off.

[Seventhseil]

Will the Local Income tax be any more expensive than the council tax if every home in Scotland is revalued?? If as we are to believe house prices have doubled or trippled surely houses should have moved tax bands accordingly. And therefore council tax should be far higher than it is......

Acording to Wendy Alexander we should be thank full to the Labour party as we can now all afford houses, white goods,foreign holidays and cars thanks to them. Although this statement makes me wonder what century she inhabits....and also if she has read the newspapers in the last two weeks.

[DosCerveza]

I honestly beleive that a local income tax could be the death nell for Argyll and Bute. With the combination of low wages and high percentage of retired citizens doubled by the fact that there are many holiday homes, the prospect of considerably less money for Argyll and Bute Council would mean huge service cuts for us all. While many of us may well pay less the bigger picture could mean less to spend on roads/police/schools/health care/ food safety/ refuse disposal etc etc etc. Personnally I would rather pay more via the system we have to ensure better services but that has to be proportional to the impact you are likely to have on local srvices i.e the size of your house not your wallet. I made a live choice to live in a small house so that I could spend my hard earned money in the way that I want to, be that charitable or otherwise - its my choice. Why should I be punished for living in a small house? The concept of a local income tax may encourage folk to either not work or worse still not declare their earnings. A LOCAL INCOME TAX IS LOONACY FOR ARGYLL!

[longshanks]

Its good to be able to agree with two bellies...but I'm afraid it gets worse than CanU (ooops; another double personality exposed!) expresses.

LIT will hit the hard working middle income families. It's a tax on their hard work, not on their small houses.

The wealthy - hey, they can just draw interest and dividends and pay nothing; that's what their accountants are for.

The lower class; well no problem for them - they can live taxfree as they always have ie; benefits today, the workhouse in their ancestors time.

As always, we in the middle get stuffed, but who will burn down Trafalgar Square this time? Maggie must be laughing.

[Seventhseil]

Poor Shankers......must be hard being middle class, everybody looks down on you. You will have to retrain as a lawyer or a doctor or something.......

[longshanks]

Well sven; when they look past me they might see you just so long as you've crawled out from under your stone. Retrain? Surprised you know the concept - has el Gordo added that to the benefits which you live off and which hard working families pay for. Be grateful.

[Seventhseil]

Dearie Longshanks......living of benefits......if you are indeed a long dead king with a poofta for a son, then you would have a lot of experience living at the tax payers expence, being a royal and all.

[canUsmellthat]

Another double personality exposed, who else am I supposed to be then sherlank??? As for you always going on about your "poofter" son, perhaps it is thy living with virtual double personality syndrome, nay? Are you just testing the waters of the local seil forum as to their views on homosexuality in a bid to perhaps "come out" for real real??? Just do it, the world is a different place from when you were obviously young, free and gay....

[Seil Sally]

Calm yourself down matey!!

You really shouldn't get yourself so worked up otherwise you could be pigeon-holed as a disciple of that person.....

[khartoumteddy]

Everone though Tony B Liar was bad but now we are all
stuck with Fatty Brown(Parsimonious git)
who is going to have any left for LIT anyway.

If the answers Alex Salmond it must have been a ridiculous question.

I do know of one politician who is now honest he died last week.

Teddy :?:

[Seventhseil]

Any suggestions as to what question Wendy Alexander answers?

What do you get when you cross a Lumpsucker and a weeble? could be one

[khartoumteddy]

Many questions probably none to do with donations.
Weebles wobble but thet dont fall down
after all a termiological inexactitude isnt a lie is it?????????
Teddy