Drunken Bungle Whore

The seatbelt thread got me thinking - everyone is always getting hot under the collar about how much tax money we'd save if people did this or didn't do that - so that's my question - how much could we save if we all lived perfect lives?

How much would we save from smoking related illnesses? Or would we pay more in general tax if everyone stopped smoking so there was no government revenue from ciggies?
How much could we really save from seatbelt laws?



Any suggestions...?

pugoetru

are you getting serious on us ?

Alas

It would cost more if we all lived perfect lives as I'm quite sure half the country would require places in mental institutions due to boredom.
Says he lighting up a cigar, putting on my seatbelt, reading the paper and trying to put a different CD on while doing 70mph on the motorway
Alas

Drunken Bungle Whore

Serious...? Me....? Nah.....

Just fed up of hearing the "we'd pay less taxes if..." bleatings - I'm keen to see if anyone can actually add a little more substance to their claims...

TelBoy

Ooooh, now you didn't have to patronise me with "bleatings" Beth. It's a mathematical fact of course. As for quantifying it - pick any number out of the air....

Drunken Bungle Whore

I only mentioned bleatings to get Daiscooby interested.

Patronising you is far too easy TB - I prefer more of a challenge...

TelBoy

Hehehehe - bring it on!!!

paulr

I'd like to see a tax introduced on maoaning about the level of taxation.
With the amount raised by Scoobynet alone,...well there's petrol tax abolished for a start...

..

Fatman

...quite a lot, I imagine. Also, think how much money would be saved if 'fast food' was made illegal. If it was made a legal requirement to take regular, meaningful, physical exercise - how would that change things? These would all result in a healthier, fitter population. There would be less illness, both serious and low-grade.

It won't happen, of course. People demand 'free choice' and the ability to harm their own health if they choose to do so.

ChrisB

Tax moaning and Uncle Buck could fund the nation for us

Brendan Hughes

But what about all the extra taxes required to police the new laws and to jail people who break them?

Drunken Bungle Whore

My point exactly - no one knows!

"I assume that..." "Anyone can see that..." Does anyone ever ask where the figures come from?

Reality is that we will never pay substantially less taxes. There'll always be a reason to recoup money from us for another reason. Road deaths down? More money needed for public transport. NHS over funded? Need more tax for pensions.

It really will never end....

Stevie

If people didn't drink, smoke or drive, I'd guess the lack of tax for the government would render them bankrupt!

Fatman

No, they'd just hike income tax to compensate.

dteagles

the answer of course is 42......

42 what though I am not sure!



Darren.

jasabz

Not racist but stop letting immigrants into the country would be a start then stop making it so easy for people to make fraudulent claims on the social services etc.I`m pretty sure that somewhere between those two statements , an answer lies to the biggest tax burden of all!!!
Is it Denmark where there is no unemployment benefit?? I`m sure it is which is why it has one of the lowest unempolyment figures in the world .
No work, no cash, no housing etc...........get up off your ***, simple answer!!
jas

pugoetru

they are trying to do something about the fraudulant claims but as you say it is still to easy

Fatman

Yep, that's one solution. Quite valid, and gives people an incentive to better their situations. Problem is we get tied up in the moralities and details.

What about Joe Average, who's worked and paid taxes his whole life. He's looking forward to retiring in, say, 5 or 10 years. Then he is a victim in an accident. If there's nobody directly or identifiably liable - there's nobody to sue. If he's unable to return to work - what then?

I agree that the Government should make a more concerted effort to stop illegal immigration (not asylum seekers). It's never black/white when dealing with benefit claims.

Leslie

I'm sure I have seen it stated authoritively that the tax extracted from smokers comfortably exceeds the cost of treating smoking related diseases.

I don't smoke

Les

paulr

Tax moaning and Uncle Buck could fund the nation for us

Just England or is that including Wales and Scotland too?

Badger Stuffer

Corner tax?

Diesel

Jas - it certainly isnt Denmark that has no unemployment benefit!

They look after you there if you hit hard times for a bit - kind of a reward for paying taxes for many years... You get almost full pay if you are a teacher for e.g. They cap it - but cap it high. None of this UK £49 a week crap when you been paying £2k a month tax & NI for 10 years but just got made redundant ...

D

Drunken Bungle Whore

If you were completely broke would you pay Brass Tax?