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[LC0112G]

I think that we all recognise Income Tax as being the general tax: you are being disingenuous!
As a Minister in TB's government, I plan to implement this policy, and dissenters will be culled by him.....

Ron.

I'm not being disingenuous. There was an almighty fuss made when Income Tax was first proposed - you're only 'happy' with it because you've never known any different and income tax rates are now much lower than they used to be earlier in your working lifetime. My view is that ALL taxes are general taxation.

In recent years (i.e. the past 40 or so) there has been a noticeable move from "Income Tax" to "User Pays" taxes. The basic rate was cut from 33% to 30% by MaggieT in 1979. It's now only 20%. At the same time the personal allowance (basically a 0% tax band) rose from zero to £1165. Next tax year it'll be £11850.

In 1979 Geoffery Howe increased the VAT rate from 8% to 15%. Other chancellors have fiddled with the rate since then, and it went up to 17.5% and it's now 20%. There have been persistent rumours that it'll go up to 22.5% sooner or later. The old pre 1973 purchace tax was 33.33% and when VAT was first introduced it was 25%.

VAT is the main consumption tax - basically "User Pays", but Insurance Premium Tax, Airport Passenger Duty, RFL, Fuel Duty etc are also "User Pays". You have a choice whether to buy these goods or not. I accept that whilst there is no VAT on most foods, the taxes imposed on transport do force up the cost of food products. But - there is nothing to stop you growing your own food, keeping chickens etc (although the landlord of a 5th floor flat may object  ).

[ronnyd]

What a world some of us live in.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Why is there an Excise Duty on petrol (or anything else) anyway?
As I have said far too often on here (sorry!), the RFL was ring-fenced specifically for road building - hence the name. Churchill, back in the 1930s, saw a source of revenue that helped keep general taxes down - a vote winner. It has been thus ever since.
If we espouse your "big pot" scenario, then let us remove all specific motoring-related taxes (RFL, fuel, CO2, etc.) and fund roads and infrastructure purely from general taxation; after all, everyone benefits from these resources.

Ron.

But what is general taxation? Income tax wasn't introduced till 1798 and was specifically in order to pay for the Napoleonic Wars. I don't think we're still at war with Napoleon or the French - officially at least. So why not scrap income tax and go back to what we had before it - Window Tax.

National Insurance was introduced to pay for the NHS and the State Pension. In reality it does neither.

Well referenced

It started to be levied in 1799 and has never left us, and never will unless the financial means of our country radically changes.

[Varche]

Roll on global institutions like google, amazon paying everyone a living wage including their meal bar allowances. There would be no need then for countries to levy taxes just to doff their caps.