Higher taxes or higher tax revenue?

[L00b]

Recent article by Les Echos based on results of a FoI-like inquiry with the French tax office, reprised Le Nouvel Obs: 3 times more tax payers left France between 2011 and 2013 than previously, which translated as a tax income loss estimated at between €5.4bn and €7.4bn for the French government (attributable to the 0.3% of taxpayers who left...ouch! )

 

Official stats show that 10 % of households account for 70 % of income tax receipts.

 

In 2012, 16% went to Switzerland, then Belgium and the UK (12%), then the US (9%), Morocco (5%) and Italy (3%).

 

Contributing factors are the withdrawal of the 'tax shield' and the introduction of an 'exceptional tax' on wages over €250,000 in 2011, the introduction of a new 45% tax rate on wages over €151,000 and the announcement of the 75% tax by Hollande in 2012.

 

Posted for context and future reference.

Edited August 7, 2015 by L00b

[sgtkate]

About the only way to do tax 'properly' would be for the same tax rates in every country in the world, otherwise someone can always find a way to move money to minimise tax legally. That ain't NEVER gonna happen so it's always going to be about generating the most tax fairly while minimising the ability to 'offshore' it.

 

Bloody hard line to walk I'd say.

[RonJeremy]

About the only way to do tax 'properly' would be for the same tax rates in every country in the world, otherwise someone can always find a way to move money to minimise tax legally. That ain't NEVER gonna happen so it's always going to be about generating the most tax fairly while minimising the ability to 'offshore' it.

 

Bloody hard line to walk I'd say.

 

Good idea- we pick the country with the lowest tax rate and everyone matches it....

 

Slight hitch, one country just lower their taxes further to attract business and raise their total revenue.

[DrNorm]

Good idea- we pick the country with the lowest tax rate and everyone matches it....

 

Slight hitch, one country just lower their taxes further to attract business and raise their total revenue.

 

You have to remember that (if you're wealthy enough) tax rates are just one reason you choose to live in a country.

 

If Columbia reduced their tax rates to zero would that attract all the world's wealthiest people? (I choose Columbia as an example because of their high murder rate)

 

It's like many things in life - it's a balance.

 

Have we got the balance right on the top rate of income tax in the UK at 45%?

 

Probably.

 

Are we actually collecting everything that is legally and morally owed? In my opinion no. That's a far more important debate for the UK than whether we should raise the top rate of tax.

[*_ash_*]

You said it needs dealing with now. I just wondered why it should be now and if there was a reason for it. Did you mention it at all before any of the options I gave?

 

 

 

Where have I suggested or even implied that they are playing fair? I said the opposite, I suggested the ones that have made the news, for being unfair.

 

 

 

OK Sorry, I don't know about Apple's tax affairs, but it's well known they have some dodgy 'moral/ethical' work practices to help generate their huge profits (what's the difference really?)...

 

 

 

It's not really shame on you if you admit to using them[/b] (knowing their tax issues) as you have - that potentially makes you a hypocrite as none of them have the monopoly - The problem is exactly this though - there are millions and millions of people who are hypocrites (or people who don't care enough when it comes down to it), to not affect them. The information is there, and no one does anything about it. People don't care.

You see it as the government's fault, I blame the people.

You think a government should do something, I think people should, but it has to be a bit of both; for the latter, ideally I would say 20/80 would do it.

 

-

 

[Most] people are only outraged for a few seconds these days DrN. If on the news tonight it showed a huge phone company employing 8-10 year old shackled starving children, being whipped by old fat rich men in bowler hats to build their next phone, there'd be an outrage of disgust with millions of #hates.

 

- new xphone comes out tomorrow, and they'll all be out buying them, and though the outrage was just still felt in their distant memory of yesterday, this final bit of feeling would fritter away when they read on Twitter that Kim Kardashian tweets that she's bought one - so it must be ok

 

 

 

The 'outrageous word' part was quoting you, but obviously it's going on! Right from the top to the bottom.

 

bold:

 

Well I got the Twitter bit wrong.