The American Catastrophe: Drug, Alcohol, And Suicide

[Fletch]

You mean if you pay taxes the government will provide some services?

So you're paying for what you're getting?

Is that how this works?

Mostly, but you seem to be paying twice for very little, if anything.

How much are you paying for what you are getting?

UK income tax rates and brackets for 2019-20

Tax Rate (Band) Taxable Income Tax Rate
Personal allowance Up to £12,500 0%
Basic rate £12,501 to £50,000 20%
Higher rate £50,001 to £150,000 40%
Additional rate Over £150,000 45%

No healthcare insurance, some things we are charged twice for. ie used to be part of national health, now not such as dentistry and glasses, though some NHS dentists still exist.

Many other public services have suffered from the increased cost, lesser service that is privatisation and some of the outsourcing companies have gone bust leaving vulnerable people without care or facilities. The taxpayer has to pick up the pieces of that, and the bill for it, whilst the company directors disappear in to the distance.

We also get a state pension at the age designated by government (it's gone up and is going up further)

Prescriptions are free for pensioners and children, some other groups as well. Seeing a Doctor is free, getting tests done is free, x=ray, cat scans and even the most complicated cases get treated without charge on the NHS.

It used to be far better here with council houses, free eye care, free dentistry and benefits at least keeping pace with inflation. That's all gone now and youngsters can't afford to buy a house these days. There used to be all sorts of public services, parks, youth clubs, swimming pools, libraries, job centres with actual real jobs advertised in them, good schools with playing fields. Now sold off for building and schools given to private edu-corps who are milking the system with no actual improvement. They too will end up having to be rescued by tax payers whilst the directors ride off in the sunset.

[Maddog]

You mean if you pay taxes the government will provide some services?

So you're paying for what you're getting?

Is that how this works?

Mostly, but you seem to be paying twice for very little, if anything.

How much are you paying for what you are getting?

UK income tax rates and brackets for 2019-20

Tax Rate (Band) Taxable Income Tax Rate
Personal allowance Up to £12,500 0%
Basic rate £12,501 to £50,000 20%
Higher rate £50,001 to £150,000 40%
Additional rate Over £150,000 45%

No healthcare insurance, some things we are charged twice for. ie used to be part of national health, now not such as dentistry and glasses, though some NHS dentists still exist.

Many other public services have suffered from the increased cost, lesser service that is privatisation and some of the outsourcing companies have gone bust leaving vulnerable people without care or facilities. The taxpayer has to pick up the pieces of that, and the bill for it, whilst the company directors disappear in to the distance.

We also get a state pension at the age designated by government (it's gone up and is going up further)

Prescriptions are free for pensioners and children, some other groups as well. Seeing a Doctor is free, getting tests done is free, x=ray, cat scans and even the most complicated cases get treated without charge on the NHS.

It used to be far better here with council houses, free eye care, free dentistry and benefits at least keeping pace with inflation. That's all gone now and youngsters can't afford to buy a house these days. There used to be all sorts of public services, parks, youth clubs, swimming pools, libraries, job centres with actual real jobs advertised in them, good schools with playing fields. Now sold off for building and schools given to private edu-corps who are milking the system with no actual improvement. They too will end up having to be rescued by tax payers whilst the directors ride off in the sunset.

How much are YOU paying?

[jra]

You mean if you pay taxes the government will provide some services?

So you're paying for what you're getting?

Is that how this works?

Mostly, but you seem to be paying twice for very little, if anything.

How much are you paying for what you are getting?

UK income tax rates and brackets for 2019-20

Tax Rate (Band) Taxable Income Tax Rate
Personal allowance Up to £12,500 0%
Basic rate £12,501 to £50,000 20%
Higher rate £50,001 to £150,000 40%
Additional rate Over £150,000 45%

No healthcare insurance, some things we are charged twice for. ie used to be part of national health, now not such as dentistry and glasses, though some NHS dentists still exist.

Many other public services have suffered from the increased cost, lesser service that is privatisation and some of the outsourcing companies have gone bust leaving vulnerable people without care or facilities. The taxpayer has to pick up the pieces of that, and the bill for it, whilst the company directors disappear in to the distance.

We also get a state pension at the age designated by government (it's gone up and is going up further)

Prescriptions are free for pensioners and children, some other groups as well. Seeing a Doctor is free, getting tests done is free, x=ray, cat scans and even the most complicated cases get treated without charge on the NHS.

It used to be far better here with council houses, free eye care, free dentistry and benefits at least keeping pace with inflation. That's all gone now and youngsters can't afford to buy a house these days. There used to be all sorts of public services, parks, youth clubs, swimming pools, libraries, job centres with actual real jobs advertised in them, good schools with playing fields. Now sold off for building and schools given to private edu-corps who are milking the system with no actual improvement. They too will end up having to be rescued by tax payers whilst the directors ride off in the sunset.

You'll have to give more detailed information about that, as you've made a rather generalized blanket statement there.

Regarding taxation. Have you factored in the average tax rates at source are lower in the US than in the UK, so look at their medical insurance as an indirect tax.

You also forgot to mention anything about VAT, National Insurance, Council Tax and duty charges that we all pay (between them) in the UK.

Basically, what I'm saying is the tax burden in the UK is higher than in the US (at least at first glance), plus on average they earn more (GDP/capita) than we do.

https://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/ ... ckets.aspx

US GDP/capita = approx $59,495
UK GDP/capita = approx $43,620

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... y_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

[banana chewits]

us v uk income tax & salary.

$75,000 us salary is approx £57,700 uk salary.

assuming all things equal for both us & uk earner this is the tax burden for the earner only (employer contributions not included)

in lucky old texas (with no state income tax) total federal & fica income tax on $75,000.00 amounts to 20.7% ($15,537.00) leaving a net salary of $59,463.00 (79.3%)

in poor old new york state, total federal, fica & state income tax on $75,000.00 amounts to 26.1% ($19,552.00) leaving a net salary of $55,448.00 (73.9%)

in the uk, total income tax & national insurance on £57,700.00 amounts to 28.1% (£16,218.12) leaving a net salary of £41,481.88 (71.9%)

the us pays a much higher rate of annual property tax than the uk pays in council tax, but the lucky us tax payer can deduct property tax and state & local general sales tax from their taxable income, unlike the uk.

happy to be corrected by maddog on this.

sources for generating income tax figures: us = https://neuvoo.com/tax-calculator/ & uk = https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php

[Maddog]

us v uk income tax & salary.

$75,000 us salary is approx £57,700 uk salary.

assuming all things equal for both us & uk earner this is the tax burden for the earner only (employer contributions not included)

in lucky old texas (with no state income tax) total federal & fica income tax on $75,000.00 amounts to 20.7% ($15,537.00) leaving a net salary of $59,463.00 (79.3%)

in poor old new york state, total federal, fica & state income tax on $75,000.00 amounts to 26.1% ($19,552.00) leaving a net salary of $55,448.00 (73.9%)

in the uk, total income tax & national insurance on £57,700.00 amounts to 28.1% (£16,218.12) leaving a net salary of £41,481.88 (71.9%)

the us pays a much higher rate of annual property tax than the uk pays in council tax, but the lucky us tax payer can deduct property tax and state & local general sales tax from their taxable income, unlike the uk.

happy to be corrected by maddog on this.

sources for generating income tax figures: us = https://neuvoo.com/tax-calculator/ & uk = https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php

All that sounds about right.

And we have a sales tax of about 8% as do most states. Food and medicine are exempt.