Australia to ban nic imports (on hold) well done aussies

[Hamish McTaxi]

Is the nhs your free healthcare system?

It's only 'free' for the unemployed, and illegal immigrants...

All working people pay 12% of their wages in National Insurance contributions, to go towards the running of the NHS. Opticians, dentists, and prescriptions cost extra, unless you're unemployed, or in the UK illegally.

 

[Jd_]

It's only 'free' for the unemployed, and illegal immigrants...

All working people pay 12% of their wages in National Insurance contributions, to go towards the running of the NHS. Opticians, dentists, and prescriptions cost extra, unless you're unemployed, or in the UK illegally.

Whats your avg tax rate there, just curious? Over here as just a single male who doesnt own property or kids so i get no deductions n i was in the top tax bracket paying a little over 35%.

 

[ForestMagpie]

Whats your avg tax rate there, just curious? Over here as just a single male who doesnt own property or kids so i get no deductions n i was in the top tax bracket paying a little over 35%.

Depends on how much you earn. Up to £12,500 it's zero, earnings from £12,500 - £50k are taxed at 20%, earnings from £50k to £150k are taxed at 40% and anything above £150k is taxed at 45%.

 

[Jd_]

Depends on how much you earn. Up to £12,500 it's zero, earnings from £12,500 - £50k are taxed at 20%, earnings from £50k to £150k are taxed at 40% and anything above £150k is taxed at 45%.

Heh, well, to be in the top tax bracket here all u have to do is make over something like 40k...probably close to £30k, after that its actually capped at a cetain point, i forget what the number is (because ive never made that much) but after like 200k u no longer get taxed on social security and possibly medicaid too, they account for easily 25% of our taxes and we have to pay em just like u do, but we dont get to have the medicare we pay for until we lose our jobs, or turn 70.

To be honest i dont understand why the government wants us to live longer, people dyeing young helps balance the books

Then again...we also get to keep any gold we find lying on the ground (i was amazed to learn the other day that if u find gold in england it automatically belongs to the queen)

Edit: and yes, if u r thinking 'wow thats wierd, after u start making a whole lot of money u stop getting taxed' yeah, it is, really weird.
And this is all coming from someone who is not an accountant so i only have a basic understanding of it, but thats how it is pretty much

 

[Hamish McTaxi]

Whats your avg tax rate there, just curious? Over here as just a single male who doesnt own property or kids so i get no deductions n i was in the top tax bracket paying a little over 35%.

Wow ! FFS, that seems high. Not sure where 'over here' is ?

Tax in the UK is compilcated, and it's banded, dependent on your salary, but I'll try and keep it as simple as possible. Nobody pays tax on the first £12,500 they earn. ($15,600).

Thereafter, it's banded -

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%

So, a single guy earning £25k, $31k, pays 20% tax on £12.5k = £2.5k + 12% NI contributions = £3k...Total is £5.5k tax on £25k income = 22%, if my maths is right. And you don't get charged for a visit to your doctor or hospital...yet.

Please correct me if I'm wrong POTV UK members...

 

[ForestMagpie]

@Hamish McTaxi that is correct. That is just the basic stuff though, if you are self employed or have deductions for various things it gets even more complicated. Also, NI contributions drop to 2% above £50k.
The US tax system @Jd_ seems set up for one purpose, tax the shit out of the common people and reduce tax for the rich. Ours is slightly different in that we tax the rich but we make it really fucking easy for them to hide money offshore and pay zero tax by being based in tax havens, we then don't chase them for bending the rules at all.
Erm if you find gold in the UK it's not quite that simple that it belongs to the queen. You have to share any finds 50/50 with the landowner, of which the crown owns a large chunk but if found on private property then you share with the landowner. There's also the treasure act to consider too.

 

[Hamish McTaxi]

Then again...we also get to keep any gold we find lying on the ground (i was amazed to learn the other day that if u find gold in england it automatically belongs to the queen)

Lol, where did you hear that ?

All of the swans belong to her, as does a certain amount of land beyond our coastal shore, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996.

We're a small island, which could fit within the state of Texas, with nigh on 70M people. Very , very difficult to find any treasure these days, even with our long history.

@ForestMagpie, ya bugger, you beat me to it, and you're spot on too.

 

[ForestMagpie]

Lol, where did you hear that ?

All of the swans belong to her, as does a certain amount of land beyond our coastal shore, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996.

We're a small island, which could fit within the state of Texas, with nigh on 70M people. Very , very difficult to find any treasure these days, even with our long history.

@ForestMagpie, ya bugger, you beat me to it, and you're spot on too.

I sometimes have to deal with these laws as they crop up in my line of work occasionally. I'm not a lawyer but access to land and land laws does appear in what I do as does our waterways and coastal laws.

 

[Hamish McTaxi]

I'm acquainted with Defra, SEPA, and waterways regulations, on account of being a qualified horticulturist, and the strict regs regarding the safeguarding and disposal of pesticides, and selective and non-selective herbicides.

 

[ForestMagpie]

I know those organisations well. I do project assurance for one of them, I mainly deal with projects for (and worked for for a decade) for the English equivalent of one of them