Comment on If the UK government proposed to increase tax by 1% and make trains free would you be in favour?

BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

No, there are other priorities. I want to see reform.of teh railways for sure, including renationalisation and a proper long term plan. HS2 should have been completed but not it’s too far beyond the scrapping to resurrect. But there are still lines that need electrifying and Northern Power House Rail makes economic sense.

I think renationalisation and increased subsidy for the railways is good but not free - people who use the railways should be paying to support it more than other tax payers, and international visitors also use the railways and should be contributing.

If we had a 1% tax rise it’d quickly disappear as we have a national deficit including a large amount of interest going to pay for the national debt.

Rather than income tax rises (which hit ypunger working people more than any other group) I want to see asset taxes that actually hit wealthy people, including the wealthier asset rich elderly who want to pass on their money to their children rather than pay for the expensive services they use (like the NHS). So I’d favour a property tax (that would also encourage people to downsize to houses they need instead of sitting in big family homes), and taxes on shares and other assets. It doesn’t have to be punitive, just fair.

Instead younger working people are subsiding the elderly in this country - the elderly are the wealthiest group, who got all the benefits of free university, free Healthcare, cheap housing etc which the younger generation have it tough, paid for university, pay exorbitant prices for rent or home buying. The wealthy elderly hide behind the sympathy people show for the poorer elderly; people who won’t be hit by an asset tax as they are asset poor and deserve to be subsidised and supported.

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