You pay 50% tax? How exactly do you manage that? Do you mean 50% income tax or are you including all taxes that you pay directly and indirectly? Because if you are talking about income tax and direct taxes alone – like TV licence, VRT etc – then I find it hard to believe you pay 50% of your income to the tax man. Maybe 50% on overtime but on your average income I doubt it is 50%.

He didn’t specify what kind of tax but anyone with half a brain can work out what he means!!!

Work it out so Dec…
I presume you have 50% of a brain (as you imply)…

The implication is that you have less than half a brain my mono chromatic friend!

I understood the implication…but to help you out, with my less than half a brain (as you state Dec) I will give the calculation a go.
Since I do not know Charlie I will take an imaginary person with an income of 50000 (chosen so as to make the maths easier, just in case my half brain struggles)
I will make this imaginary person single (so that he pays the maximum income tax).
Income levy: 2820, PRSI: 1740, PAYE: 7990, Property Tax 100, Motor Tax 400, TV Licence 160
Total tax: 13210
Remaining Income 36790 (of which 5660 goes to a pension, leaving 31130 euro)
Lets say all this money is spent: 5000 at 0% VAT, 5000 at 9%, 5000 at 13.5% and the remainder (16130) at 23%
Total VAT: 0+450+675+3710=4835
So in summary
Total Income: 50000
Pension: 5660
Taxable Income (T.I.): 50000-5660 = 44340 (we can call this 100% of T.I.)
Total Tax: 18045 (40.7% of T.I.)
That is over 40% not over 50%…
Have I forgotten 4123 euro of tax (9.3% of T.I.) somewhere?
Of course if Charlie buys a lot of fuel (e.g. if he is a truck driver) or if Charlie smokes and drinks a really serious amount then we could find 4000 euro of duties etc but even then it would be a push so I guess that it is fairly unlikely that he pays more than 50%.

Wow, ok so maybe you have more than half a brain, but you are missing my sacasim! He’s generalising, your assuming figures that suit your statement… Go back and try work it out some figures to suit his statement and get back to us! Big Brains Brad! :)

The government is spending 13bn more on PS pay, SW and Capital spending than it gets in taxes.

This idea that people cling to that Irish Taxes = Paying debt interest + PS pay + SW + Capital spending is just bullshit.

Irish Taxes + Troika borrowing (13bn) = PS pay + SW + Capital spending.

All the debt stuff is paid for out of yet more borrowing from the troika.

And of course people think all Irish debt is bank stuff, when it´s something like 70bn banks, 110bn from the government spending more than it can afford.

Take away the troika borrowing and you´ve got an interesting black hole to fill.

:) Thanks for retracting the insult Dec, it is much appreciated. Unfortunately even with more than half a brain I do not think I know enough about the high flying lifestyle etc of a person that would be paying 50% tax. Nevertheless I tried my best to find such a virtual person and you will be glad to know I succeeded :)

They would have to earn a lot and spend a lot but it is possible. Using a similar calculation as above the person would have to be earning something like 100,000 euro per year. Assuming total pension payments of 14112 that would leave them with a taxable income of 85888 on which they would pay 35081 in income taxes (incl. PRSI etc; i.e. 41% of their taxable income) leaving them 50800 euro to spend as they wish. And, if they spent all of it then they would indeed have paid almost exactly 50% tax with respect to their income.

Now, if such a person exists, then God bless them since they are driving this economy selflessly. However, I guess that such people are not at all common. Not just because of how much they would have to earn but because of how much they would have to spend and how they would have to spend it. If they owned a house with a mortgage (which I guess would be very likely) they would only be paying tax of about 49% of their taxable income (even when you include the stamp duty etc.) and this % would decrease even further the larger their mortgage is and even more rapidly if they are placing any of their money into savings or shares.

So, back to my original point, I find it hard to believe that someone is paying tax which is equal to 50% of their taxable income.

If you add up all the taxes you pay every year , you would pay over 50% to the state . The property tax would be fair if we didn’t pay so many other stealth taxes . Yes we are one of the only countries that don’t have a property tax but we are also the highest payers in other taxes .

No stranger than Enda saying we should!!!

I don’t believe Enda has any massive debt to the banks.

I find it a bit two face of unions to blame everything on banks/politicians , during the good times unions were just as greedy as banks when it came to union pay rates and that was a big part in construction/housing costs increasing way beyond inflation .

No Gary. The only thing massive about Enda is his salary and expense budget. It’s only massive…

Sure Réada. But that has nothing to do with the comment Rory made about Mick Wallace not paying his huge debts to the banks.

I know Gary. That’s why I addressed it to you and not to Rory. ;)

Réada I responded directed to your comment on what Rory said. If you want to talk about the price of tea in China then this isn’t the right place for right either.

right place for that either…

As well as Mick not in the habit of paying his taxes, does he ever change his clothes..

Half a billion in ten years Jack?, where’s the loot?.

How is that a foot in both camps? They digagree with it, thertefore they want it suspended. They disagree with it, there fore the encourage non-registration/non-payment.

A union can’t advocate law breaking. Is there a belief that the government will not pursue people who don’t pay? I would not count on that. Having said that siptu makes a good suggestion.

@toorkeel
Mick Wallace is an MIP special agent

Why are they jumping on the bandwagon now? SIPTU are nothing more than a well organized gang! Their hasn’t been a peep out of them for months! This of course is all related to Croke park. A proper workers union should have been first in line protesting against the household charge. Private sector SIPTU members are wasting their money. Unions, especially SIPTU are only interested in the handy work that the public sector provides! They’ll be begging private sector workers to march and protest when the Croke park agreement’s eventually torn up. SIPTU have finally woken up to that inevitability, hence the sudden rush to support the little people again!

Neil Kettles
You said it . They are afraid they will be left behind ….
They are an absolute disgrace to the name UNION.
Why are they not supporting the workers of this country ,
And the pensioners, andthe unemployed.?
Sitting on the fence still.
Maybe they should come out and give a definitive answer ,.
God forbid they should lead from the front .
They make me sick , Useless shower of Cowards . They
should have been the first to condemn this charge as out of order.

Sticks anmd stones Mark …Sticks and stones :) :)

This isn’t a property tax it is a flat rate poll tax.

There us little doubt it’s a forerunner to a full property tax but I think we’re really splitting hairs here as it’s only paid by someone who owns a property.

In other countries where ”property” tax is paid ,there are returns on your payments , such as bins collection,clean water , decent roads , decent local amenities, clean roads and estates, etc.,.

Not from 100 euro they’re not

It’s a sustainable tax on wealth so I totally agree.

The household charge is not a property tax.

I see… so how many people outside of those who own a property pay it?

God David your a brave man admitting your membership of both the Labour Party and Jacks Army!

David, are you as disappointed with the Labour Party?

Why would he be, for all rhetoric a property tax is a tax on wealth. As a lefty he should applaud that. I think the issue with some lefties is they think the magic fairies will pay our bills.

Good of you to answer for him Gary. In an ideal world property tax is a tax on wealth. This is neither. The first thing to do when paying off bills is to prioritise them in order of importance. Anglo bondholders don’t make my list.

I’ll quote Neil’s post below as it explains it quite well.
“The government is spending 13bn more on PS pay, SW and Capital spending than it gets in taxes.

This idea that people cling to that Irish Taxes = Paying debt interest + PS pay + SW + Capital spending is just bullshit.
Irish Taxes + Troika borrowing (13bn) = PS pay + SW + Capital spending.

All the debt stuff is paid for out of yet more borrowing from the troika.

And of course people think all Irish debt is bank stuff, when it´s something like 70bn banks, 110bn from the government spending more than it can afford.

Take away the troika borrowing and you´ve got an interesting black hole to fill.”

Janey Mac
they are All crawling out of the wood work tonight ….
Do they not understand that we wont register and we wont pay .
No amount of insults will persuade us. Jack O ‘Connor is a self
serving idiot who unfortunately got where he is today because the
rest of us took our eyes off the ball and he got in…
Come up with better solutions , stop paying the troika , stop borrowing.
Reduce taxes , increase spending, Increase CE schemes,Get people off the dole.

Mark
I don’t love you at all. . :)
I find your comments derogatory patronising and in many ways incorrect in their assumptions and insinuations. Of course you are allowed have opinions , but please refrain from being so familiar with me in future !