Why I Like Paying Tax

[rhythmaning]

I had been waffling about the Scottish economy, and frankie_ecap castigated me for saying what other people said and not giving an opinion of my own.

In a comment I replied,

I don't like paying tax. I think paying tax is a good thing.

I thought I ought to explain what I was getting at.

Because I actually think paying tax is important; and I think paying tax is a really good thing; and I am pretty proud to actually hand over about 30% of my salary to the government in one form or another (that isn’t counting VAT – I guess that would push it up to 50% or so).

Indeed, I think sometimes that I should be paying more tax: my support of the LibDems increased when, a few years ago, they stated they would increase income tax to spend on health and education.

Because paying tax allows society to do things that I can’t: it builds schools and hospitals and pays teachers and doctors and nurses; it build roads, it lights the city streets (though perhaps I should withhold a bit of my tax to get them to switch the streetlamp outside my flat off). It runs the police and the judiciary. It helps those who are less fortunate than myself, who couldn’t afford BUPA to look after their health or who don’t earn enough to put food on the table or… True, it buys guns and bombs and pays for the army to invade far away lands, but that’s down to the politicians rather than tax per se. (True, my tax pays their salaries, too.)

So paying tax is a good thing.

Things is, I quite like the money I earn, too. I would like to keep as much as possible. So I take advantage of most of the (legal) means I can to keep hold of it – TESSAs and ISAs and PEPs and personal pensions and all those other little tricks to remove my money from the gaze of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Taxes.

Clearly, this is a bit confusing – I’m willing – proud, even! – to pay more tax on the one hand, and trying to reduce my tax bill on the other.

Of course, I can’t explain this.

And that is why I didn’t give an opinion!