got a quote yesterday for our three storey house (just under 3,000 sq feet) and a garage (25ft x 33ft) for 13,000 euros (cash).
Statistics produced by the CSO from tax-figures supplied by the Revenue certainly bear this out. These figures show, and were the subject of lots of comment at the time, that the more you earn in this lovely little country of ours, the less tax you pay, with the result that the highest earners essentially pay zero tax on their incomes. In other words they do pay their full whack, which is nothing, but do draw child benefit and other entitlements, which we pay for...Why is it that instead of the common myth of "tax being only for the workers", it is generally the middle-income and high-earners in the state that are paying their full whack of tax...
Am I just having a bad day or does anybody else find this situation odd?
The "statistics" cited here are nothing of the sort. It came to public attention some years ago that very small numbers of very wealthy people were abusing tax relief and exemption schemes and paying very little tax as a result. The numbers of people doing so were statistically insignificant in the context of the numbers of high-earning taxpayers as a whole. The loopholes that permitted such abuses were swiftly and effectively removed by the Minister for Finance and this phenomenon is now a thing of the past.Statistics produced by the CSO from tax-figures supplied by the Revenue certainly bear this out. These figures show, and were the subject of lots of comment at the time, that the more you earn in this lovely little country of ours, the less tax you pay, with the result that the highest earners essentially pay zero tax on their incomes. In other words they do pay their full whack, which is nothing, but do draw child benefit and other entitlements, which we pay for.
I'm not condoning tax evasion , but the way I see it if the "ordinary joe soap" can benefit a little from some loopholes, similar to those available to the rich or whatever they may be, then I say good luck to them.
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Plenty of people here have drawn attention to suspected, actual or imminent tax evasion such as this but often get their heads bitten off for their troubles...If you post as a person building a new house, or doing renovations, you get many posts such as the following
and no-one bats an eyelidgot a quote yesterday for our three storey house (just under 3,000 sq feet) and a garage (25ft x 33ft) for 13,000 euros (cash).
In my opinion, we pay far too much tax in this country and get relatively little benefit.
There are more people on the U2 side of the fence than there are on Michael O'Leary's.
3. the myth that high-earning individuals pay little or no tax.
eg
The "statistics" cited here are nothing of the sort. It came to public attention some years ago that very small numbers of very wealthy people were abusing tax relief and exemption schemes and paying very little tax as a result. The numbers of people doing so were statistically insignificant in the context of the numbers of high-earning taxpayers as a whole. The loopholes that permitted such abuses were swiftly and effectively removed by the Minister for Finance and this phenomenon is now a thing of the past.
That said I regard tax evasion as stealing and see no difference between someone who evades VAT by paying cash and someone who steals cash from a till in a shop..
How is this tax evasion? Paying in cash money, the nation's legal tender, for building works (the OP's gripe) isn't illegal. If the contractor doesn't declare it and keeps the VAT foregone, that's illegal of course. But paying in cash is a million miles from stealing. It is up to the builder to hand over the tax, not the customer.
If you get a quote with 21% VAT included but you agree to pay cash for the figure less vat then you are complicit in tax evasion. You will probably get away with it but it's no less wrong.How is this tax evasion? Paying in cash money, the nation's legal tender, for building works (the OP's gripe) isn't illegal. If the contractor doesn't declare it and keeps the VAT foregone, that's illegal of course. But paying in cash is a million miles from stealing. It is up to the builder to hand over the tax, not the customer.
My opinion is that tax is theft.That said I regard tax evasion as stealing and see no difference between someone who evades VAT by paying cash and someone who steals cash from a till in a shop..
My opinion is that tax is theft.
I would not agree that we get good value for money. How could we? - We have to support a disproportionately large public sector. There's only about 6 million people living here.
We have to pay more tax, because there are fewer tax payers to support our public sector. Why isn't this bad value for money, compared to other countries?It does not follow that a large public sector is necessarily bad value for money, but I agree that the public sector is inefficient (and there are only 4.1 million people here).
OK but that still doesn’t explain why you think taxation is theft. Do you think that transport infrastructure, policing, the legislature, the judiciary, the armed services, civic amenities and state regulatory bodies etc should be privately funded? If not then how do you suggest they be funded?We have to pay more tax, because there are fewer tax payers to support our public sector. Why isn't this bad value for money, compared to other countries?
Simply by its method of collection. An arbitrary amount is taken, with menaces, whether you agree with what it is spent on, or not. This, in my mind is theft.OK but that still doesn’t explain why you think taxation is theft.
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