Legalise weed, tax it and wallop. You have a growth sector. A massive one and enormous tax revenue
Do the same for MDMA and the same applies
Last time I read there are 170000 people getting private prescriptions for weed, up around 100k in the last year or so, so much money being lost to the blackmarket it's unreal.
Legalising it also increases the use of it, makes apartment balconies stink of weed in the summer, and worst of all, people still buy it from the black market because its cheaper than the government shops.
It's not the golden goose people think it is.
Anyone who wants it can already get it very easily, not decriminalising and taking the tax (like many other places) just incase a few people are tempted to give it a try or because it smells is incredibly short sighted.
Get rid of the triple lock and go back to cutting the winter fuel allowance properly and that will make a significant dent in the black hole reeves needs to fill, whilst not taxing people to death and allowing room for some growth.
The triple lock will be seen as an utter disaster, if it hasn’t already - imagine guaranteeing pay rises for benefit claimants, they’d be political uproar.
25% of pensioners are millionaires, they can take the hit.
Ummm...where did you get that snippet? Very hard to believe...or have I been whooshed!
Wow...thanks but very hard to believe - can't read the full article but I suspect that property accounts for much of the wealth that makes retired people a millionaire - rising house values over a lifetime. I've always considered someone a 'proper' millionaire if they have a million in cash and liquid assets - not bricks and mortar...
There are a lot of pensioners, living a very frugal life in the South East whilst living in a 3 bed semi worth £700- £800,000. I really don’t consider them to be rich.
The problem is solved by collecting the existing taxes that are avoided, rather than additional tax on those already paying. We all have Black Cab mates, who tell you the game was screwed, when people started paying by card and cash takings dried up.
It’s just easier to hit thousands of pensioners, than it is thousands of self employed Plumbers. As it is to hit UK Banks and large companies, than chase the smaller enterprises.
An I know so many people claiming £hundreds a month on PIP who pretty much have nothing wrong with them. Managed to fool a busy doctor once, and ride the gravy train forever.
But they are rich - they have significant assets that others do not have. Yes it takes time and stress to liquidate these assets, but they still own assets outright and are in the top end of the country for wealth. They also likely have assets in their pension as well as the state pension. They are, by any metric, richer than your average non pensioner.
When I worked for Lloyds Bank in central London I had a 3 bed semi in Bexley that cost me £320,000. My colleagues working in Halifax could buy an equivalent property for about £140,000. The London cost of living (including train) was considerably higher, than in Halifax. The point being they earned the same salary as I did. However, their disposable income to live the high live was far greater than mine.
Now their Halifax property is £280,000 and mine is £640,000. With equal pension assets, I am rich and they are not. I should be heavily taxed and they shouldn’t.
When I die, my kids will lose £hundreds thousands in IHT. Theirs won’t.
So whilst having to pay so much more to buy a home, interest on mortgage and pure living costs compared to them. I am the one paying all the rich man’s Tax.
Did you really earn the same in central London as the person in Halifax? No London weighting?
Banks also paid large town allowances in other parts of the country as I recall.
London allowance was also infrequently reviewed / raised with inflation in the same way base salary was.
Further in my experience NatWest / RBS it became subsumed into salary and not a separate element at some point.
So in truth the London allowance didn’t overly compensate.
I was at the woolwich when it still had London waiting and recalled it not being massive (but was early on in my career).
But in the original example, surely either the Halifax person was being overpaid or London underpaid?
Anyway, you have similar issues now with jobs like teachers. Why anyone (from a financial perspective) would work in inner London for the small extra amount I don't know.
London Weighting/Large Town Allowance discussion here. Certainly Barclays held it at £3,450 for about 20 years before doing away with it altogether by folding it into your salary. For many people it didn’t cover their annual season ticket, let alone the multiple other living costs which were/are much higher in London & the South East particularly.
Legalise weed, tax it and wallop. You have a growth sector. A massive one and enormous tax revenue
Do the same for MDMA and the same applies
Last time I read there are 170000 people getting private prescriptions for weed, up around 100k in the last year or so, so much money being lost to the blackmarket it's unreal.
Legalising it also increases the use of it, makes apartment balconies stink of weed in the summer, and worst of all, people still buy it from the black market because its cheaper than the government shops.
It's not the golden goose people think it is.
Can its use get much more widespread?
As @shine166 says, anyone who wants to get hold of some can currently do so as easy as going on telegram and typing in "weed" and have it delivered like a pizza
I do agree with the antisocial aspect of people smoking it on their balcony for example because they don't want their own flat to smell of weed whilst all their neighbours doors and windows are open. By legalising it I think you can reduce that by increased availability and quality stabdard of edibles, oils and even drinks. No need to make everything smell of weed smoke then
And it absolutely is a golden goose. Legit jobs, tax revenue, quality assurance for starters
Sure, anyone can already get it if they really want it, but there's a difference between actively engaging in an illegal activity vs walking past a weed shop with pretty neon signs and customer service representatives. That will obviously lead to an increase in the use of weed, like it did in Canada following legalisation. After years of government campaigns to reduce smoking and improve mental health, legalising weed for recreational use seems to be at odds with that.
As someone who lived in Canada for 4 years, believe me - the balcony weed stench is there, and it is very annoying.
Sure, anyone can already get it if they really want it, but there's a difference between actively engaging in an illegal activity vs walking past a weed shop with pretty neon signs and customer service representatives. That will obviously lead to an increase in the use of weed, like it did in Canada following legalisation. After years of government campaigns to reduce smoking and improve mental health, legalising weed for recreational use seems to be at odds with that.
As someone who lived in Canada for 4 years, believe me - the balcony weed stench is there, and it is very annoying.
As others have said increased use will likely not be from smoking it but through edibles and oils. In fact it's expected to reduce the number of people smoking it as non-smokers would prefer not to smoke it if alternatives are easy and safe. At the moment they are harder to get and more expensive.
When I lived in a flat in North Greenwich the balcony smell was pretty much daily anyway.
People smoke less now days in general, my prescription is vaped with a medical device so there's no combustion releated health issues, plus regulation means good growing conditions that can be monitored.
Anyway, il try not to derail this to becoming a recreational drugs thread 😆
Comments
As @shine166 says, anyone who wants to get hold of some can currently do so as easy as going on telegram and typing in "weed" and have it delivered like a pizza
I do agree with the antisocial aspect of people smoking it on their balcony for example because they don't want their own flat to smell of weed whilst all their neighbours doors and windows are open. By legalising it I think you can reduce that by increased availability and quality stabdard of edibles, oils and even drinks. No need to make everything smell of weed smoke then
And it absolutely is a golden goose. Legit jobs, tax revenue, quality assurance for starters
As someone who lived in Canada for 4 years, believe me - the balcony weed stench is there, and it is very annoying.
When I lived in a flat in North Greenwich the balcony smell was pretty much daily anyway.
Anyway, il try not to derail this to becoming a recreational drugs thread 😆