If I were Prime Minister for a day...

I was reading the thread about the traffic situation on the A428 and it got me thinking. (not always a good thing) - how would I deal with things if I were in charge? So here is a challenge for you out there:

If I were Prime Minister for a day and could enact a law or two:

I would move all taxes of all types into income tax. Then I would setup a website to show the country exactly how much of each tax pound is taken in tax. Then I would make it law that these taxes could not be reversed back into the stealth system.

Then I would create a system of taxation similar to that which kick-started Hong Kong back in the 70's whereby each person would be tax-capped at a fixed level. If he/she earned more than this amount it would be tax free. This way more ground-level entrepreneurs would emerge pushing the economy and the employment market. The tax break would apply to all, inclusive of employees. I would remove PAYE and SSP and SMP etc and make all persons over a certain age eligible to pay a fixed fee in tax. If you earn more than that then good luck to you. But the downside is you have to do your own tax returns. As long as I have £X in the Government Coffers I'm ok to pay for everything I need to pay for. Benefits would be stopped to everybody unless you had paid into the system at least what you are taking out. If it was a short-term thing then you would be "adjusted" to repay the amount in your tax code over the ensuing 5 years, making your short period of unemployment or maternity time whatever affordable but not encouraging you to sit on your arse and get fat all day at the taxpayers expense. So the old would be covered but the young benefit cheats would be buggered and have to work.

I would take all the privileges from the prisons too on the same basis, if you haven't paid into the system then you get the basics - bed and board and some time in the yard. no laptops, sky, email, ciggies, a tuckshop blah blah blah when all the veterans that built the country freeze to death or die of being uncared for and get sod all as a pension per week to afford it all, lets give the old folk those benefits given to the prisoners is my attitude. And if anybody from Amnesty International should call I am "in a meeting".

I am fully aware that there is a lot of old folk getting older and refusing to die. My system would help get the young off their arses and into work to pay for it.

This new law to make all persons legally responsible for their own tax return would release all employers from the extra costs incurred by them in the millions each year in working out how much to take in tax from Peter to pay Paul making goods and services a bit more profitable and maybe even cheaper?

(On  a side note we used to do a run to the local HMP in Peterborough on a daily basis while it was getting off the ground. We used to deliver Nicorette patches, Ayurvedan Head Massagers, Methodone and Complan Drinks amongst other taxpayers giveaways (the Complan is a vitamin drink for those on hunger strike ffs) etc etc. And this stuff was all on pallets and came from the local NHS. Thats yours and mine NHS. The one we pay for. Taking all those goodies to the prisoners, not the OAP's, the prisoners!!)

One last law before I go - I would make it a criminal offence to avoid voting - a 7 day spot penalty in the local nick and a write up on your criminal record. You may vote X or Y or Z or Abstain but you MUST vote. This would enable a proper mandate to occur instead of having a Tory or Labour government or any genetic mutation thereof voted in by less than 50% of those eligible to vote because of apathy.

Then I would resign and allow an election to take place and I would start the campaign off using this slogan:

"If you vote my party into government I will cost you Xp in the £1 - discuss..."

It would stop all the bullshit and encourage real "tax paying public" oriented politics, instead of worrying about the non-fee earners (at least for a while until the crooks found a way to stealth tax us again...).

Nice one, Mario

Personally I wouldn't mind paying even double the amount to genuinely sick/disabled people, but it's the ridiculous number of people claiming to be so sick they can do no work at all that spoils it for everyone.

2.7 million people, so sick they can do no work at all? That's about one person in ten of working age. You being Prime Minister would shake that up a bit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7223687.stm

Tim

I'd bring in the scum bug...that'd sort out the sponging, lazy idlers who "choose" to be out of work...and leave the rest more dosh to get the real things done