Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

bbc.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 183 posts

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#91

Post by op03 »

pjc50 wrote: post #16

And people keep saying that basic income is impossible. This is an astonishing U-turn, and a very welcome one. I just hope the social distancing isn't too late.

It's impossible not because its hard to give people money.

It's impossible because the corporate mega machine is already auto programmed to extract as much cash out of people, in ways most people can't even comprehend.

How else do you end up with huge inequality or with a subprime meltdown?

It's not enough to just give people cash, you have to protect them from a machine that has already proved multiple times its vastly superior to any regulatory mechanism on the planet.

If China, South Korea or Japan haven't done any such thing having been hit harder, totally feels like corporate lobbies are pulling the strings in US and UK taking full advantage of fear as they did to get the banks bailed out in 2008.

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#92

Post by HappySweeney »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #74
justsomedude11 wrote: post #19

I will happily pay 45% tax on my salary knowing the Gov has my back in difficult times like these. I'm fortunate enough to still have a job, but I'm happy I live in Europe.

I'd be shocked is most people on this page who are fully employed devs/techs/etc in the US do not already donate roughly 45% to the government. SS and Federal, plus state (3% for me, and almost 4% for local), now that's just on income, not anything you spend. Again, here we go. 9% sales tax in my municipality, plus individualized taxes on a variety of goods the government deems bad. This includes markups on booze, to…

If you consider your healthcare spending as part of your overall tax package (so as to make the comparison apples-to-applies with other countries which mandate that), the picture looks even less rosy.

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#93

Post by onetimemanytime »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #74
justsomedude11 wrote: post #19

I will happily pay 45% tax on my salary knowing the Gov has my back in difficult times like these. I'm fortunate enough to still have a job, but I'm happy I live in Europe.

I'd be shocked is most people on this page who are fully employed devs/techs/etc in the US do not already donate roughly 45% to the government. SS and Federal, plus state (3% for me, and almost 4% for local), now that's just on income, not anything you spend. Again, here we go. 9% sales tax in my municipality, plus individualized taxes on a variety of goods the government deems bad. This includes markups on booze, to…

>>I bet if we took a full accounting of the taxes we all actually pay in a lump sum, it's closer to 45%.

In other countries then it may be 65% if you count gas taxes etc etc. VAT (sales tax) is 20+% in a lot of countries

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#95

Post by grecy »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #74
justsomedude11 wrote: post #19

I will happily pay 45% tax on my salary knowing the Gov has my back in difficult times like these. I'm fortunate enough to still have a job, but I'm happy I live in Europe.

I'd be shocked is most people on this page who are fully employed devs/techs/etc in the US do not already donate roughly 45% to the government. SS and Federal, plus state (3% for me, and almost 4% for local), now that's just on income, not anything you spend. Again, here we go. 9% sales tax in my municipality, plus individualized taxes on a variety of goods the government deems bad. This includes markups on booze, to…

> I bet if we took a full accounting of the taxes we all actually pay in a lump sum, it's closer to 45%.

Yep, and you don't get healthcare for that, or post high school education.

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#97

Post by mhotchen »

AntonStratiev wrote: post #79
michaelmrose wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you show me how you calculated the 3 trillion dollar cost? Are you for example counting loans to businesses as if none will be paid back? Are we talking about the economic impact or direct costs or both? To be clear the UK has 29 million workers who make an average of 28k pounds. If 60% of them are off work and can't work from home paying 80% of that wage to 60% of them would appear to cost about 32 billion pound…

What does a pound or a dollar even represent anymore? They are being printed and given out with little consideration to the impact. I think we are going to see hyperinflation at some point, particularly if this is dragged on for the 18 months necessary for a vaccine. Why would I go in to work and stack shelves when the Government will just give me money to sit at home? Why would I even go into the hospital to operate…

Why does anyone do anything at all? Mate, if everyone sat on their arses all day we wouldn't have been the species that we are.

> The above is slightly less than the risk of death from any cause.

So let's slightly less than double the death rate for anyone that catches this _highly_ contagious disease? Get real mate, come on.

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#99

Post by Svip »

hanoz wrote: post #94

Notably this now leaves a gaping self employed person shaped hole in the otherwise impressively woven safety net.

If the UK is following Denmark here, that will be announced in 4-5 days. Here full time employees get 75%, part time 90%. Self-employed get 75%, while those particularly hard hit get 100% compensation on regular bills (in addition to the income compensation).

Re: UK government to pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working

#100

Post by e12e »

hanoz wrote: post #94

Notably this now leaves a gaping self employed person shaped hole in the otherwise impressively woven safety net.

Only if you're not paying yourself a salary and social security taxes?

At least in Norway that is very clear - if you're self-employed - you're usually much better off actually employing yourself.

Post reply on HN