Destitution - revealed.

School fees leave families on £100k ‘with less than minimum wage’

My heart bleeds.

http://archive.today/2025.04.30-192351/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/families-private-school-fees-vat-gross-income-wh6qvwsrr (archived)

LOL Now all those people who emailed and SMSed me during the past few weeks to tell me about my debit orders going up on account of the #VAT increase, are now emailing and SMSing me to say, "Oops. Nevermind." #SouthAfrica

Amid concern about #Glasgow's #historic buildings, it's good to see campaigners focussing on the dreadful #VAT anomaly which charges 20% on repairs, but zero on new build- making it much easier to demolish old #buildings, a #cultural and #environmental disgrace
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/glasgows-historic-buildings-under-threat-amid-soaring-repair-costs

@Remittancegirl @pgiulan Since long before Trump even entered politics, or #Palantir existed, I've been convinced that #surveillance, not revenue generation, was the real reason for #IncomeTax on working-class individuals (as opposed to plutocrats and corporations). There are many other ways to generate revenue, such as #VAT and #LandValueTax, or just income taxation limited to corporations and very wealthy individuals. But those wouldn't enable the monitoring of everyone's economic life the way population-wide income taxation does.

While critics including the former chancellor Jeremy Hunt had predicted that up to 90,000 children could flood the state sector if VAT of 20% was charged, most councils say they have seen no impact from the policy in applications to start at state secondary schools later this year.
These are relatively rich people. Perhaps foregoing the third annual foreign holiday?

#PrivateEducation #PrivateSchools #Education #VAT
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/mar/10/no-exodus-to-state-sector-after-vat-added-to-private-school-fees-say-english-councils?CMP=firstedition_email

Looks like we'll probably be getting a 0.5% #VAT increase on Wednesday :-( https://techcentral.co.za/cabinet-0-5-percentage-point-vat-hike/260343/?utm_source=MastodonAfrica #SouthAfrica

Sales #tax is poisonous in all sorts of ways. They are popular with governments because they're relatively easy to collect. The vendor effectively becomes a #TaxFarmer.

#VAT is bad for the poor.

#SinTax on cigarettes and alcohol make the government complicit in encouraging poor health behaviour, which in turn destroys the logic of any tax-funded #HealthInsurance.

The #SouthAfrican #FuelLevy was originally intended to fund infrastructure - back in #Apartheid days. But from very early on, it was cynically diverted into the general fund.

#VAT is a very bad tax for poor people. It looks like a flat tax proportionate to purchases. But it's flat in proportion to expenses, not to income. Everyone needs all the basics - food, clothing, shelter, water, power - and poor people must pay the same as rich people.

Progressive taxes, such as #PAYE, are just better. #CGT affects only people with capital, so that's good too. I know that the rich put huge resources into dodging these, but the government can't just give up on stopping that. That's no excuse at all. SARS must enforce and collect, it's their job.

Fake journeys, fake customers: inside Roman Abramovich’s yacht rental scam.

The oligarch’s scheme to skirt taxes on his boats was enterprising, elaborate – and illegal.

Here’s how it worked.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20250219-fake-journeys-fake-customers-inside-roman-abramovichs-yacht-rental-scam?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

Canada

16 February 2025

Donald J. Trump, President
White House
Washington, D.C.
USA

Dear sir,

Please find attached copies of media reports relating to tariffs and Value-Added Tax (VAT) systems seen today.

I felt that you should be aware that some asshole is signing your name to stupid press releases.

Very truly yours,

Canada

cc: E.U.

https://www.europesays.com/1848504/ Signals coming from Trumpland could hardly be worse for Ireland – The Irish Times #CliffTaylor #DonaldTrump #EuropeanUnion #G20 #ireland #UnitedStates #vat

Exactly that is true: #Fragmentation kills the EU!

• Instead of levying #tariffs on #GAFAMs comitting #CapitalFlight and #TaxEvasion, the #EU decided to basically kill #domestic #competition with bs. like demanding that #AppStores have to pay #VAT / #GST / #SalesTax in the customers' nation.

That's why there's no #AndroidPit #AppCenter anymore!

• And I do know that #Zensursula or the @EUCommission don't really give a wet fart about that, because they want a #SurveillanceState and #PoliceState and would rather choose to die from #LateStageCapitalism than accept the necessity for #SystemChangeNotClimateChange!

Thanks again to @dw_innovation / #DWnews for that video.

#Plant-based products often cost more than animal-based ones due to value-added #taxes (VAT): While #meat, #fish & #dairy have low or zero #VAT rates, plant-based options often carry a 20% charge, making them more expensive—not because #retailers charge a premium... (1/3) https://proveg.org/news/whats-making-your-plant-based-shopping-more-expensive-hint-its-not-the-food/

Matt @MattCartoonist @Telegraph on #VAT #SchoolFeeVAT – political cartoon gallery in London original-political-cartoon.com