Life in the United Kingdom Today

1. Life in the United Kingdom Today Living in a Socialist Society after Ten Years of Labour Government Rule

2. The Drive for Total Equality for Everyone • Equality in educational achievement • Equality in social status • Equality in wealth and income • Equality in opportunity • A goal of a completely classless society Society

3. Income, Taxation and the Redistribution of Resources • Taxation of the wealthy • Paid out as benefits to the less fortunate • Income support • Child benefits • Incapacity benefits • State retirement pensions • Tax credits

4. Redistribution of Wealth In 2006/2007 cash benefits made up 57 percent of the gross income of the poorest 20 percent of households in the UK

5. For Statistical Purposes the Government Breaks Down Society into Six Social Grade And Income Groups.

6. Income and Taxes • The average wage in the U.K is £20,000 • The average household income is £28,000 • The basic state pension for a single person is £3,150 • This is lower than the income support threshold • Minimum guaranteed income is £80 a week for a single pensioner and £140 for married couples.

7. Income and Taxes Income and Taxes • For the year 2008-9 earnings up to £34,800 are taxed at a rate of 20 percent • In addition to income tax all wage earners pay national insurance for the health and social security programs • For those earning between £105 and £770 per week the contribution is 11 percent and 1 percent for earnings above that amount

8. Earnings and Taxes

9. Indirect and Other Taxes • Value Added Tax (VAT) paid on most goods at a rate of 17.5 percent • Property taxes – set by each local government • Inheritance tax paid on the value of the estate above £312,000 at a rate of 40 percent • Capital gains tax to be paid on the sale or donation of an asset’s increase in value at a rate of 18 percent • Stamp duty on purchases of property or shares with a value greater than £175,000

10. Income Support and Welfare • 6 million Britons live in households where nobody works • This includes some 14 percent of all children under the age of 16 • 6 million Britons are content to spend entire lives on benefits while 4 out of every 5 new jobs have been taken by immigrants • Housing benefits alone cost the nation over £12 billion a year.

11. Income Support and Welfare • Those out of work or working less than 16 hours a week are eligible for job seeker’s allowance • They must be capable of working and be actively seeking employment • Those aged between 16 and 24 receive £47.95 per week while those 25 and over receive £60.50 per week • In reality the system allows so called “job Seekers” to go through the motions of looking for a job while living comfortably on benefits

12. Income Support and Welfare • Disability benefits cost the taxpayer £15 billion each year • The program is intended to provide support for the disabled • However it provides vast scope for scroungers and those that just don’t want to work. • Fewer than one third of the 2.7 million living on disability benefits are legitimate claimants

13. Income Support and Welfare • Single mothers over the age of 16 and who work less than 16 hours a week are eligible to receive income support • All families with children under the age of 16 receive child benefit payments • A payment of £18.80 per week is received for the oldest child and £12.55 for each other child • By providing welfare payments for women on the birth of every child became the incentive for single parenthood • With the stigma of shame banished in the name of “self-esteem” and “lifestyle” choice, children became the production line cash cow of the welfare state

14. Support by Employment • In addition to welfare for the poorer sections of society some 25 percent of the working population is employed by the central and local governments. • Nearly 6 million men and women work in the public sector and another 1 million are employed by contractors providing services to the government. • Around 15.7 million citizens either work in the public sector or receive their income in the form of welfare

15. Cost of Living • Britain’s cost of living is the highest in the western world • The cost of living in London rose 6 percent between March and July 2008 • The average earnings increased at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the first 9 months of 2008 • Over the same time period the retail price index rose by 5 percent

16. Support by Employment • The government has based agencies and quasi-government organizations in regions with high unemployment caused by the decline of traditional industries • In ten such areas more than 40 percent of the work force is employed in the public sector • In these areas the private sector has become a minor part of the local economy

17. Government Monitoring • Large numbers of such jobs are listed daily in the newspapers • Here, positions such as Membership involvement officer, Monitoring and compliance officer, Transport planner – walking and cycling advocacy manager, Visitor assistants, Participation worker, Equality and diversity coordinators and Anti-poverty managers are listed. • As more and more workers are being laid off by the private sector more such workers are being hired by government

18. Government Monitoring • Bureaucrats are applying the anti- terrorist laws of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to “spy” on the actions and behavior of their own citizens for minor infractions of petty laws and restrictions • Local councils employ inspectors to check if householders are complying with petty laws, such as those that apply to garbage bins being put out on the right day

19. Government Monitoring and Control of Citizens • Britain has the most CCTV cameras in Europe, more than all the other countries combined • Plans are now in progress to make every citizen carry an identification card • The government is also in the process of developing a data base to store the internet browsing habits, e-mail and telephone records of every person in the country

20. Government Monitoring and Control • Many laws that permit entry into a home are drafted so broadly that citizens have little or no protection if officials behave officiously or vindictively • Many carry draconian penalties for obstruction including fines and prison • Most recently the state has passed laws to give the police and immigration officers the power to stop any citizen and demand identification

21. The Socialists in Control The growth of the nanny state under Socialist government rule continues to drown the population in a sea of rules, regulation and bossy exhortation and the erosion of civil liberties disguised as benevolent government

22. Government Monitoring and Control of Citizens • The large numbers of people being hired by the central and local governments are to fulfill politically correct functions, monitor the daily actions of citizens and to monitor the achievement of targets by other public sector organizations

23. Government Monitoring • Large numbers of such jobs are listed daily in the newspapers • Here, positions such as Membership involvement officer, Monitoring and compliance officer, Transport planner – walking and cycling advocacy manager, Visitor assistants, Participation worker, Equality and diversity coordinators and Anti-poverty managers are listed. • As more and more workers are being laid off by the private sector more such workers are being hired by government