Budget November 2025

[Ringwood]

This thread is very much a cost of living and regional differences debate

£100k for somebody living in London can easily equate to a years salary , that figure in Swansea could be quite life changing.

So maybe that what divides opinions

 

[Ringwood]

It will be interesting to see what the Welsh government do about mansion tax. Do they follow suit? Do they impose different limits?

It will kill them to come up with a solution that doesn’t, for once, hurt people in Cardiff more than the rest of Wales…

Also you know full well £2M doesn't buy you a mansion in a lot of London and surrounding Counties.

Question is if the Welsh Gov impose a version of mansion tax it will sit under £1M

 

[Londonlisa2001]

Also you know full well £2M doesn't buy you a mansion in a lot of London and surrounding Counties.

Question is if the Welsh Gov impose a version of mansion tax it will sit under £1M

My guess will be they impose a £1m threshold.

It still won’t catch as anywhere near as many people as a percentage that £2m does in London.

 

[Niigata Jack]

I understand. And it’s great that you will be able to help them out.

But why should your 32 year old be paying more than he already does in tax so that someone who is 70 with a house fully paid for and a final salary pension scheme plus a couple of hundred grand in savings pays no tax and goes on half a dozen holidays every year?

And that same 70 year old should be paying their fair share of tax so that your youngest is properly supported for his needs for his whole life without it all falling on you.

You'll have to refresh my memory to where I mentioned someone who is 70 house fully paid for and a final salary pension scheme plus a couple of hundred grand in savings pays no tax and goes on half a dozen holidays every year?

My parents lived into the 80 ies 87 and 84 and never did that or lived off a final salary pension, they would have loved to as would I but they didn't have that luxury and neither do I or my Brother.

I don't begrudge those who are lucky enough to have final salary and they probably do pay tax and NI on that and its right that they should do as well as its earnings.

I'm on about your average Jack who works part time of even every day for a given set of hours who earns a few quid to supplement his state pension.

Anyway, this is going on and on, I'm to tired to keep on and on, on here. I know what I meant and its more than obvious that I didn't come across they way I should have.

 

[Niigata Jack]

To be fair, I think a lot of the disagreement has arisen due to a misunderstanding of the amounts pensioners can have within ISAs rather than a genuine disagreement about whether people should or shouldn’t pay tax on interest at different levels of wealth.

Yep and that was my mistake in not explaining as to what I was trying to say, apologies.

 

[MajorR]

Who is this Starmer fella?

The one I know is a working class man who has done well and risen to the top of his profession and now PM

I’m not Starmer’s biggest fan, but if this were any other country apart from the UK we’d be patting the guy on the back and congratulating him on his success. We should be highlighting his achievement to our kids so they can dream big and aspire to reach the top.

The guy has come from a relatively modest background and at one stage was the Director Of Public Prosecutions and is now the PM. If this as the US it would be a rag to riches story. Starmer probably has more in common with most of us than your Boris or Cameron do.

Depending on who you want to believe, Guido Fawkes will say his father was a factory owner while other sources will say he was a self employed toolmaker with his own workshop.

 

[rockinj]

I’m not Starmer’s biggest fan, but if this were any other country apart from the UK we’d be patting the guy on the back and congratulating him on his success. We should be highlighting his achievement to our kids so they can dream big and aspire to reach the top.

The guy has come from a relatively modest background and at one stage was the Director Of Public Prosecutions and is now the PM. If this as the US it would be a rag to riches story. Starmer probably has more in common with most of us than your Boris or Cameron do.

Depending on who you want to believe, Guido Fawkes will say his father was a factory owner while other sources will say he was a self employed toolmaker with his own workshop.

of all the things that wind me up about this Country this is no 1.

We have such an envious streak and it really does inhibit us. The Americans are too far the other way.

If someone is an entrepreneur, works their bollocks off creates jobs etc then good luck to them if they do well. The same for someone like Starmer who is intelligent, worked hard and got to height of his profession.

If you just look at someone in these positions and envy rather than say well done. You’re just a bit of a sad loser imo.

 

[Ringwood]

I'm pretty sure if there was a poll for young people who inspire them to reach the top Starmer wouldn't even get mention as would other politicians.

Most young people look to Instagram and tik tok before question time and newsnight.

 

[Muteswan]

I’m not Starmer’s biggest fan, but if this were any other country apart from the UK we’d be patting the guy on the back and congratulating him on his success. We should be highlighting his achievement to our kids so they can dream big and aspire to reach the top.

The guy has come from a relatively modest background and at one stage was the Director Of Public Prosecutions and is now the PM. If this as the US it would be a rag to riches story. Starmer probably has more in common with most of us than your Boris or Cameron do.

Depending on who you want to believe, Guido Fawkes will say his father was a factory owner while other sources will say he was a self employed toolmaker with his own workshop.

Margaret Thatcher’s dad was a grocer and her mum was a seamstress, why don’t we big up Maggie?

 

[Glyn1]

Who can afford to pay 20k into isa's every year? and who mentioned isa's? Pensioners shouldn't be taxed on their pensions or the interest on their savings in my view savings that they have scrimped and saved to help them in their retirement to live and maybe have a few luxuries the way energy bills and the like are increasing the won't be able to live without their maybe modest savings.
All the while they are seeing this government give billions away, in foreign aid etc.

Plenty of people have put £20,000 every year into ISA accounts. eve If you think that was wrong then

 

[MajorR]

Margaret Thatcher’s dad was a grocer and her mum was a seamstress, why don’t we big up Maggie?

Her coming to power is a little bit before my time and I don’t know a great deal about her younger days. It’s a fair point though.
In some ways she and Starmer are similar, both had parents who ran small businesses - potentially both self employed as it were working in the business.
In those days we had lots of small businesses who were the back bone of the country.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

Margaret Thatcher’s dad was a grocer and her mum was a seamstress, why don’t we big up Maggie?

Cos she was a massive and destructive force for evil the consequences of which we’re still dealing with now, 30 years on

 

[Ringwood]

On the theme of inspirational characters people like Duncan Bannatyne, Alan Sugar Richard Branson started on street markets selling out of vans.. I respect Deborah Meaden the way she has built an empire of great products and services.

Starmer and the like have no business accument and have no concept of the struggles people have day to day.

 

[J_B]

On the theme of inspirational characters people like Duncan Bannatyne, Alan Sugar Richard Branson started on street markets selling out of vans.. I respect Deborah Meaden the way she has built an empire of great products and services.

Starmer and the like have no business accument and have no concept of the struggles people have day to day.

I agree about the wealth creators. Unfortunately, there are people who dislike business men and women and who regard them all as crooks and users of their employees. I don't know whether it's pure jealousy. There are, of course, bad people in business just as there are in all walks of life.
To come up with an idea and draw up a coherent business plan. Then put everything you own on the line to borrow money to set up your business deserves enormous respect.
There should be a lot more interaction between politicians and business people to develop a better understanding of each other's perspective.