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https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/apparently-the-nhs-is-the-worlds-largest-buyer-of-fax-machines https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/apparently-the-nhs-is-the-wor... h

https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/apparently-the-nhs-is-the-worlds-largest-buyer-of-fax-machines https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/apparently-the-nhs-is-the-wor... https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/removing-faxes-practice-guide-v1.3.pdf https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/removi... nhs is famous dumb and has spent years trying to stop using fax machine. £330 million is nothing over a few years.. NHS budget for 2024/25 is circa £242 billion. the entire annual intake from capital gains tax is £20 million or so

zipy124 6mo ago
I think you mean £20 billion for that latter figure. This is largely because a significant amount of assets are held in ISA's (£20k a year contribution per person allowed) , or via personal property which is capital gains exempt or in a pension which is again, capital gains exempt. Thus only the wealthiest are outside these boundaries, and they often will not liquidate holdings until their death to pay inhertiance tax, or in trusts which will liqudiate over decades as they can pay inheritance tax over a very long period. This is not to mention the large amounts of off-shore holdings.
- mgaunard 6mo ago
  Many people opt for off-shore bonds (which have a number of advantages) which means paying normal tax instead of capital gains, so the capital gains figure doesn't really capture investment as a whole.
- DaedalusII 6mo ago
  [flagged]
  - dmoy 6mo ago
    More like 40% effective tax rate at £100k, even including employer side of things?
  - exe34 6mo ago
    > paying 71% income tax Do you have a citation for this? I'm interested in how this figure was extracted from where it came.
    - maest 6mo ago
      I think they're confused/disingenuous and talking about the _marginal_ tax rate at 100k. There's a segment of a few thousand pounds where your marginal tax rate skyrockets because you lose your tax free allowance at that income level. It's stupid, annoying and has some minor economic effects, but it's very different from a 71% income tax rate.
      - exe34 6mo ago
        It was a rhetorical question, of course they were being disingenuous. Marginal tax rate doesn't have the same ring as 70% tax.
  - pgalvin 6mo ago
    Your entire comment is filled with false claims and figures. In 2025-26 there are an estimated 39.1 million people paying income tax - 56.0% of the population [1]. Of course, in the last census, 20.7% of the population were children [2]. About 3.1% of the population are UK students in University education [3], and about 18.6% of the population are retired [4]. I've also missed all the 18-year-olds in their final year of school, which is roughly 1.1 million or 1.6% of the population [5]. About 8.8 million, or 12.6%, are pensioners who pay income tax that I have double counted, usually due to private pensions and other sources of income [6]. Totally these numbers gives a rough estimate that suggest only about 12.6% of working age people do not pay income tax. This is in line with the government's own statistics putting those claiming Universal Credit at 10.6% of the population [7], or those economically inactive at 12.9% [8]. This is wildly different to your implication that 61% of people are too lazy to work. Unemployment, which is roughly defined as those out of work who are actively looking for work, is at 5.2% [9], which it is worth noting is slightly below the EU and Euro area average of 5.9% and 6.2% respectively [10]. Direct comparisons are difficult to make, but it is certainly indicative of the UK falling within what is considered a healthy range. Furthermore, take-home pay on a £100,000 salary is £68,561 [11], giving an effective income tax of 31.4% - far below your claim of 71%. True, there is the so-called "£100k tax trap" which gradually reduces your tax-free allowance above this salary. But this still gives just a 37.6% tax on £125,000, or 41.1% on £200,000. You may consider these to be high, but they are far, far below your claim of 71% income tax. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-liabilities-statistics-tax-year-2022-to-2023-to-tax-year-2025-to-2026/summary-statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-liabilit... [2] https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/age-groups/latest/ https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-popula... [3] https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insights-and-analysis/higher-education-numbers https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insights-and-analysi... [4] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statis... [5] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographics-level-3-and-a-level-results-2025/infographics-level-3-and-a-level-results-2025-accessible-version https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographics-leve... [6] https://www.ftadviser.com/content/291a4ce0-9287-4118-849b-ff9b627ad8ab https://www.ftadviser.com/content/291a4ce0-9287-4118-849b-ff... [7] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statis... [8] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity/timeseries/lf2m/lms https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotin... [9] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotin... [10] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Unemployment_statistics https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php... [11] https://www.gov.uk/estimate-income-tax https://www.gov.uk/estimate-income-tax
LightBug1 6mo ago
Don't care. I don't want any of the wankers over there at Palantir involved with the NHS. (source: a UK voter)
- mhh__ 6mo ago
  [flagged]
  - LightBug1 6mo ago
    Welcome to the club.
  - clort 6mo ago
    No. I checked, and you can of course donate to Led By Donkeys either as a one-off or monthly via their web page https://donate.ledbydonkeys.org/ https://donate.ledbydonkeys.org/ but they don't have a way to contribute to specific campaigns. Thanks for mentioning them though.
    - LightBug1 6mo ago
      Donated. Cheers
      - mhh__ 6mo ago
        It'll come good any day now, the sensibles rightful place in charge of the plebs will be reaffirmed in 2029 I'm sure
        mindslight 6mo ago
        You're really bashing a straw man of "the sensibles rightfully in charge of the plebs" to argue in support of a system that will be overtly in charge of the plebs without even nominal democratic accountability? Talk about mental gymnastics.
        6mo ago
gmerc 6mo ago
"dumb". Call it what it is, corruption
stuaxo 6mo ago
Sorry but the Adam smith institute is a ridiculous think thank that cherry picks Adam smith, he would be spinning in his grave at the misuse of his name.
- jpfromlondon 6mo ago
  it's not an Adam Smith fan club it's an independent research think tank, easily one of the best, up there with Brookings...

zipy124 6mo ago

I think you mean £20 billion for that latter figure. This is largely because a significant amount of assets are held in ISA's (£20k a year contribution per person allowed) , or via personal property which is capital gains exempt or in a pension which is again, capital gains exempt. Thus only the wealthiest are outside these boundaries, and they often will not liquidate holdings until their death to pay inhertiance tax, or in trusts which will liqudiate over decades as they can pay inheritance tax over a very long period. This is not to mention the large amounts of off-shore holdings.

mgaunard 6mo ago
Many people opt for off-shore bonds (which have a number of advantages) which means paying normal tax instead of capital gains, so the capital gains figure doesn't really capture investment as a whole.
DaedalusII 6mo ago
[flagged]
- dmoy 6mo ago
  More like 40% effective tax rate at £100k, even including employer side of things?
- exe34 6mo ago
  > paying 71% income tax Do you have a citation for this? I'm interested in how this figure was extracted from where it came.
  - maest 6mo ago
    I think they're confused/disingenuous and talking about the _marginal_ tax rate at 100k. There's a segment of a few thousand pounds where your marginal tax rate skyrockets because you lose your tax free allowance at that income level. It's stupid, annoying and has some minor economic effects, but it's very different from a 71% income tax rate.
    - exe34 6mo ago
      It was a rhetorical question, of course they were being disingenuous. Marginal tax rate doesn't have the same ring as 70% tax.
- pgalvin 6mo ago
  Your entire comment is filled with false claims and figures. In 2025-26 there are an estimated 39.1 million people paying income tax - 56.0% of the population [1]. Of course, in the last census, 20.7% of the population were children [2]. About 3.1% of the population are UK students in University education [3], and about 18.6% of the population are retired [4]. I've also missed all the 18-year-olds in their final year of school, which is roughly 1.1 million or 1.6% of the population [5]. About 8.8 million, or 12.6%, are pensioners who pay income tax that I have double counted, usually due to private pensions and other sources of income [6]. Totally these numbers gives a rough estimate that suggest only about 12.6% of working age people do not pay income tax. This is in line with the government's own statistics putting those claiming Universal Credit at 10.6% of the population [7], or those economically inactive at 12.9% [8]. This is wildly different to your implication that 61% of people are too lazy to work. Unemployment, which is roughly defined as those out of work who are actively looking for work, is at 5.2% [9], which it is worth noting is slightly below the EU and Euro area average of 5.9% and 6.2% respectively [10]. Direct comparisons are difficult to make, but it is certainly indicative of the UK falling within what is considered a healthy range. Furthermore, take-home pay on a £100,000 salary is £68,561 [11], giving an effective income tax of 31.4% - far below your claim of 71%. True, there is the so-called "£100k tax trap" which gradually reduces your tax-free allowance above this salary. But this still gives just a 37.6% tax on £125,000, or 41.1% on £200,000. You may consider these to be high, but they are far, far below your claim of 71% income tax. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-liabilities-statistics-tax-year-2022-to-2023-to-tax-year-2025-to-2026/summary-statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-liabilit... [2] https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/age-groups/latest/ https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-popula... [3] https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insights-and-analysis/higher-education-numbers https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insights-and-analysi... [4] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statis... [5] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographics-level-3-and-a-level-results-2025/infographics-level-3-and-a-level-results-2025-accessible-version https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographics-leve... [6] https://www.ftadviser.com/content/291a4ce0-9287-4118-849b-ff9b627ad8ab https://www.ftadviser.com/content/291a4ce0-9287-4118-849b-ff... [7] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025/dwp-benefits-statistics-february-2025 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statis... [8] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity/timeseries/lf2m/lms https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotin... [9] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotin... [10] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Unemployment_statistics https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php... [11] https://www.gov.uk/estimate-income-tax https://www.gov.uk/estimate-income-tax

LightBug1 6mo ago

Don't care. I don't want any of the wankers over there at Palantir involved with the NHS. (source: a UK voter)

mhh__ 6mo ago
[flagged]
- LightBug1 6mo ago
  Welcome to the club.
- clort 6mo ago
  No. I checked, and you can of course donate to Led By Donkeys either as a one-off or monthly via their web page https://donate.ledbydonkeys.org/ https://donate.ledbydonkeys.org/ but they don't have a way to contribute to specific campaigns. Thanks for mentioning them though.
  - LightBug1 6mo ago
    Donated. Cheers
    - mhh__ 6mo ago
      It'll come good any day now, the sensibles rightful place in charge of the plebs will be reaffirmed in 2029 I'm sure
      - mindslight 6mo ago
        You're really bashing a straw man of "the sensibles rightfully in charge of the plebs" to argue in support of a system that will be overtly in charge of the plebs without even nominal democratic accountability? Talk about mental gymnastics.
        6mo ago

gmerc 6mo ago

"dumb". Call it what it is, corruption

stuaxo 6mo ago

Sorry but the Adam smith institute is a ridiculous think thank that cherry picks Adam smith, he would be spinning in his grave at the misuse of his name.

jpfromlondon 6mo ago
it's not an Adam Smith fan club it's an independent research think tank, easily one of the best, up there with Brookings...