Starmer says UK ‘can’t just tax our way to growth’ as he brushes off call for wealth tax
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/jul/09/pmqs-live-uk-politics-latest-updates-starmer-badenoch-macron-labour-conservatives
Posted by Necessary-Product361
39 Comments
Because the past 15 years of cutting our way to growth has worked so well.
t. the guy who raised tax on work after saying he wouldn’t
[Here’s the telegraph saying the complete opposite](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/07/09/politics-latest-news-pmqs-starmer-macron-badenoch/)
It’s just a tabloid rage bait rag at this point
>*Starmer says UK ‘can’t just tax our way to growth’*
Unfortunately Starmer said it just a few minutes after Kemi said it.
Wealthy man says “can’t tax wealthy men to get more growth”. Instead we will continue the way we have been for the past two decades during which time we have seen growth shrinking.
Taxes can fix broken infrastructure. Taxes can pay to treat all the sick people we have to get them off benefits the right way.
Both would have economic benefits.
So yes we can tax our way to growth.
the problem with the UK is the people with the money are more interested in investing in extractive models, i.e. economic rent, ie, literal rent as a landlord, or constantly increasing margins while cutting quality (look at any super market or utility company) and this issue compounds as wealth inequality goes up.
The goal isn’t growth of the economy, the goal is to extract as much money from it as possible, the only way to make them invest money in a way that is healthier for the economy as a collective whole is to force them to, either by taxing and spending or regulation.
Like just look at betting shops, on a personal lvl they can make you wealthy, just look at bet 365 boss, but you cant say that they contribute to the growth of the british economy, if anything there probably a net negative when you factor in all externalities to the business
Maybe we could just have higher taxes for people who want higher taxes? Problem solved
Wait until the budget, no doubt he will indeed to try tax his way to growth again. But it won’t be the wealthy getting taxed more, it will be the middle class.
Increase taxes and institute an exit tax for people who move businesses etc to avoid the increased taxes – simple really
Just before everyone comes in here shouting eat the rich.
European taxation models are much broader than the UK in the way that they absolutely target lower and middle income earners so much more than the UK does.
They also have much lower personal allowance than we do.
Translation: I’m happy to keep taxing everyone, but not my lords and masters.
This isn’t even an answer, it’s a deferral
Hoards of redditor’s are going to come here waffling about European nations and eating the rich.
Then totally refuse to engage you in conversation when it’s explained to them that European models of taxation are much broader and deeper in the sense that they absolutely target low and middle earners considerably more than the British taxation system.
They will also then get annoyed when you bring up most European nations are also struggling under the weight of their social programs budget.
Ummmm…. Yes we can.
Wealth taxes and exit taxes at the top. Take low paid people out of taxes and create a trickle up approach to economics.
Then again, Starmer like his chancellor are wedded to treasury orthodoxy.
Poor old millionaires. They do have it hard. Wealth management must be sooo stressful
But bailing out water companies with tax payers money only for those same private water companies to give billions in bonuses to their bosses is ap great
You can’t austerity your way to growth either. An economy relies on confidence and perception. Taking food out of the mouths of children or kicking a guy in a wheelchair (metaphorical for benefit cuts) does not give off the impression of a strong economy.
Investment leads to growth, we can’t even invest in our University students saddling them with a mountain of debt at the start of what we hope will be an innovative career.
Vile, evil man. “can’t just tax our way to growth”, but he can come after the poorest and most vulnerable with an axe, and that’s apparently fine. unbelievable.
Governments have not represented anyone except the wealthy and powerful for a very long time.
The refusal to anything to actually tackle the problems we face is astounding.
‘but we can’t austerity our way to growth either Mr prime minis-‘
‘ILL SHOW YOU YOU FECKIN PROLES THE CHILD BENEFIT CAP IS NOW MINUS 2 KIDS’
So you lot are Red Tories anyway. We need new parties. This lot is impotent.
Maybe it’s time to rename the party to Wealth then?
Or just admit that the current name is hipster irony.
No you can’t so stop wasting money on crooks like Thames Water, shit like track and trade, all those ppe, hs2. Country shits tax payer money down the drain.
“A wealth tax wouldn’t work because we can’t tax our way to growth”
He says as he considers increasing the tax of working people.
Millionaire says “Taxing us more won’t help you peasants”.
So his plan is to austerity our way to growth….? OK, cool story bro. Blue ties suit you.
Eugh, after all those tax hikes? Now we can’t tax our way to growth? How convenient.
I was just starting to like him, his foreign policy has been top notch. Little things like this really let him down, along with the gang of muppets he surrounds himself with.
Someone is going to have to explain this to me. Everytime this comes up, the comments are absolutely adamant that a wealth tax on the richest people in our country will not work and we need to bring tax more in line with the EU countries. No one ever acknowledges that we’re already struggling with a cost of living crisis.
You know who weathers a cost of living crisis the best? The wealthy. You know who GENERALLY benefits most from a cost of living crisis? The wealthy. Tax them until we’re out of this crisis that they’ve collectively caused.
Meanwhile, the MPs are fanning themselves with a handful of £100 notes as they complain about the lazy common folk, not contributing to the economy.
“Why can’t they just get a 5th job? Surely they have the energy to work 30 hours a day?”
The main issue in this country isn’t that people aren’t taxed enough, it’s there’s far too many paying zero tax at all.
46 years of continued neoliberalism has got us to where we are now, namely a high cost of living financed by low wages.
The result = low to no growth
All in all, the privatisation of essential goods and services has been an absolute disaster for the UK, and its populace as a whole.
God knows what the next 46 years will bring. All I know is, whatever it is it certainly won’t be good for the masses.
Can’t be entertaining any such notions of taxing the rich, don’t be silly – Keith is under orders, after all.
Great, I look forward to the fiscal drag freeze ending in 2027 and continuing to increase with inflation every year.
Starmer is so desperate to be a Tory.
It’s called LABOUR. It’s meant to represent the interests of the Labouring class. What’s going on?
I’m personally very tired of this ‘you can’t tax wealth or corporations, they’ll leave!’
No… people, and certain things are mobile, assets are not, starbucks has 1400 locations in the UK, they publically dodge tax, we all know how they do it, the government know how we do it, so close that loophole and TAX them, if they refuse, tell them to pack up. Do you really think starbucks will eat the loss and abandon 1400 sits?
Same with amazon, same with apple. the UK, despite its shit economy, is a huge market, no company is going to fully withdraw, close down on these fucks, and get them paying tax now.
Now onto inheritance tax, make them pay, make them pay a lot, I’m all well and good people not losing what their family have earned, it’s when they stay in their estate then buy up family homes to rent and just increase and compound capital generation on generation.
Don’t inheritance tax the middle class worker handing a 3 bed down to their children, but tax the second homes, tax corporations that own homes (blackrock buying up massive houses)
Also, nationalise, enough of these leeches, nationalise energy, water, build nuclear power plants, nationalise the rail, the buses, make them good services and get this country back on track
But it won’t happen, because every politician (yes, every single one) is bought and paid for, and the ones that aren’t never get anywhere and are slandered online.
Labour and conservative are two sides of the same coin, people should have realised being civil isnt going to work anymore. Tear it all down, there’ll come a day where they realise you can’t sit in a cage with a starving animal
He finally got something right. It only took him a year. I suppose I should be congratulating him and encouraging more of this.
Yes, but we can spend money on defense like there’s no tomorrow, just not services that public need help with.
yes you can, legalize cannabis and tax it. Boom, billions sorted.
Our system may be fundamentally broken if every time there’s financial issues we have to hit the working and middle classes because its “impossible” to make the rich pay more.
You can only keep hitting the same people over and over until they have nothing left