The Spectator's Notes

29 November 2008

In his speech announcing his Pre-Budget Report, Alistair Darling said that he was going to put up the top rate of income tax to 45 per cent from 2011, because he wanted the burden to be borne by ‘those who have done best out of the growth of the past decade’. This was not only, as many have said, an abandonment of a New Labour article of faith about tax rates: it was also an admission that the past ten years have not worked. The Blair/Brown view was always that the purpose of holding the top rate at 40 per cent was that this, by increasing general prosperity, benefited ‘the many, not the few’. Now the Chancellor is saying that it did not, in which case what, or rather, whom, were those ten years for? I think, though, that the rate rise will damage Labour more than it thinks, for two reasons. The first is that the dogma that tax should be punitive is now back. Many people, even people who are not rich, really hate that idea, and see it as discouraging their own efforts. The second reason is that almost all the people in the media who form public views on politics will be in the new 45 per cent bracket. For example, Mark Thompson, the Director-General of the BBC, is paid £816,000, so he will now have to produce an extra 5 per cent on £666,000 of his income, which is £33,300 a year, the equivalent of annual private day-school fees for two of his children. Every Fleet Street editor, top current affairs presenter, columnist etc will be feeling the pain. Even if they are left-wing, they will not like this. They will probably be too shy to tell the world about it directly, but they will take it out on the government in all aspects of coverage.

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mondayclubber

November 28th, 2008 12:01am Report this comment

Careful Charles ,letter in todays Guardian

I would like to reassure your readers that absolutely everybody risks prosecution if they are watching television without a licence. Last year, we prosecuted 151,000 people. We do not take personal opinion into consideration and we do not shy from prosecuting. If and when their addresses become unlicensed, this will apply to Noel Edmonds and Charles Moore as much as it applies to anyone else (Letters, November 25).
Ian Fannon
TV Licensing

"We do not take personal opinion into consideration" So are we not allowed in Labour Stasi Britain to have one

Peter

November 29th, 2008 6:49am Report this comment

Have any aspects you outline been tested for legal validity? I know that much in our glorious legal system is open to (a word the BBC will love) 'interpretation'. Also can't help that so much is also 'unique' and beyond any other financial relationship I have experienced.

Beyond what has troubled you, certainly I have to believe any contractual arrangement between me and many aspects of my public broadcaster's service for a fee have been breached, from highly questionable information being selected and supplied, actions unrepresentative of my views being carried out, commitments against my wishes as a stakeholder (I see this word is now lampooned, but know of no other way to describe the relationship) being made, and a template-based faux 'complaints' system that is a joke.

David Short

December 3rd, 2008 3:14pm Report this comment

It would not be the BBC that breaks the law, but the odious 'TV Licensing' which holds the contract for recklessly pursuing and harassing honest people.

And when did any institution have an activity as its name without a noun; 'TV Licensing' is illiterate as well as charmless and criminal. No BBC spokesperson should be speaking on behalf of this independent 'body'.

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