In an ideal world you and I should not have to pay taxes. But as we do not live in such a place, taxed beyond the realms of fairness is our sorry lot in life.

Now I am not against income tax per se. I do understand why we have to be taxed. I understand all the things that would make our civilisation crumble into anarchy and chaos needs to be paid for through taxes. I don’t wholeheartedly agree with most of the way our money is spent by the useless idiots in the treasury, nobody does. But in fairness to the tax man, I pay my due willingly.

To a point.

You see, in my opinion overtime is mine. I do it because I want to not because I have to, for the few extra quid to buy stuff for the kids and at this time of year – Christmas. I have paid my dues on my basic wage. The taxman cometh and taketh his share, fair enough. But to my mind what I earn over and above this basic should be mine and mine alone.

Due to the loverly way Tax is worked out here in blighty, we do get a concession in the form of an allowance. This makes a percentage of your yearly earnings tax free. Yay, go us. But because of this our overtime earnings are taxed at the full amount – 22% in my case, as I don’t come anywhere near the 40% tax bracket (sob).

Now come on fairs fair. We get taxed to buggery on everything we do in this country (exceptions being; kids clothes and newspapers for example) and in some cases a system so fiendish and in my opinion downright wrong results in us paying tax on tax! I refer to cigarettes and petrol in particular. In these cases you pay duty on the goods, then that’s added to the actual cost of the item. Then, and this is the genius/dubious bit, the bastards charge you VAT on the full amount. You pay tax on tax.

I was going to say “OK lets be sensible and agree to something like 10% on overtime earnings” but, and excuse my French, fuck it. I am venting my spleen. No tax on anything worked over and above your contracted weekly hours (37.5 in my case)

Overtime is mine, mine and mine. I, and indeed you dear reader should be keeping that money. The taxman will get a share sooner or later anyway. You spend it they tax it. It’s wrong that you get taxed on earning it then taxed on spending it.

Let us have a little more of what we earn. Overtime tax free means more money in our pocket. Which means more spending, which in turn means more people directly benefiting from the money and Gordon and his chums still get a slice. More money in circulation and not taxed and locked away or spent on crap means a better standard of living for us all.

So Overtime tax free. I think so.

“did I say overtime enough?”

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