An interesting article I wrote on the reality of the current system.

NAS15840 said:

The problem at the moment is that we have shrunk the tax base due to ideological reasons, the idea that “poor people” shouldn’t pay tax is an ideological position.

Err but they do pay tax. Council tax, VAT, tax on petrol, tax on fags and booze.

The argument that everybody who earns money through employment should have to pay income tax is an equally ideological position.

Fewer people, in more skilled and more productive rolls, with various types of automation taking over the mundane and inane tasks, where the profit is in knowledge and skills is the way forward.

That's wishful thinking. Remember that skilled jobs can be lost from Britain as well like computer programming outsourced to low wage countries.

The idea that a small group of people should work, design, create and invest their time, energy, personal wealth and ability into a system that allows the vast majority to sit around doing nothing is insane

Unfortunately it's happened. You can't uninvent something.

As an automation engineer myself I am therefore part of this small group.

Yes, it's true that developments in technology mean that there simply won't be enough paid employment to go round in future decade, and that the number of new jobs created will be fewer than the number of old jobs lost.

NAS15840 said:

The problem at the moment is that we have shrunk the tax base due to ideological reasons, the idea that “poor people” shouldn’t pay tax is an ideological position.

Err but they do pay tax. Council tax, VAT, tax on petrol, tax on fags and booze.

The argument that everybody who earns money through employment should have to pay income tax is an equally ideological position.

Fewer people, in more skilled and more productive rolls, with various types of automation taking over the mundane and inane tasks, where the profit is in knowledge and skills is the way forward.

That's wishful thinking. Remember that skilled jobs can be lost from Britain as well like computer programming outsourced to low wage countries.

The idea that a small group of people should work, design, create and invest their time, energy, personal wealth and ability into a system that allows the vast majority to sit around doing nothing is insane

Unfortunately it's happened. You can't uninvent something.

As an automation engineer myself I am therefore part of this small group.

Yes, it's true that developments in technology mean that there simply won't be enough paid employment to go round in future decade, and that the number of new jobs created will be fewer than the number of old jobs lost.