Giantaxe

As has been pointed out on other threads, income taxes are hardly the only way taxes are raised to fund the NHS. Really, it would be almost impossible to live in the UK and not be funding the NHS in some fashion.

rebeccajo

I will never understand this kind of breathtakingly heartless thinking.

You are talking about someone who is, apparently, newly married. People often marry in order to start families. Apparently though, migrants to the UK shouldn't be acting as other married people around the world do. They shouldn't have a family. At least not until they've paid their share of tax.

Really?

formula

Or those who moved to the UK when they retired and just expected to be given free access to the UK's health service for the rest of their life, when they had never contributed their working taxes to the UK. The NHS has waiting lists for treatment and budgets to keep to, but they don't care about those people.

As I said years ago, protecting the NHS for Brits was one of the major topics on the site the government set up in 2010 when they asked Brits what they wanted to see changed. They haven't gone as far as those suggestions but they got the message and have started to take giant steps forward. As Cameron put it in 2012(?) when he announced the start of these changes to stop this abuse on the British NHS "to return the NHS to the national health service it was intended for and not the international healthservice it has now become".

It is interesting the way the UK have done this though, using immigrants to pay for other immigrants healthcare. The IHS goes into a pot which will be drawn on to pay for their NHS bills by the various NHSs. It will give the UK the data to raise the IHS accordingly.

The other major step foward was the system they have developed so they can now catch all those EEAs and their dependants who reside in the UK but aren't allowed free NHS. Something other EEA countries could always do to stop abuse on their national health services, but until now, the UK never the systems in place to do that. I notice they have just brought in NHS changes for the non-EU dependants of EEA students too, in favour of the Brits.

formula

Immigrants have instant access to free NHS from the day they arrive and for any exisiting health problems too. The IHS was done so that they all pay a little bit in before they take out. £200 a year that covers existing conditions too, is very very cheap. They could have brought in medicals that immigrants have to pass to be given a visa, as other western countries do to protect their citizens health services.

Perhaps that now the country has spoken, the Torries will be able to get their NICs contributions = free NHS through, that got blocked form the Immigration Act by other parties? The Torries are keen on rewarding those who have contributed to the UK and stopping those who come to the UK to take.

robin1234

Yes of course, but the population is always going to cover the spectrum, from those paying no income tax to those paying a million or more in tax. Up till now, all have had equal access to the NHS based on their residence status.

Anyway, everyone is a taxpayer. Looking beyond income tax, the poor presumably pay a higher percent of their income in VAT than the comfortably off, no?

formula

The income tax taken doesn't even cover the annual welfare bill.

not2old

have you looked at the latest revenue & expenditures, it may surprise you?

UK Central Government and Local Authority Public Revenue 2016 - Pie Charts Tables

UK government expenditure 2016 - Pie Charts Tables

not2old

I'd be OK to adding that in.

But you know there is still the EEA/EU routes for spouses of Brit citizens as well as those like myself that have spent more years outside the UK, than in it, who have made voluntary NIC's & will be able to qualify for NHS, as would my spouse if she hadn't been a Brit?

For every door that closes, another one opens.

Lets have the EU referendum, get the UK out of the 'giving money' pot of some ~£20 billion + a year to the EU, to it being just one of the EEA (trading partner) countries with all the rights and privileges of freedom of movement & maybe add in the UK becomes part of the Schengen Area

From the GOV.UK website

The European Economic Area (EEA)

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the EU’s single market.

Switzerland is neither an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market - this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

Giantaxe

Which tells you that this is merely political gesturing as opposed to a rational and fair policy.

robin1234

Exactly. Here's a useful overview of UK revenue from the OECD.

http://www.oecd.org/ctp/consumption/...ed-kingdom.pdf

Seems to show that VAT and other taxes on goods and services are the largest contributor to total revenues. Obviously, anyone living and breathing in the UK is paying VAT, even if they earn too little to pay income tax.

not2old

I like that link.....

did you manage to see or view my links in post#22?

On each tab in each of the revenue & expenditures it shows previous years. The Cons have done better for the economy than anything under labour IMO

michali

We are retired returning residents so not paying tax through salary but we have submitted tax returns every year for many years and are therefore assessed based on our income. We pay taxes through other avenues. I have absolutely no problem with the Heath surcharge. As has been said, it is a small price to pay. Interesting for us this year is our uncertainty as to whether my husband, on a visa and still non Dom, is entitled to his personal allowance. I have been given conflicting advice. Even though our income is small, HMRC will certainly benefit if he is not entitled!

Anyone who is returning with a non EU spouse or coming in on another visa longer than six months has a choice. You either come in under existing rules or, if you do not like the rules, don't! This sounds harsh but immigration rules apply anywhere you go to in the world. We had to make a huge decision to return. Life us not always easy!

robin1234

Didn't work well for me on my iPad. One of them wouldn't open at all

robin1234

The IHS hardly matters to us. We can qualify for the visa under either income or capital. My wife has yet to decide whether she actually wants to return to England to live, so this may be somewhat academic for us. If we do apply for the visa for her, the IHS is just a minor fee increase as far as we're concerned. We're retired, our retirement savings, pensions and annuities are chugging away.

I do feel sorry for folks with limited means though. Moving from one continent to another is an expense, visa fees, plane fare, removals expenses, buying a new car and other essential expenses all come at once. There may well be unemployment or a gap between old and new jobs. The IHS may be the straw too many..

Perth

Have to agree with this. Huffed and puffed long enough about the requirements. We are now ready to accept them and move to the UK next year. My US hubby thinks the health charge is very reasonable, and has no problem paying it. I know full well the value of the NHS (having used the US private healthcare system), and agree that it should not be taken for granted or abused.