Is U.S.A. Social Security Disability easier to get now ?

[thaiturkey]

How is the UK not part of the eurozone when they were the ones that created it?

Disclaimer: I may have been told wrong.

EU = European Union Consists of a group of European countries that co-operate on an increasing range of social and business matters.. The UK joined after it was originally created as the European Common Market.

Eurozone = some EU States (countries) that now share a common currency calle the Euro. 'Eurozone' applies only to EU States that have the Euro as their currency. The UK group of countries is not amongst them and has retained Sterling.

So, the UK countries are not part of the Eurozone but are part of the EU.

 

[thaiturkey]

The tax revenues in the U.K take 34% of GDP the rest of Europe is about 40% average.
The U.S. is under 20% of GDP.
So they do pay a lot for there social programs.

How many want the government to collect twice as much taxes ?

What is your source?

If you add the cost of social benefits schemes such as unemployment and disability funds, health care and pensions to your 20%, I wonder what the total cost would be. Pensions and health insurance are expensive. Private health insurance is relatively more expensive for low wage earners than for others.

I suppose you have to decide whether you want a society that takes care of all of its citizens or one where the wealthy take care of themselves and the remainder can go whistle.

 

[chickened]

The higher tax rates you refer to are income tax rates. Social benefits are paid for from different taxes and nothing to do with income tax. The tax is called 'National Insurance Contributions'.

The UK is not part of the Eurozone. It still has Sterling so I don't know where you get your Euro calculation.

The UK has plenty of self made millionaires, especially if you measure their wealth in US Dollars rather than Pounds Sterling. UK taxes don't discourage citizens from wanting to become wealthy. Compare the poverty in the UK after WWII with the personal wealth there now and you will see what I mean. In 1945, the average income was way behind that of the US. Things are rather different now, even with the social benefits system and the recent recession.

National Insurance contributions
Main article: National Insurance
The second largest source of government revenues is National Insurance contributions (NICs). NICs are payable by employees, employers and the self-employed and in the 2010-2011 tax year £96.5 billion was raised, 21.5% of the total collected by HMRC.[42]
Employees and employers pay contributions according to a complex classification based on employment type and income. Class 1 (employed persons) NIC is charged at several rates depending on various income thresholds and a number of other factors including age, the type of occupational pension scheme contributed to by the employee and/or employer and whether or not the employee is an ocean-going mariner. Certain married women who opted to pay reduced contributions (in return for reduced benefits) prior to 1977 retain this right for historical reasons.
Employers also pay contributions on many benefits in kind provided to employees (such as company cars), and on tax liabilities met on behalf of employees via a "PAYE Settlement Agreement".
There are separate arrangements for self-employed persons, who are normally liable to Class 2 flat rate NIC and Class 4 earnings-related NIC, and for some voluntary sector workers






It is a tax based on income and other factors. At least that is how I see it.

Money collected by a government body from it's citizens is a tax


HNWIs (more than US$1 million, in 2010)[13] HNWIs (more than US$1 million, in 2011)[13] HNWI growth rate (%)2010-2011[13] Percentage Of Population
Rank Country Number Number Number Percent
— World 10,900,000 11,000,000 0.9 0.15714 %
1

United States 3,104,000 3,068,000 -1.2 0.97769 %
2

Japan 1,739,000 1,822,000 +4.8 1.42568 %
3

Germany 924,000 951,000 +2.9 1.16260 %
4

China 535,000 562,000 +5.0 0.04195 %
5

United Kingdom 454,000 441,000 -2.9 0.70830 %
6

France 396,000 404,000 +2.0 0.61821 %
7

Canada 282,000 280,000 -0.7 0.80370 %
8

Switzerland 243,000 252,000 +3.7 3.16877 %
9

Australia 192,900 179,500 -6.9 0.78234 %
10

Italy 170,000 168,000 -1.2 0.27626 %
11

Brazil 155,000 165,000 +6.5 0.08577 %
12

South Korea 147,000 144,000 -2.0 0.29463 %

 

[hemet dennis]

What is your source?

If you add the cost of social benefits schemes such as unemployment and disability funds, health care and pensions to your 20%, I wonder what the total cost would be. Pensions and health insurance are expensive. Private health insurance is relatively more expensive for low wage earners than for others.

I suppose you have to decide whether you want a society that takes care of all of its citizens or one where the wealthy take care of themselves and the remainder can go whistle.

It's called freedom of choice. You should try it sometime.


http://www.deptofnumbers.com/blog/2010/08/tax-revenue-as-a-fraction-of-gdp/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.K.-Tax-Revenues-As-GDP-Percentage-(75-05).jpg

The cost of social benefits schemes such as unemployment and disability funds are already in the 20% so you don't need to add those, also pensions are there already.
So you think that a health insurance should cost another 16 to 20% of GDP ?

 

[thaiturkey]

National Insurance contributions
Main article: National Insurance
The second largest source of government revenues is National Insurance contributions (NICs). NICs are payable by employees, employers and the self-employed and in the 2010-2011 tax year £96.5 billion was raised, 21.5% of the total collected by HMRC.[42]
Employees and employers pay contributions according to a complex classification based on employment type and income. Class 1 (employed persons) NIC is charged at several rates depending on various income thresholds and a number of other factors including age, the type of occupational pension scheme contributed to by the employee and/or employer and whether or not the employee is an ocean-going mariner. Certain married women who opted to pay reduced contributions (in return for reduced benefits) prior to 1977 retain this right for historical reasons.
Employers also pay contributions on many benefits in kind provided to employees (such as company cars), and on tax liabilities met on behalf of employees via a "PAYE Settlement Agreement".
There are separate arrangements for self-employed persons, who are normally liable to Class 2 flat rate NIC and Class 4 earnings-related NIC, and for some voluntary sector workers






It is a tax based on income and other factors. At least that is how I see it.

Money collected by a government body from it's citizens is a tax


HNWIs (more than US$1 million, in 2010)[13] HNWIs (more than US$1 million, in 2011)[13] HNWI growth rate (%)2010-2011[13] Percentage Of Population
Rank Country Number Number Number Percent
— World 10,900,000 11,000,000 0.9 0.15714 %
1

United States 3,104,000 3,068,000 -1.2 0.97769 %
2

Japan 1,739,000 1,822,000 +4.8 1.42568 %
3

Germany 924,000 951,000 +2.9 1.16260 %
4

China 535,000 562,000 +5.0 0.04195 %
5

United Kingdom 454,000 441,000 -2.9 0.70830 %
6

France 396,000 404,000 +2.0 0.61821 %
7

Canada 282,000 280,000 -0.7 0.80370 %
8

Switzerland 243,000 252,000 +3.7 3.16877 %
9

Australia 192,900 179,500 -6.9 0.78234 %
10

Italy 170,000 168,000 -1.2 0.27626 %
11

Brazil 155,000 165,000 +6.5 0.08577 %
12

South Korea 147,000 144,000 -2.0 0.29463 %

I see that you are learning. As I said, UK NI Contributions are not on a percentage scale on the earnings ladder.

As I wrote earlier, add to your taxes what you would need to spend for UK quality social services, pension fund and health care and see what the percentage of your income might be. That's if you can find private schemes for such a comprehensive social programme.

 

[thaiturkey]

It's called freedom of choice. You should try it sometime.

No need for sarcasm old bean. Europeans probably have more freedom of choice than do you.

For example:

I have a State Pension greater than the basic figure because I contributed more than the minimum.

I also have three private pensions because I have private schemes.

I can have free health care in the UK and, being the age I am, I can have free preventative medical checks. Also because of my age, I don't have to pay NI Contributions now.

UK pensioners receive help towards winter fuel costs.

If inflation in the UK should reduce my spending power below a certain threshold, I would, if living again there, also receive social benefits to ensure that I had a home, food and fuel.

When I was out of work, the State ensured that I kept my home until I was back in work. That was probably cheaper than social housing.

Despite the tax cost to me of all that, I raised a family, had two cars, a home, all of the leisure activities and vacations that we wanted, helped by children through university, kept the family healthy and was able to save for retirement.

So, you see, the UK system, developed since 1947, works. At least for me and most others, the deductions from income were not an incentive to sit at home with our hands out for State aid.

 

[Matthew3590]

Are you able to opt out in the UK? We use to be able to in the US.

 

[hemet dennis]

No need for sarcasm old bean. Europeans probably have more freedom of choice than do you.

For example:

I have a State Pension greater than the basic figure because I contributed more than the minimum.

I also have three private pensions because I have private schemes.

I can have free health care in the UK and, being the age I am, I can have free preventative medical checks. Also because of my age, I don't have to pay NI Contributions now.

UK pensioners receive help towards winter fuel costs.

If inflation in the UK should reduce my spending power below a certain threshold, I would, if living again there, also receive social benefits to ensure that I had a home, food and fuel.

When I was out of work, the State ensured that I kept my home until I was back in work. That was probably cheaper than social housing.

Despite the tax cost to me of all that, I raised a family, had two cars, a home, all of the leisure activities and vacations that we wanted, helped by children through university, kept the family healthy and was able to save for retirement.

So, you see, the UK system, developed since 1947, works. At least for me and most others, the deductions from income were not an incentive to sit at home with our hands out for State aid.

I don't see to much freedom of choice there.
Here we pick our own doctor We also don't have to wait 3 months to see a specialist.

You seem to be under the impression we don't have a pension or unemployment, well we do.
For some there will always be an incentive to sit with their hands out for that state check.

 

[Stephanie739]

I suppose you have to decide whether you want a society that takes care of all of its citizens or one where the wealthy take care of themselves and the remainder can go whistle.

Bingo...even more sad is that those wealthy in power love to make it more difficult for those less fortunate to even care for themselves. Just ask all those chicken outlaws for one example. Then there is the lady prosecuted for having a garden in her front yard...I recently read of an old man removed from his property. He resided in a trailer without running water or electricity, not acceptable standards. Keep it up and the wealthy in power will make poverty a crime in itself pretty soon.

I doubt SSI is easier to obtain. I wish my childrens' father was able to collect some of the insurance benefits he paid into the system. I believe fighting cancer and diabetes has made it difficult to keep a job, but not sick enough for ss disability.

 

[thaiturkey]

Are you able to opt out in the UK? We use to be able to in the US.

Opt out of NI Contributions? No, that's the whole point. Every wage earner and his employer is obliged to contribute to the scheme. Making it voluntary would destroy it and the UK would end up in the same mess as some other countries. However, each person is free to make his own additional voluntary arrangements. For example:

1. Some people buy private health insurance. The advantages include a private room, land line telephone and more scope for choosing in-patient dates that suit your employer or business for non-urgent operations. It was a perk for key employees but rarely worth the cost these days.

2. As a foreigner in Thailand I don't qualify for any social benefits here so I have private health insurance. My wife and I have several business interests that ensure an income over and above my pensions and that protects me from inflation that might exceed pension increases.

Most Britons see the State schemes as a safety net that gives them greater ability or freedom to build their material wealth through work. Entrepreneurs amongst them feel more able to take business risks and, in turn, create wealth for themselves and jobs for others.