Taxation and Public Services

Public services don’t appear by magic - they need funding, staffing, and infrastructure, none of which come cheap. Yet in 2025, the mere mention of ‘tax’ sends some into a frothing rage, as if it’s a medieval curse rather than the bedrock of a functioning society.

People want hospitals that work, roads that aren’t cratered, police who turn up when needed, and schools that aren’t crumbling. They expect bins to be emptied, parks maintained, and fire services that don’t rely on prayers. But suggest raising taxes to pay for them, and suddenly it’s ‘state-sponsored theft.’ It’s as if they think these services are conjured from thin air.

The blame? Look no further than the media barons - Murdoch and his ilk - who benefit from low taxes and lax regulations. They peddle anti-tax propaganda while tucking their own wealth away in offshore accounts, far from the taxman’s reach. Their influence has convinced many that taxation is tyranny, even as those same people queue at underfunded GP surgeries and curse potholes the size of small lakes. These moguls aren’t stupid - they cloak their greed in rhetoric about ‘personal freedom’ and ‘economic competitiveness,’ all while ensuring their own contributions to society are kept to an absolute minimum.

And here’s the irony - those who rely most on public services are often the loudest against tax increases, sold a lie that cuts only hurt ‘someone else.’ But look at Scandinavia, where higher taxes fund robust welfare states. There, only 3% of pensioners live in poverty compared to 20% in the UK. That’s not coincidence - it’s policy. In those countries, people understand that paying a bit more in tax means a healthier, safer, and more prosperous society for all.

Scandinavian countries also prevent mass layoffs through wage subsidies and retraining, ensuring public money protects jobs. Their governments step in with public sector hiring during downturns, keeping unemployment low and economic stability intact. Meanwhile, Britain has spent years cutting services to the bone under the illusion of ‘fiscal responsibility.’ The result? A threadbare NHS, overworked teachers, police stretched beyond capacity, and an economy that lurches from crisis to crisis because there’s no investment in long-term stability.

Labour has a chance to change this - but will they? Starmer has made the right noises about progressive taxation, cracking down on corporate tax dodging, and ending non-dom loopholes, but will he have the backbone to follow through? His plan for Great British Energy is a step in the right direction, ensuring energy profits benefit the public rather than fattening the wallets of offshore investors. His commitment to VAT on private school fees is another signal that he understands where wealth needs to be redistributed. But these policies must be seen through, not diluted at the first whiff of pressure from business lobbyists and media magnates.

Of course, not all taxes are perfect, and government spending needs scrutiny. But the answer isn’t to starve the system - it’s to fix it. Demand accountability, insist funds go where needed, and recognise that public services are an investment in society, not a burden. This requires engagement, not apathy - people need to see beyond the headlines and soundbites to understand that taxation isn’t about punishment, but about collective well-being.

The anti-tax crowd thrives on cynicism. They say government is wasteful, politicians are corrupt, and taxes only fund inefficiency. It’s easier to see tax as theft than as the price of civilisation. And the media barons exploit that cynicism ruthlessly - stoking distrust to keep people passive, ensuring real reform never comes. The result? A country where only the wealthy can afford decent healthcare, good schools, and safe communities, while the rest are left to fight over scraps.

Take Musk and DOGE. Axing entire arms of government without an audit, which takes years, and unilaterally declaring them wasteful is not an efficiency drive - it's ideological vandalism.  It's a bandwagon Farage is now climbing aboard. Farage’s “UK Doge” is political cosplay – a made-up department to tackle a problem that’s already audited, published, and scrutinised. He can’t create it without winning a general election, and even then it’d be a taxpayer-funded quango to fight fictional waste. It’s not policy – it’s puffery for the gullible.

It’s time to reclaim the narrative. Taxes aren’t some necessary evil - they build the society we live in. They fund healthcare, education, and security. The next time someone rants about taxes, ask them: would they rather pay a bit more for decent public services, or save a few quid and navigate a crumbling infrastructure alone? Because the way things are going, the latter is exactly what they’ll get unless we demand better - and soon.