I worked in the textile industry in the 70's. While the cheap labour argument has weight (Although the British textile industry seems to have encouraged Asian workers to come over and work cheaply just as the industry collapsed!) it's not the only factor. In 1975 we worked on Looms that were built in 1904. Foreign competition worked on new looms that were up to 10 times as fast; British industry had not invested in new machinery in over 70 years and apparently had no intention of doing so. I suspect this might have applied to some other sectors. Most of our skilled workers ended up on Asda checkouts.

I asked for evidence NOT your (totally misguided) opinion

In what way? Why is it massively cheaper? There are numerous online tax calculators that if I put my wage in will instantly tell me what income tax I pay. Are you saying that HMRC doesn't use a computerised system for working out my tax but a free website does?


Not much easier. The vast majority of people can fairly easily work out their income tax with a calculator. Which loopholes would be closed?


How would a loss of tax on ncome taxed at over 20% be reclaimed by a VAT on what must be by definition a lower (or at most, equal) amount? Without a large rise in VAT?
Disregarding the moral implications of moving tax take from a progressive system to a less fair system, the numbers simply don't stack up.

Sounds like one of the principles of trickle down economics, hasn't it been proven with the last two governments that the only thing that trickles down is the £...

First it was "textiles", now it's "cheap textiles".
Your shifting has got you almost to the truth.
Now all you have to do is to acknowledge that coal mining is not the sole preserve of developing nations and you will be agreeing with me.

1. Eventually.
2. A flat tax would not stop exploitation of loopholes via offshoring of corporate profits, non-doms shifting money around etc , etc.
3. a) VAT is regressive and inherently unfair b) Raising VAT retards economic growth, as we are seeing at the moment.

Introducing flat tax would obviously mean that the higher paid would pay less tax (indeed, that's why so many of them like the idea). That shortfall in tax-take would have to be made up from somewhere ... where? ... there would be no option other than getting it from the lower paid, the same people who would be hit hardest by the hike in VAT.