50% Tax = 100% Annoyed
April 23, 2009
Do I like Alastair Darling taxing me another 10p in the £?
No, I absolutely loathe and detest the weird-eyebrowed little beancounter for even thinking about whacking the well-off in this disgracefully socialist manner.
(Especially as it means that I am now going to have to judge considerably more piano-playing pigs to make up the difference.)
Having said that, he’s absolutely right to do it.
The rich, in the main, have behaved in a thoroughly greedy, grasping, selfish manner for the last few years, collectively causing the worst global recession in memory.
It’s time they - oh alright, we - were made to pay for this conduct, and help those who have lost their jobs and homes as a result of such wanton, careless, and in some cases criminal, speculative extravagance.
© Piers Morgan 2009
Missed any of Piers’ Daily Rants? Catch up now:
Lazy MPs
Madonna
Heather Mills
Piers’ Daily Rants contain the personal opinion of Piers Morgan and are likely to offend, upset and annoy virtually everyone. The opinions belong solely to Piers and do not reflect those of iViva.com, The Daily Mail, ITV or indeed anyone who pays him money for being nice.
April 23, 2009 at 10:23 am
Kris Drum says
Oh boy am I glad I don’t pay a penny in tax having escaped Blighty and yeah never would trust that darling man with those eyebrows! Yonk Yonk
April 23, 2009 at 11:08 am
missteek says
Hi Piers,
We the little people lost just as much, if not more … pro rota to the financal woes of this country. Yes this is a world encomic crisis, but I still hold our current government 50% responsible, including Blair.
April 23, 2009 at 11:43 am
Wendy R says
Blimey, wouldn’t inflict the pig on anyone but am buying your books as they are very amusing so you should be ok for a posh shirt or two for a while.
However, we all know that these times don’t really hurt the seriously rich Marie Antoinette’s of the world (yes, I do mean you Victoria Beckham, we know you have more money than us, so no need to parade out a different 10k handbag everytime you are photgraphed, we get the message!)
Keep up the good work!
April 23, 2009 at 1:14 pm
michele says
I think i am as stunned reading this as you were listening to Susan Boyle.
Responsible rant from an extremely tough businessman. Personally annoyed but socially responsible. Who would have thunk it
Very impressive!
April 23, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Kathy says
Could it be that Piers has a civic conscience? That is refreshing and wonderful to see, no matter what nationality you are!
Like you, Simon is sensitive person, but he just thinks he hides it well. He is really a teddy hiding behind his “all business” demeanor. Did you see?..you really hurt his feelings there. His guard was down. It was a little hard for him to take a dose of his own medicine.
I think, most of the time, you all are right on in your judging. Simon brings the edge and you and Amanda balance him out…you make a good team.
April 23, 2009 at 4:42 pm
HiFromUS says
Wow!
April 23, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Edie says
Your government must be different than ours in America. While I most enthusiastically agree with helping those less fortunate, I cannot agree with allowing our government to act as the clearing house for those funds. In America our government has squandered the social security/Medicare fund and ran the U.S. Post Office into a deficit situation, to name just two examples. Now the bailout money that is supposed to revive our economy is being used to paint art murals in communities. I can’t agree with the argument that the government needs more of our money to help the poor when there is so much evidence that they will squander it. I know that 100% of what I hand directly to someone in need goes to them; I’m not sure what percentage of the money the government seizes from us goes to the poor.
April 23, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Marian says
Dear Piers,
I am glad to see you accept/agree to the fact that those in higher income have to contribute by paying a higher tax. I pay my respects to you for the solidarity and big heart you show with those who are in a worse position.
But, I honestly think that at this moment, well-paid people are the newest victims of Government.
As politicians see the tax-revenue to decrease dramatically by the consumption of goods coming to a halt, they just try to balance those figures by squeezing some few of you with a higher tax.
My question is: Why don’t politicians make that extra cash by cutting down in their expenses, and by not living their life of ‘grandeur’ on the cost of taxpayers?
April 23, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Mary Jo says
Sort of like getting a root canal. You know it’s needed, but you sure don’t have to enjoy it.
I like your attitude.
April 23, 2009 at 8:11 pm
ADavis says
I had to hit the link, and what to my surprise comes up? A Piano Playing Pig! I’m sorry, I can’t stop laughing….
April 23, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Marian again says
I didn’t mean what I said earlier, I actually do understand that the increase in tax Darling has imposed on the rich will increase (much needed) revenue far more than a few hundred thousand we’ll receive by cutting the excessive expenses politians claim.
I also realise that it’s not well-paid people who are being taxed, but over-paid people who caused this recession in the first place.
I just wanted to moan about politians again cause it’s easy and I am just repeating what everyone else says.
April 24, 2009 at 2:15 am
Brody Levesque says
Piers~
Sadly, you’re dead on. I live in America but am Canadian. What you said holds true even more so here than in Britain or the rest of the UK for that matter. The gent you’d referred to? Soon to be just another voice in the rising storm. Let’s just hope that we all don’t drown.
April 24, 2009 at 8:03 am
Kathy says
Brody, do you think it is worse here or in Canada? (I see you live here in the US) We are in a sad shape here, for sure, and it’s frightening to think what might be coming. Seems like it is a global malady.
Blessings, from another Levesque descendant.
April 24, 2009 at 10:24 am
Marian says
TO Marian again
You are very funny, but if you do not agree to my comments, what you are totally free to do, you could do it with your nick rather that pretending it was me the one telling that.
You attended the charming school, didn’t you?
April 25, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Dotty C says
Hi there
Talking about the “piano playing pig”, why don’t you guys come to Hong Kong to see what the people can do here?! You guys won’t be bored, I’m telling you!
They have lots of imagination as well…
April 28, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Ursaline says
Well, I have to say that the look on the judges’ faces made the piano-playing pig video the funniest. So I guess what you do could indeed be called work. Good for you to find a few wonderful acts within the sea of horrible ones.
April 29, 2009 at 7:25 am
Adrian says
Hey Piers , The Rot started with Thatcher in the Eighties and has got worse and worse with greedy politicians.
April 29, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Marian again says
Marion again again
No but I did go to school - did you?
May 1, 2009 at 11:50 am
Justin Palmer says
Can I ask a question? If you lend someone £5 and they don’t pay you back, whose fault is it? The borrower I would say and the borrowers defaulting on the loans is the root cause of this problem!
The rich are blamed by the media and the less well off, they complain about using “tax payers money” to reduce the banks but who is it that gets saddled with the highest proportion of the tax bill? The higher earners, who are going to spark the growth that will see us out of this recession?the higher earners. Darling and Brown are buffoons that have lived on the wave of the boom more than any banker and now they are blamless while the bankers foot the monetary and blame bill!
May 10, 2009 at 11:36 pm
bluewren says
It is a complex problem but surely it is fundamentally the responsibility of the bankers to be careful to whom they lend money viz. check their ability to repay and their security and also to check thoroughly where they borrow the money they lend in the first place .Correct me if I am wrong but didn’t a lot of the money come from the Arab Emirate Republic? As well as other dodgy International money lenders? Considering that world’s antagonism towards Western economies didn’t that leave us in rather a vulnerable position to our enemies? What would calling in their loans suddenly cause? The real wars seem to me to be fought on economical and trading levels today not in the trenches.Am I wrong?
June 3, 2009 at 8:21 am
Anita says
What it is time for, Piers, is the whold group of us to do things differently. The rich of the commerical world and the plain rich, should pay their fair share and not get by with loopholes. But the rest of us need to shoulder some of this by realizing we are only hurting ourselves by demanding ridiculous wages to make a pizza, tighten lug nuts on cars in factories, and other jobs. I have been a union member for years, but I do think we have created a monster. A honest days work for an honest days pay. We have to make the businesses folks of the world and ourselves come to terms in helping put things back on track. But, the lack of taxes that we see CEO’s pay or companies pay for them, on these huge bonuses is a shame and should be outlawed.