[gutnor]

Is that true though ? It seems to be a recurrent theme, both in the press talking about benefit tourism in the UK and from apparently the believes of the immigrant like those desperately trying to cross the Channel tunnel at Calais.

However, I'm a European living in the UK. About all areas I have looked seem to pay less or way less than France, Belgium or northern countries.

For example, unemployment benefits are a fraction of the one in France. State pension is a joke. As soon as you start earning an average salary, child/housing benefit are pretty much inexistent, especially considering that stuff like nurseries cost 3 to 4 times more than equivalent private nurseries in France or Belgium. Public school do not offer facilities for children outside hours and start later and close earlier than on the continent, meaning you need to "go private" for that too while it is free in both France and Belgium. Your workplace rights are laughable: after 8 years my wife would get the same redundancy package than a new starter in the same company in France. The list goes on and on.

What exactly is so amazing about the UK benefits that is worth the trouble compared to staying in France ?

The real stuff that the UK has going for it is that you pay less tax, there are more work opportunities and in big cities, there is less employment discrimination. But that means that immigrant come to work not as benefit leeches as they are picture in the news.

[lotsofcows]

This idea that paying less tax is a good thing boggles the mind. Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

Paying taxes provide services that maintain the sensible level of social movement and pay differential that has been demonstrated to advance entire societies.

Why do so many people want to be the richest person in a shit-hole?

[gutnor]

> This idea that paying less tax is a good thing boggles the mind. Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

Let me rephrase that.

With everything I listed that you don't receive in the UK, this idea that paying less tax than the French is a good thing boggles the mind. Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

edit: OK in case it requires more explanation: I don't mind paying more for more, but if I receive less then at least I want to pay less. And by "I", I don't mean personally receiving more or less. As a middle classer I know that I'm more likely to be a net positive contributor to the tax coffer and I'm ok with that.

[mindcrime]

Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

No, some small percentage of it is used for "social good" and the rest is wasted or funneled to well connected / powerful political insiders and their cronies.

[jamespo]

You would not be earning if society didn't exist due to the taxes you pay

[DominikR]

Until the first world war there was no income tax in the US. Yet they still had a society and earned money.

Edit because I'm not allowed to reply anymore to below comment: I once lived in a Communist country. Never again. I'd rater die.

[akiselev]

I'm assuming you've never lived in a country without a vast social safety net, extensive national highway network, department of education, or a well funded TVA/EPA/FDA/FTC/FCC/FAA/NIH/NSF/etc?

Trust me, "society" was very different before the federal government had vast amounts of money to fund everything we take for granted today as "government waste."

[aianus]

In my experience the countries with lower tax rates have higher gross salaries and higher net immigration so this argument that low-tax regimes are shitholes seems to break down.

[DominikR]

> Is that true though ? It seems to be a recurrent theme

Does it really matter? It's sufficient if many believe it. Apparently I could be wrong, but also you yourself are not taking a clear position if that's the case or not.