Adele Rants About Tax

[allezfred]

Link

Speaking to Q magazine, the Rolling in the Deep singer said, "I'm mortified to have to pay 50%! [While] I use the NHS, I can't use public transport any more. Trains are always late, most state schools are shit, and I've gotta give you, like, four million quid – are you having a laugh? When I got my tax bill in from [the album] 19, I was ready to go and buy a gun and randomly open fire."

Awww, the poor dear. I guess four million pounds just isn't enough to keep her in the style she's grown accustomed to.

[vesperholly]

If 50% is 4 million pounds, then after taxes she's left with ... FOUR MILLION POUNDS. Cry me a river.

[Norlite]

Buy a gun and open fire???


What a charmer.

[Aceon6]

Hmmm. Adele's tax accountants never heard of Monaco?

[Satellitegirl]

I think it's more the fact that she's paying all those taxes and not seeing enough from it, although duh, it's not as if just because she pays taxes there is somehow going to be services that suit her wants/needs. Money has to come from plenty of places...not just her pocket. Maybe it isn't coming in right now thanks to the economy. But buhu for her.

[Veronika]

Sounds like she needs to do some research!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_exi...ous_tax_exiles

[Hedwig]

Sounds like she needs to do some research!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_exi...ous_tax_exiles

Sounds like she needs to get some perspective, IMO.

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Sorry, but I side with Adele. Where is the justice in taxing anyone to that extent? Do we really want to base government policy on pandering to envy? Do we really want another wave of tax-exiles , the 'Brain-Drain' as it was known? Adele has the right to complain because she earned her money.

[Wyliefan]

Sorry, but I side with Adele. Where is the justice in taxing anyone to that extent? Do we really want to base government policy on pandering to envy? Do we really want another wave of tax-exiles , the 'Brain-Drain' as it was known? Adele has the right to complain because she earned her money.

Agreed. Those who advocate high taxes tend to say that we need them so that we have the best services that government can provide. Her argument appears to be that she, and (I presume) others, are paying a lot of money and yet those services are substandard. Seems a valid complaint.

[genevieve]

Hmmm. Adele's tax accountants never heard of Monaco?

yeah really - seems like in the '80s every British pop star with sudden fame went on tax exile

[Garden Kitty]

Agreed. Those who advocate high taxes tend to say that we need them so that we have the best services that government can provide. Her argument appears to be that she, and (I presume) others, are paying a lot of money and yet those services are substandard. Seems a valid complaint.

There are certainly reasonable arguments to be made regarding tax rates and tax structures, but unfortunately these days, with mass shootings too frequent, even jokes aobut randomly shooting into a crowd are in poor taste.

[Wyliefan]

There are certainly reasonable arguments to be made regarding tax rates and tax structures, but unfortunately these days, with mass shootings too frequent, even jokes aobut randomly shooting into a crowd are in poor taste.

Granted. But since the majority of the posters here were discussing her comments about taxes, that's the part that I addressed as well.

[manhn]

I love it when people think they don't use their share of government services. It's always the "other people." And ugh at the "I don't use public transit" argument--what, roads were created by Jesus?

[taf2002]

Re the taxes then (although I think her comment was in poor taste), is 50% normal? I think we (US) max out at 35%, not really sure. But if that is normal for her tax bracket, then surely she saw it coming. Use some of your wealth to get changes made in parliment, don't rub it in the faces of your much poorer fans. They see her ride up in a limo, then get on stage & boohoo about paying her taxes. It's hard to sympathize.

[millipied]

With never-ending benefits abuse scandals these days, I have to also side with her. Just last week my neighbor, who never worked in her life claiming disability, got under investigation for cheating on benefit claims as it turned out she was healthy enough for annual ski jumping in Alps. And don't let me start on some thousands of Romanians and Bulgarians who come to UK just to claim benefits and do not work.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Adele has the right to complain because she earned her money.

Don't most people earn their money? Anyway, everybody has the right to complain about taxes since everyone pays them, but people have the right to comment or respond to people's complaints as well.

Of course there are many examples of people abusing the system, but you get that with every system. Now, what you have to do is figure out what the percentage is of people abusing the system (in substantial amounts) vs. the benefits the system gives. Of course, I don't live in the UK so I don't know how valid her claims are about substandard public transport and educational systems (which is always much more difficult subject to take on and much deeper than private always being better).

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Don't most people earn their money?

For the most part. Yet there is a huge swarm that feeds off the taxpaers, and I'm not talking about the truly poor or the civil service. I'm talking about pork-barrel spending, where the government usurps us the taxpayers in deciding which companies to keep afloat with grants, subsidies and bail-outs, money which would be better spent if it were left in the pockets of we-the-taxpaying-consumers. It is to that sector we have a legitimate beef with, rather than getting envious of a singer whose roads to riches come from selling CDs/DVDs and concert tickets that fans willingly buy by the millions. And yes, it was in poor taste for her to have made that comment about shooting people. Still doesn't discount the legitimacy of her complaint about taxes.

[overedge]

I would guess that her not being able to use public transport has a lot more to do with her fame and her safety than it does with her tax dollars not being used appropriately to provide good transit service.

Besides, if public transport is funded, there will be less vehicle traffic on the roads and her limo can get to places quicker

[floskate]

Public transport here in the UK is crap, there's no doubt about it. Educational standards are shocking - again no doubt. But they're crap for all of us, not just her. Where is her perspective? Has she forgotten so quickly what it's like to earn far less and yet pay extortionate amounts that leave you scrimping and scraping? Adele isn't exactly going to struggle to pay for her - numerous - pints of cider this summer, since that's what she wants to do. She should count herself lucky that she can afford to make her own choices when the majority of Brits cannot.

And let's just clarify; I for sure would go ballistic at a £4m tax bill but I would do it in private and NOT bleat to the press about it in a climate where most Brits would tell her where to go shove it!!

[PDilemma]

Come to the American Midwest. Then you will complain much less about your public transportation in the UK.