This is blatantly false. Income tax on higher earners in the UK has decreased since the 1970s/1980s when IIRC the highest tax bands were over 70%, if not higher.
And the tax take as a proportion of GDP is 34.4%, the highest EVER.
We are living in the most taxed time in history with the rich contributing the most ever. Not the impression you get from people complaining about it.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/nov/13/richest-bri...
The fact that the percentage of total tax collected attributed to the top 1% has risen from 24% to 30% seems to be more indicative of higher wealth inequality, especially if the figures the other posters have mentioned about lower total tax rates on the rich are true. To me that's a good reason to raise taxes on top earners and lower taxes on the middle class.
Do you want everyone paying more, and the poor paying tax as well, or more income inequality but less people paying tax? You can’t have both.
Germany had the highest tax rate > 50%, it's now 42/45%. At the same time, the income required to be taxed at that rate hasn't changed with inflation, so while it was e.g. 52.152€ in 2002, it's 57.051€ now - adjusted for inflation, it would have to be closer to 75k€.
Lowering the top marginal tax while not adjusting for inflation so more people get pushed into higher tax brackets from below is great if you're rich, but shit if you're not.
£55k today is £32,461 in 2000. In 2000 someone on £32,461 had a take home pay of £24,080 -- the equivalent of £40,800 today.
So not much change.