I smile when I read comments that “tax payers must foot the bill” especially when it’s implied that those who can least afford have no choice but to meet the cost. I’ve copied/pasted this from a previous thread (my words) but it illustrates a point.
During the period that the average person’s children are being educated, I suspect that they don’t pay enough income tax to cover the cost of their children’s education, nevermind contribute towards the cost providing any other public services.
I believe that the cost of educating a primary school child is currently around £5,000 per annum. To pay £5,000 in income tax, one must earn £37,500 per annum.
The average person has two-ish children, and when those children are in secondary school the cost increases to £6,500 per annum. The average family will have children in education for almost 20 years. The average income in the UK is £30,420 per annum.
It costs £85k to educate a child to the age of 18, so the average family with two children will cost £170k. It would take someone earning the average salary 48 years to pay enough income tax to meet the cost of their children’s education, before contributing a penny towards other public services. Around the time they retire.
The above is over simplified as it ignores other forms of taxation beyond income tax, and it is also ignores any benefits. However I believe the phrase “tax payer” is generally considered to be those paying income tax.
It also ignores inflation but in the basis that salaries and costs can be reasonable assumed to rise at a similar rate then inflation is neutralised in the final calculation.
I don’t have the time or inclination to look more deeply into it however I strongly suspect that the average person in the UK take out more from the “system” than they pay in (in the form of income tax).
