Who next for Tory Leader/PM?

[tinfoilhat 11]

7 minutes ago, whiteowl said:

Doesn't that essentially rule him out ? Undeliverable promises are generally a sign of a person/party who know they are not going to get into power.

In this day and age? Good Lord, no! It makes him second favourite!

[taxman 12]

1 hour ago, Mr Fisk said:

Boris is now pledging to cut tax for those earning over £50k

 

Typically helping the rich and likely to screw the poor- middle class.

 

This narcissistic, arrogant, lying womaniser should never be PM.

Andrea Leadsom has said that such a proposed tax cut would never get through the Commons given the current parliamentary make up. 

 

Its really saying something when this bat crazy loon is sounding sensible.

[bendix 10]

3 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

In this day and age? Good Lord, no! It makes him second favourite!

Actually, it's not undeliverable at all.  As has been pointed out, you only mentioned half the story.  In fact, his plan is to replace VAT with a simpler sales tax, something I suspect most businesses would wholeheartedly support as VAT is unncessarily complicated and a huge burden.

[despritdan 241]

Abolishing VAT would be a good thing as it is a regressive tax; everybody pays the same regardless of income so the less you earn, the bigger % of your income it takes away. Income tax is the fairest form of taxation as it is progressive; the more you earn, the more you pay. They should replace the money lost from VAT by increasing income tax whilst raising the threshold. I'd also like to see an end to the con trick of separating income tax and National Insurance which is income tax by another name, so the basic rate is actually more like 27% not 20%. 

[tinfoilhat 11]

12 minutes ago, bendix said:

Actually, it's not undeliverable at all.  As has been pointed out, you only mentioned half the story.  In fact, his plan is to replace VAT with a simpler sales tax, something I suspect most businesses would wholeheartedly support as VAT is unncessarily complicated and a huge burden.

VAT isn't that complicated. And I'd wager the replacement will look very very similar, but I'm guessing he didn't say how it would work. 

 

Don't get me wrong, VAT is a pain - businesses act as tax collectors - but unless the end user is going to pay HMRC directly, I don't see how it will change.

[bendix 10]

15 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

VAT isn't that complicated. And I'd wager the replacement will look very very similar, but I'm guessing he didn't say how it would work. 

 

Don't get me wrong, VAT is a pain - businesses act as tax collectors - but unless the end user is going to pay HMRC directly, I don't see how it will change.

Busienss would disagree that it's not complicated.  Have you forgotten the famous jaffa cake case, which happened because there is different VAT treatment on cakes and biscuits?  Or the Pringles case, because while potato snacks have VAT, corn-based snacks or snacks like Pringles which have less than 50% potato are not.  

 

If you get a fitted wardrobe installed in your house, you pay VAT if it has a backlining, and no VAT if there is no back panel.

 

Either way, a sales tax is proposed, which is a long way away from the original point of my post, which is that the VAT money would not be replaced.

[tinfoilhat 11]

55 minutes ago, bendix said:

Reported quite widely that he plans to replace it with a simpler, US-style sales tax.

 

Back to Boris, I just don't get how everyone automatically assumes he is the favourite.  Boris may have had a handful of high profile name MPs backing him, but he has so many enemies in the parliamentary conservative party, that it's not guaranteed he will survive the cut.

he is a marmite politician.  It's quite likely he will win the first round or two with most votes, but as those who vote for losing candidates then get to revote, it seems to me Boris may become a victim of a 'anyone-but Boris' backlash.

By favourite, the bookies favourite - Johnson is 8/13, hunt next at 4/1. From what I've read Johnson is popular in Tory grass roots so if he falls it will be because his fellow mps throw him under the bus. If he gets to the final, he's won.

[bendix 10]

7 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

By favourite, the bookies favourite - Johnson is 8/13, hunt next at 4/1. From what I've read Johnson is popular in Tory grass roots so if he falls it will be because his fellow mps throw him under the bus. If he gets to the final, he's won.

Yeah, I get that.  I'm just not convinced he won't be thrown under the bus.   To date, only 50 MPs have come out in support of Johnson, out of the 177 who have expressed support for any of the candidates.  There are another 134 who have yet to express a preference.  While he leads other candidates (Gove has 27 and Hunt 26), it's surprising other MPs havent flocked to him as quickly yet.   You either love the guy or you don't.

 

It's perfectly likely that as lesser candidates lose, the likes of Gove and Hunt will pick up many more of those votes, whereas I would imagine Johnson would only get votes from the likes of McVeigh.   

 

It's not over yet.

 

The other point to remember is that if Johnson does become PM and a No Deal brexit looms ever larger, i suspect the opposition will join forces with the sensible part of the Conservative party and pass a motion of no confidence, forcing a general election.  Hammond has already said he would do that.

[WalkleyIan 10]

Remember 1990. Thatcher narrowly won the first round of votes but not by enough , saw the writing on the wall and dropped out . The rest is History, they chucked both Heseltine and Thatcher  

 

Now I know the process has changed now but the if " anyone but Boris group"  are canny they about the maths that will stop him ever reaching the grass roots vote. 

[melthebell 862]

1 hour ago, tinfoilhat said:

 If he gets to the final, he's won.

LOL sounds like Britains got talent

[apelike 10]

2 hours ago, tinfoilhat said:

I see Gove is going to abolish VAT, although he didn't (or it wasn't reported) how he'd fill the £110bn black hole in HMRCs coffers he would create. 

I presume that will be after a no-deal brexit as he cant abolish it otherwise.

[tinfoilhat 11]

27 minutes ago, melthebell said:

LOL sounds like Britains got talent

More Britain's got no talent if he's the one to lead the country.