Do you think everyone who votes in a general election should get a £100 tax reduction?

Question

I'm just thinking of ways to encourage those who pay no tax to vote in elections!

There are ways of handing out VAT reduction vouchers to be collected at point of vote with your voting form. I'm sure people would flock to collect VAT reduction vouchers at an election.

Every tax incentive I can think of only rewards people with money and who pay tax. Perhaps those who have no money and pay no tax might be the non voters. I wonder what incentive there could be for them to vote? Would a promise do it, or would it need to be a guarantee!

Answer 1

Any technique which encourages voters to vote has got to be worth considering. Just one thought though in 2005 around 14 million people voted - that would be £14,000,000,000 - that's a whole department gone!

Polling stations in Libraries, Super Markets and Colleges might work better than £100 tax rebate.

Answer 2

Everyone pays tax !! Everyone. Even the non tax payers pay tax as soon as they buy something that is not food, childrens clothes, or books !! So, a reduction in tax could be used as an incentive, but would £100 work.

Sure, it might get those who need the £100 out of their comfy sofas to vote, but what about Mr. Rich in his mansion, he's not really going to give a rip is he ?

The real issue is one of apathy - people no longer care about their community of government. The British are not great protestors - we still pay the highest fuel tax in Europe I believe !

It's the curse of the stiff upper lip and all the constipation of emotions and opinions that brings with it.

Let's do it the Brazilian way - make voting mandatory and lock them up if they don't vote.

Answer 3

Sounds like an interesting idea. I think there could be issues with regard to giving an incentive to vote. Who would choose the incentive format? The format of teh incentive could bias the voter type that most benefitted, thus allowing the person/group choosing the incentive format to influence the likly outcome of teh election.

Answer 4

Erm ... If they pay no tax how could tax be reduced by £100?
No, on reflection, we have a democratic right not to vote, anyone who chooses not to vote because they don't like any of the candidates should not be penalised for it, and likewise nobody should be rewarded for voting because that is not a good reason for voting.

Answer 5

no. voting is a right , and a sought one by many around the world.

what would happen if a bad government doubles up the reduction/voucher , weeks from the election? It would become yet another tool.

You want to encourage people to vote? Start making electronic/snail mail a real option for people who can't/won't get out of their houses.
... and find some decent people to vote for.

..............................

Answer 6

I think the world and his wife will vote for that but will they actually vote or will they turn out, get their ballot papers and then doodle all over them. Look at the bunch of MPs we have a present, there are very few worth voting for even with the lure of £100 tax reduction

Answer 7

Vote UKIP - undertaking solved. that is that if national parliaments have not been dissolved and abolished in the previous the subsequent election, a probability that cannot be neglected ( and explanation why the politicians do no longer care concerning to the ordinary public any further with the aid of fact they might have delicate jobs in Europe assured and that they gained't be waiting to be voted out of any parliament back)

Answer 8

But if you pay no tax, how would a tax reduction be an incentive?

Answer 9

That would cost about 1.5 billion pounds. The government has no money, so, it would have to collect it from us. How would it do that? raise taxes of course. So, what would be the point?

Answer 10

It would certainly encourage a lot more people to vote, can't wait, when's the next election.