Labour needs to change its terminology.
I'm all in favour of a redistributive tax regime,
but the 'tax the Rich' is easily respun as anti-aspirational,
as most people would like to earn more, especially those in precarious employment.
Substitute 'the Rich' for 'the Greedy'.
The 'Greedy hedge fund manager' ensures s/he receives capital gains rather than income to achieve a lower tax rate.
The 'Greedy company' replaces its employed workforce with self-employed operatives to avoid paying pension contributions/holiday pay/maternity pay.
The 'Greedy business wo/man' has offshore accounts to avoid UK taxation.
Taxing 'the Greedy' will make it easier for virtuous employers, and employees, to compete on level footing with the tax cheats.
Labour, the Corbyn flavour, or whatever comes after, cannot win the 'blame the forrins/EU' ploy as it is wrapped up by Nationalists, (from the bnp through the kippers straight into Tory policy), so it needs another way of framing the value and justness of a redistributive tax policy.
Labour needs to change its terminology.
I'm all in favour of a redistributive tax regime,
but the 'tax the Rich' is easily respun as anti-aspirational,
as most people would like to earn more, especially those in precarious employment.
Substitute 'the Rich' for 'the Greedy'.
The 'Greedy hedge fund manager' ensures s/he receives capital gains rather than income to achieve a lower tax rate.
The 'Greedy company' replaces its employed workforce with self-employed operatives to avoid paying pension contributions/holiday pay/maternity pay.
The 'Greedy business wo/man' has offshore accounts to avoid UK taxation.
Taxing 'the Greedy' will make it easier for virtuous employers, and employees, to compete on level footing with the tax cheats.