Posted by Owen Roberts on November 23, 2006 at 02:23:06 from 195.92.67.66 user OwenRoberts.
In Reply to: Matrix (was 1930's Taxes was Holiday Tasks posted by Jock on November 23, 2006 at 00:43:04:
My tentative suggestion of Roedean, seems to taken on a life of it's own. Probably in the 1930's it was just one of a number of private schools in the Brighton area.
It moved up in public appreciation when a certain Royal Princess went there in the 1960's.
PeterH argues, with much merit, that he doubts whether the GA's tax position was uppermost in AR's mind when he was struggling to complete PM. I agree with this but would suggest that paying a serious amount of tax would have been in AR's mind.
In 1942, AR would have been collecting a serious amount of money in royalties and would be paying tax thereon. The GA's remark sounds very much like that of a person who has to pay increasing amounts of tax without seeing any real benefit.
As Andrew has already mentioned :-
In 1939, the standard rate of income tax was 29% with surtax at 41% for incomes over £50,000. Ten million people were liable for tax, and the total sum raised was £400 million.
Further to this tax rates were increased:-
Successive increases in rates and lowering of allowances led to 1944-45 figures of 50%, surtax at 48% for incomes over £20,000, fourteen million taxpayers and nearly £1,400 million raised.
This may be a classic case of the author speaking through his characters.