As a diligent NHS worker and citizen, I sometimes find myself financially drowning. Hard work results in over £700 taken in taxes, hard-earned cash that's just spirited away. The residue from my salary is spent grudgingly on bills that never seem to cease. The burden of council tax, income tax & national insurance weighs heavily. That's not where it ends - we're charged for nature - water, and for information - TV licences. It defies logic and strains pockets. 

The question doesn't just arise from a personal context. Each year, taxpayers in our country contribute billions of pounds to the government's coffers. In 2019-2020 alone, the UK government gathered £828 billion in taxes, including £194 billion in income tax (source: Office for Budget Responsibility, UK). The steep TV licence fee of £157.50 per year is another pain point for many households (source: British Broadcasting Corporation). Why does a common citizen have to pay so much while the government seems to enjoy cost-free existence?

All household bills and groceries go up yearly or sometimes before and wages never seem to go up to accommodate this change. Thames water have now raised their prices up by 47%. Their reason for raising bills are because they are improving the service - I have never seen any changes or improvements.

Council tax will also be going up soon and to my understanding council tax is to help councils pay for the services they provide and to maintain the roads, street lights, clearing up of rubbish & street cleaning etc. The amount of people paying council tax over £200 a month cannot see any of these things being done or again any improvements and the council do not provide much support or assistance when you contact them.

There is no reason why we should be paying so much in national insurance, PAYE, Income tax etc. We're funding the public services & projects that cannot help us when we need them, never have what we need and are always understaffed. Each year the retirement age goes up which means by the time we get there we have worked ourselves to the bone and cannot enjoy the little state pension given to us from our years of hard work. 

It is high time for a change. We need to stand up against these seemingly unjust fees. It's time to demand a review of tax collections, TV licences, water fees, and all such charges that drain our hard-earned money. Your signature will help raise our collective voice and seek reformation of these financial burdens. Please sign this petition and demand fairness in taxation and utilities fees.