UKIP, the party that is perhaps best known for its negative attitudes towards Europe and immigration, has just buried plans for a totally ridiculous tax proposal that would have seen women – and keen male shoe-buyers – penaltied just for paying the going rate for high-mid-range shoes and handbags.
The ‘WAG’ tax, as it was dubbed, wasn’t simply that; a tax for women who decide to go on a few dates or even get married to a footballer, but for all people who like shoes and handbags. According to proposals made by the party’s economic spokesman Patrick O’Flynn, the party wanted to impose ‘a luxury goods rate of VAT.’
‘A luxury goods rate of 25 per cent could raise substantial extra funds from the wealthiest people.
'I would suggest such a rate be built around simple thresholds such as £200 for a pair of shoes, £1,000 for a bag or £50,000 for a new car.'
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In English (UKIP’s favourite language, we bet), this means that, under their proposed rules, a £200 pair of shoes would end up at if you bought a pair of £200 shoes, they would cost £250 instead of £240. A £1,000 handbag would set you back £1,250 instead of £1,200, and a £50,000 car would set you back £62,500 instead of £60,000. It doesn't really seem to add up.
Though we get that in this country we tax people proportionately to their earnings, the sad truth is a lot of mid-range shoes are now about £200 or more, and the not-so-sad truth is that so what if we want to save up for an expensive designer handbag? It’s a luxury item, sure, but it’s a little tricky to equate it with a £50,000 car. People might not have a lot, but will scrape together for one luxury bag in their life. We can't imagine the same happening with a car. Plus, we can think of plenty of people who’d fork over a grand for a bag, but couldn’t even begin to buy a car. In fact, the whole reason they have a bag – all strewn with chewing gum wrappers and bits of paper and spare keys and tobacco bits and diaries and half-forgotten apples – is because we can’t afford a car to mess up like that.
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However, Nigel Farage, the leader of the party has taken this back: ‘It was never put forward as a policy. It was put forward as something that should be investigated … As far as I’m concerned it’s dead, it was a discussion point yesterday, it isn’t going to happen.’
But still, it’s a bit odd that it was even mentioned at all; it could very very possibly be that the tax announcement was made, then widely mocked, then ditched. Back to the drawing board please, Nigel. Plus, to everyone calling a tax on shoes and handbags a WAG tax...we suggest you sort your own shoes out first.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.