David Vance SubstackRead More
I always like to use facts to try and make an argument. Yes, I know that facts can be twisted and we do have to watch out for that, but by the same token we can’t just dismiss them because they paint an inconvenient truth.
New UK numbers show how different ethnic groups stack up when it comes to paying taxes versus getting benefits and public services back — for the fiscal year 2023/24.
The chart above looks at the average net fiscal position per household (adjusted for family size so it’s fair to compare big and small households). A positive number means the group pays more into the system (through taxes, etc.) than it takes out (benefits, healthcare, education, and so on).
A negative number means the opposite — they get more out than they put in.
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White households came out on top with an average of +£1,444 per year. They’re the only group shown as net contributors overall.
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Asian households averaged -£4,135.
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Black households averaged -£4,584.
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Other households averaged -£5,360.
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Mixed households came in lowest at -£5,545.
In simple terms: on average, White households pay more to the government than they receive back.
All the other groups receive more support and services than they pay in taxes. These figures come from official data on how taxes and benefits affect household incomes
The numbers get adjusted to account for different family sizes — a single person and a family of five aren’t compared the same way.
Now to be fair this doesn’t mean that ethnicity of itself causes the difference. For example, groups with more children or lower-paid work tend to get more benefits (child support, housing help, etc.). Older groups might draw more pensions and healthcare. But it IS indicative of how things are and White Brits are on the whole the only group that are NET contributors!
This rather undermines that argument that diverse people have built our economy. They haven’t.
Of course the UK as a whole runs budget deficits, so on average, households (including some White ones) are net recipients in any given year. The UK needs to refocus the economy and encourage net contribution from all ethnicities. If certain ethnicities cannot become net contributors then why do we need them here?
