UK rejects wealth exit tax and backs university funding cuts

The country delivered a clear verdict against a wealth "exit" tax, with the argument that it would simply drive money overseas carrying the day. At the same time the UK backed withdrawing public funding from university degrees with poor job prospects, signalling that public money is not a hobby fund. The results reveal a pragmatic streak: voters are wary of measures that might accelerate the departure of wealth or prop up courses with little economic return.

The verdicts

Should universities lose public funding for degrees with poor employment outcomes? carried strongly, even as critics warned against reducing education to a mere pay cheque.

Should street preaching and praying be banned in the UK? saw free-speech arguments prevail over complaints of nuisance and obstruction in public spaces.

Should the UK replace GDPR with a less onerous data protection regime? passed narrowly, with small firms winning lighter rules — though the winning side conceded bluntly that easier exports would not come free.

Should 12th July 2027 become an English bank holiday to mark 1,100 years since England’s unification? fell narrowly, suspended between national pride, constitutional unease and practical objections; many agreed a holiday was not the real problem.

Should the UK replace pay-per-mile with a flat annual tax on electric vehicles? passed decisively, the winning complaint being that drivers who were told to go green now faced punitive per-mile charges.

Are democracies bad at public relations? secured nearly three in five votes, the sharpest line on the floor suggesting that believing we live in a true democracy already means falling for the propaganda.

Will recent changes to the Solicitors Qualifying Exam result in a decline in professional standards? won overwhelmingly by three to one, with fears of dilution drowning out confidence in the reforms; the required standard, one voter noted, remains the required standard.

Voting continues today on fresh questions facing the country.

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