What is the socialist alternative?

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If the uncollected taxes of the super-rich and big corporations were collected, the deficit would be virtually wiped out at a stroke.

Socialists argue that the rich should be the ones who pay for the crisis, and we support dramatically increased taxes.

For most of the 1970s the tax rate for the highest band of income was 83%. Likewise, for most of the 1970s, big corporations paid 52% of their profits in tax.

But that percentage has been reduced step by step to 24% today, and is due to go down to 20% by 2014.

The books of the major corporations that dominate the British economy should be opened to representatives of their workforce and the trade union movement.

Up and down the country corporations are slashing pensions, freezing pay and cutting jobs, claiming that they cannot afford to do otherwise.

We demand that they open their accounts to let the workers see the reality of their finances. We also argue for an immediate levy – of at least 50% of the un-invested funds of the big corporations – so that it can be used to develop socially useful production, jobs and services.

We demand the immediate reversal of all the privatised public services, including the NHS, with compensation only to proven small shareholders, not to the privateers.

Public services should be run to meet the needs of the whole population, not to make profits for big business.

The acceleration of the privatisation of public services under this government is largely to find a profitable outlet for some of the capital stashed in Britain’s banks.

The destruction of our NHS, which will lead to workers in Britain being in the same position as those in the US – where their bank balance is checked before they are treated – does not matter to big business so long as it gives them a chance to increase their profits.

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