Lottery

[Parsifal]

The amount of the winning depends on how many tickets are sold; the more tickets the bigger the prize.

[Andy]

I think it would depend on how much you won.

1-3 million, you could easily keep secret from friends and family, should you want to. Pay off the house or upgrade it, but not so much that people became suspicious, drop a day or two at work or do something completely different. I imagine life could continue pretty much as normal but you would never have to worry about money again, have nice things, amazing holidays, and an early retirement and no one would really be none the wiser. I think this is the sweet spot and if I won this is the sort of figure I'd like, honestly!

I think anything over that you'd have to tell friends and family, it would be really hard to hide. Word would spread - maybe not that you've won the lottery but you'd come into a huge amount of money. You would have more pressure to do something with it all. Invest it, buy a business, buy lots of property, work with charities. I think this is where you life gets turned upside down and starts to unravel, when you're suddenly able to do literally anything you want to do. You'd also likely move into a much bigger house, travel a lot, quit your job and likely move away from an area you know, away from your friends.

I've clearly thought about this a lot!

[Hugh]

£109 Million jackpot.

Massive, would be nice to win the full amount.

If I win, I'll still be posting

[ladsnet]

I'd dictate what I wanted posting to one of my Slovakian rent boys.

[Ollie2UK]

Surprised you don't do that already TBH.

[Parsifal]

If I win, I'll still be posting

Remember your roots.

[Hugh]

If I win, I'll still be posting

Remember your roots.

Don't worry, I will

[Jwb52z]

I wish the US would stop taxing lottery winnings and change its definition of "income" to only include money you get from an actual job, unless you are born rich.

[Hugh]

Switzerland taxes lottery winnings too

A bit shitty that Lottery winnings get taxed.

[Parsifal]

I wish the US would stop taxing lottery winnings and change its definition of "income" to only include money you get from an actual job, unless you are born rich.

You have that backwards.
Wages (called "earned income") is the one thing that should NOT be taxed.  It's taxing your work.
What should be taxed is "unearned income" (investment income, land, lottery winnings, etc.).
Why should someone who wins $300 million with a $2 lottery ticket not pay tax on it?  Who needs $300 million?
(no wonder our tax code is fucked up )

[Jwb52z]

That's why I included the "unless you were born rich" bit on that sentence, so things like unearned income from the wealthy would be taxed. I don't see it as "taxing work", but taxing your salary. It's not about "need", BTW. I just don't think you should be taxed on something you win by chance. I'm fine with all of the other stuff you buy or use being taxed as unearned income that you mention.

[Parsifal]

Taxing your salary is in effect taxing your work (the more you work, the more your salary, the more taxes you pay).
As for all of the other stuff you buy or use being taxed (e.g. VAT, sales tax in the U.S.) those are regressive taxes where the lower your income level the more of your income is taxed through those taxes (because a greater proportion of your income is used to buy "stuff").
Taxing something you win by chance?  Somebody has to fill the tax loopholes the wealthy use.
Face it, the system (read: the wealthy) has us over a barrel.

[Luckydog2020]

Interesting post

[Jwb52z]

I guess I just see taxes as a proper thing to do to be part of a properly modern society, not as some evil plot.

[Luckydog2020]

Interesting ....

[Duncan]

I wish the US would stop taxing lottery winnings and change its definition of "income" to only include money you get from an actual job, unless you are born rich.

You have that backwards.
Wages (called "earned income") is the one thing that should NOT be taxed.  It's taxing your work.
What should be taxed is "unearned income" (investment income, land, lottery winnings, etc.).
Why should someone who wins $300 million with a $2 lottery ticket not pay tax on it?  Who needs $300 million?
(no wonder our tax code is fucked up :rolleyes: )

Because there's not enough people earning over $300 million to tax? LOL. The amount of people working far outnumbers those that are worth that much.  How do you not know this?

[Parsifal]

Because there's not enough people earning over $300 million to tax?

More than you think. 
(Who do you think rules the country?)

[Jwb52z]

There are 700 people who would qualify for a proposed wealth tax in the US, so I think they're fairly up there in income, even though the tax won't pass into law.

[Luckydog2020]

I've just got mine for tonight's Euro Millions

[Hugh]

An estimated £108 Million jackpot on Friday.

I'm thinking on how bittersweet it would be to win that amount, or to win something like £5 million.

The sweet thing would be that you win the Jackpot. It would be a bit of a life changing amount, buy some security. No mortgage. No worrying about any bills.

But the bitter thing is the people.
Who would come out of the woodwork. Think within the last 10 years, the people who have come and gone in your life, suddenly come back into your life.
People who have instantly judged you and thought that you are a piece of shit, or thought you wanna shag them and told you that you are fucking ugly and don't wanna fuck you. Which of those people would come back into your life? Like with people that you haven't seen in years.