Re: And another thing

I don't think so; weren't all major parties in the recent British elections promising substantial cuts in public spending?

But each wanted to slash different departments at different calendars. And in any case, this election followed a long period of spending increases during all of Labour's tenure.

And the value that someone is "getting back" from taxes is hard to quantify, as some of the ways we benefit from government spending are more intangible than others (for example, you benefit from the fact that your fellow citizens have a basic education as a result of public schooling).

Education is relatively easy, because you can quantify the differences in mean productivity and/or income by educational achievement. These, in turn, create virtuous economic cycles that are themselves quantifiable: that is one of the largest reasons how some regions, cities and neighborhoods progress and others nearby decline.

That said, your point stands, because not everything is as easy to quantify as educational achievement at population level.