Student loans in England were marketed as 'the best debt you'll ever have'. Turns out that's been a marketing lie.

What's actually happening? They're functioning as a hidden tax. Marginal rates are climbing past 70% for certain income brackets. Growth? Getting choked out by the debt burden.

The numbers behind this are staggering—we're looking at roughly £500 billion in outstanding student loans reshaping Britain's economic trajectory. It's not just about individual graduates struggling with repayment; it's a systemic drag on the entire economy.

The policy design flaw is simple: set repayment thresholds too low, and you create an invisible tax that discourages productivity and wealth building at exactly the moments when people should be most economically active.

Worth digging into if you care about how fiscal policy—intended or not—can silently erode economic momentum.