Contractors, Self Employed nice cars? You earn far too much!
Discussion
2ono said:
Moonhawk said:
This is the biggie for me. I don't have kids and my car costs between £2000-£3000 a year in tax, insurance, MOT and servicing.
According to some estimates, a child can cost a lot more than this (around £3500-£4000 per year by some estimates) and many people have two or three kids. Throw a couple of family cars into the mix that may still cost £1000-£1500 each to run and the costs rack up even further.
A family with three kids and two family cars could be spending around £12,000 a year on their particular "lifestyle choice" - over 4 times what I spend on mine!
Show me where you can get this 'child' thing you talk about for £3500 - £4000 per year , and I will p/ex my current one in for this economy model you talk aboutAccording to some estimates, a child can cost a lot more than this (around £3500-£4000 per year by some estimates) and many people have two or three kids. Throw a couple of family cars into the mix that may still cost £1000-£1500 each to run and the costs rack up even further.
A family with three kids and two family cars could be spending around £12,000 a year on their particular "lifestyle choice" - over 4 times what I spend on mine!
I spent £14000 on childcare alone last year.
Fortunately as a contractor I get paid a million quid an hour so it's really just a drop in the ocean
Poopipe said:
Quite.
I spent £14000 on childcare alone last year.
Fortunately as a contractor I get paid a million quid an hour so it's really just a drop in the ocean
Shouldn't be a big slice of the pie if you're any good at what you do.I spent £14000 on childcare alone last year.
Fortunately as a contractor I get paid a million quid an hour so it's really just a drop in the ocean
14k is only what thousands pay for their kids to go to private school.
Has no one had the opposite?
I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
Birdster said:
Has no one had the opposite?
I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
yes, way back in the depths of time I only had a motorbike and a 1972 vw camper, the PM on site suggested I should perhaps get a car as it was winter. I agreed and spent not very much money on a white Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6l Automatic, hateful car, but warmer then both bike and camper I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
pherlopolus said:
Birdster said:
Has no one had the opposite?
I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
yes, way back in the depths of time I only had a motorbike and a 1972 vw camper, the PM on site suggested I should perhaps get a car as it was winter. I agreed and spent not very much money on a white Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6l Automatic, hateful car, but warmer then both bike and camper I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
Current place there is another petrol head on the team and we can chat for ages. Both looking for something barge like at the moment, or something to park at the station. So it's nice when you work with someone on the same wavelength.
I went from being a student to being (mostly) self employed and working part time.
When I bought my BMW I was told that it was a flash car for a student, and I -still- get the occasional comment about it 4 years later; people telling me how expensive the parts are, or how much the insurance must be, or the tax etc etc
We're talking about a e36 318i that cost £1100. What a joke.
I can completely understand why some of you are running lower profile cars 'front of house' if you like, I honestly don't think I could be bothered regularly explaining my choices to people who will never really get it, and you have got to be smart with your impressions.
When I bought my BMW I was told that it was a flash car for a student, and I -still- get the occasional comment about it 4 years later; people telling me how expensive the parts are, or how much the insurance must be, or the tax etc etc
We're talking about a e36 318i that cost £1100. What a joke.
I can completely understand why some of you are running lower profile cars 'front of house' if you like, I honestly don't think I could be bothered regularly explaining my choices to people who will never really get it, and you have got to be smart with your impressions.
Some years ago, my (then) boss was getting bored with a manager above him going on about his company car. A Discovery 2 with a 2 litre petrol engine. (A dreadful thing invented to get round company car tax at the time).
My boss pointed out that one of his staff owned a better specified one, which as far as he knew, was funded by real money, not borrowed or company money. Did the job apparently!
My boss pointed out that one of his staff owned a better specified one, which as far as he knew, was funded by real money, not borrowed or company money. Did the job apparently!
On the plus side of all this "how did you afford that/you earn too much" b
hing is that when the weather is like this you don't have to listen to it as you're too busy enjoying yourself sat in your garden getting a nice tan and sipping on some nice cold alcoholic beverages. 
All the more pleasant as you think about the permies sat there in their stuffy offices wearing synthetic shirts with sweat running down their backs and generally feeling rather uncomfortable.
hing is that when the weather is like this you don't have to listen to it as you're too busy enjoying yourself sat in your garden getting a nice tan and sipping on some nice cold alcoholic beverages. All the more pleasant as you think about the permies sat there in their stuffy offices wearing synthetic shirts with sweat running down their backs and generally feeling rather uncomfortable. Birdster said:
Has no one had the opposite?
I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
Yes, I had this only two weeks ago where a colleague said 'I'm surprised you don't drive a sporting BMW, Jaguar or a Mercedes...?' As an engineering contractor I intentionally drive middle of the road type cars that, maybe, have a little punch to them; currently an 8 year old 2.5XT Forester, low mileage and in super condition. It's subtly low profile and very few realize it's a wolf in sheep's clothing that plays havoc with vastly more expensive sports cars. It's also very effective on the expenditure front...I used to use my Astra (10 years old) to get to work and back.
"Surely, you can afford better than that?
It's just about image to most people. They don't buy these things because they want it, but because it improves their image.
The film 'The Joneses' summed it up quite well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
v8250 said:
Yes, I had this only two weeks ago where a colleague said 'I'm surprised you don't drive a sporting BMW, Jaguar or a Mercedes...?' As an engineering contractor I intentionally drive middle of the road type cars that, maybe, have a little punch to them; currently an 8 year old 2.5XT Forester, low mileage and in super condition. It's subtly low profile and very few realize it's a wolf in sheep's clothing that plays havoc with vastly more expensive sports cars. It's also very effective on the expenditure front...
Other than road tax 
others is £485/yrBut we love ours for the "stealth" I some times use it for work in place of the M135i if the weather is bad
mikey k said:
v8250 said:
Yes, I had this only two weeks ago where a colleague said 'I'm surprised you don't drive a sporting BMW, Jaguar or a Mercedes...?' As an engineering contractor I intentionally drive middle of the road type cars that, maybe, have a little punch to them; currently an 8 year old 2.5XT Forester, low mileage and in super condition. It's subtly low profile and very few realize it's a wolf in sheep's clothing that plays havoc with vastly more expensive sports cars. It's also very effective on the expenditure front...
Other than road tax others is £485/yrBut we love ours for the "stealth" I some times use it for work in place of the M135i if the weather is bad
gregs656 said:
When I bought my BMW I was told that it was a flash car for a student, and I -still- get the occasional comment about it 4 years later; people telling me how expensive the parts are, or how much the insurance must be, or the tax etc etc
We're talking about a e36 318i that cost £1100. What a joke.
We're talking about a e36 318i that cost £1100. What a joke.
Economics Of Taxation
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to £100…
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this…
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay £1.
The sixth would pay £3.
The seventh would pay £7..
The eighth would pay £12.
The ninth would pay £18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay £59.
So, that’s what they decided to do..
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball.
“Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by £20″. Drinks for the ten men would now cost just £80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.
So the first four men were unaffected.
They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men?
The paying customers?
How could they divide the £20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?
They realised that £20 divided by six is £3.33. But if they
subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving).
The sixth now paid £2 instead of £3 (33% saving).
The seventh now paid £5 instead of £7 (28% saving).
The eighth now paid £9 instead of £12 (25% saving).
The ninth now paid £14 instead of £18 (22% saving).
The tenth now paid £49 instead of £59 (16% saving).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.
“I only got a pound out of the £20 saving,” declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man,”but he got £10!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a pound too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!”
“That’s true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get £10 back, when I got only £2? The wealthy get all the breaks!”
“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison, “we didn’t get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!”
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our tax system works.
The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction.
Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to £100…
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this…
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay £1.
The sixth would pay £3.
The seventh would pay £7..
The eighth would pay £12.
The ninth would pay £18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay £59.
So, that’s what they decided to do..
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball.
“Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by £20″. Drinks for the ten men would now cost just £80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.
So the first four men were unaffected.
They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men?
The paying customers?
How could they divide the £20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?
They realised that £20 divided by six is £3.33. But if they
subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving).
The sixth now paid £2 instead of £3 (33% saving).
The seventh now paid £5 instead of £7 (28% saving).
The eighth now paid £9 instead of £12 (25% saving).
The ninth now paid £14 instead of £18 (22% saving).
The tenth now paid £49 instead of £59 (16% saving).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.
“I only got a pound out of the £20 saving,” declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man,”but he got £10!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a pound too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!”
“That’s true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get £10 back, when I got only £2? The wealthy get all the breaks!”
“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison, “we didn’t get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!”
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our tax system works.
The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction.
Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible
mikey k said:
Other than road tax others is £485/yr But we love ours for the "stealth" I some times use it for work in place of the M135i if the weather is bad
Yes, £500/annum is a pseudo-pain so just amortize the cost into overall ownership...combined, there are few cars that come even close as 'package'. others is £485/yr But we love ours for the "stealth" I some times use it for work in place of the M135i if the weather is bad Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff