Discussion
neil.b said:
As my accountant would say " you only pay tax if you make money" - the choice is yours
You also pay tax if you;
drive a car, buy petrol, drink, get insurance, sell a house, buy a house etc etc etc etc.
Its absolute robbery.
I know, "tell me something we don't know..."
Agree with you 100%, I would not mind so much if I lived in a country that looked like it had a load of money spent on it.
This is the only third world country I know of with this much money at it's disposal.
neil.b said:
I'm sat here thinking "What on earth did they spend it on?"
Not a penny on you I would wager.
Which is exactly the position I am in and it
s me right off I have to say. I wouldnt mind paying the 4 figures a month that I do if I actually saw it improving anything but it appears to be money for jam as far as I can make out.
I've no aversion to the "concept" of taxation but surely the manner in which it is spent must fall under some kind of consumer rights?
I look at what I dropped into the goverments pocket over the year and think Christ, basically all I get out of it is my bins emptied.
OK, if i'm being more realistic, we get state eduation (no thanks), a health service (is there anyone left these days who doesn't have some kind of private health care), Police (who increasingly seem more like zoo keepers than police thanks to their powers being strangled by the judiciary system) and then then local councils (i don't have the time or energy to start on them).
So, all I can deduce is my hard earned is going to keep the work-shy monkeys in Superkings, Stella and Sky TV and contribute to what is surely the most bloated and impotent civil service to have ever existed.
Is Revolution all we have left?
I look at what I dropped into the goverments pocket over the year and think Christ, basically all I get out of it is my bins emptied.
OK, if i'm being more realistic, we get state eduation (no thanks), a health service (is there anyone left these days who doesn't have some kind of private health care), Police (who increasingly seem more like zoo keepers than police thanks to their powers being strangled by the judiciary system) and then then local councils (i don't have the time or energy to start on them).
So, all I can deduce is my hard earned is going to keep the work-shy monkeys in Superkings, Stella and Sky TV and contribute to what is surely the most bloated and impotent civil service to have ever existed.
Is Revolution all we have left?
And then they have the audacity to tell you that if you want something (more) then you must pay for it (in more taxes). Don't get me fing started. 
I have the misfortune to have to try to do business with the Public Sector bodies on occasion. The sheer scale of waste in terms of decision avoidance and employment of 6 people where 1 would do (if he wasn't continually off sick) is enough to make you weep. Add to that the fact that they're all pretending to be "business people" rather than actually fulfilling a function...
We could have tax cuts AND a state education the envy of the world AND ditto NHS if only we carried out a long overdue massacre of the great swathes of functionless crap within the civil service.
Oops just realised I haven't said anything that you didn't all already know. Hey ho. Who's for Prime Minister then?
>> Edited by daver on Thursday 20th January 16:19
ing started. I have the misfortune to have to try to do business with the Public Sector bodies on occasion. The sheer scale of waste in terms of decision avoidance and employment of 6 people where 1 would do (if he wasn't continually off sick) is enough to make you weep. Add to that the fact that they're all pretending to be "business people" rather than actually fulfilling a function...
We could have tax cuts AND a state education the envy of the world AND ditto NHS if only we carried out a long overdue massacre of the great swathes of functionless crap within the civil service.
Oops just realised I haven't said anything that you didn't all already know. Hey ho. Who's for Prime Minister then?
>> Edited by daver on Thursday 20th January 16:19
munter said:
How about a new political party.
the "Common sence, no fannying around" party.
Dedicated to value for money, and getting the job done right. Your only allowed to join if you dont want to. (That avoids power grabbing fat winkers)...
Kilroy Silk is looking for people to join his new party if anybody is interested in standing for parliament.
yep, winds me up too. so a new political party/administration based on some "home truths":
health service: to be renamed the "illness service" because you only require its services when you are ILL. it is your responsibility to keep yourself healthy. don't expect others to pay if you smoke and drink yourself to destruction.
benefits: if you have contributed you will be looked after to a moderate level. if you havenot/unwilling to contribute you will get subsitance allowances, a safety net.
income tax: a temporary measure introduced in the last century. personnel allowance to be £10k and a standard rate of 33% on all incomes over this figure.
national insurance: ie a tax on employment, supposed to pay for your benefits/pension/illness service when required. many now have personal/company medical care, personnel/company pensions. why are we paying so much? must be markedly reduced.
savings/dividends/capital gains tax: daylight robbery. to be scrapped.
death duty: robbing the dead, to be scrapped.
fuel tax: if that doesn't inflate retail prices what does? to be halved.
the principle is that "the individual is responsible for their own well being, the state will offer minimum provision."
until this happens our tax bills will just go up and up, until the country's books are SO in the red and the populace so addicted to state provision, you will be better off doing nothing than contributing. sad.
health service: to be renamed the "illness service" because you only require its services when you are ILL. it is your responsibility to keep yourself healthy. don't expect others to pay if you smoke and drink yourself to destruction.
benefits: if you have contributed you will be looked after to a moderate level. if you havenot/unwilling to contribute you will get subsitance allowances, a safety net.
income tax: a temporary measure introduced in the last century. personnel allowance to be £10k and a standard rate of 33% on all incomes over this figure.
national insurance: ie a tax on employment, supposed to pay for your benefits/pension/illness service when required. many now have personal/company medical care, personnel/company pensions. why are we paying so much? must be markedly reduced.
savings/dividends/capital gains tax: daylight robbery. to be scrapped.
death duty: robbing the dead, to be scrapped.
fuel tax: if that doesn't inflate retail prices what does? to be halved.
the principle is that "the individual is responsible for their own well being, the state will offer minimum provision."
until this happens our tax bills will just go up and up, until the country's books are SO in the red and the populace so addicted to state provision, you will be better off doing nothing than contributing. sad.
neil.b said:
Just got my figures for 2003/2004 and its depressing the shit out of me.
I'm sat here thinking "What on earth did they spend it on?"
And to top it off I've underpaid by 3.5k.
Thanks. Would you like my balls too....
I couldn't agree more Neil - it's a disgrace. Please see following the content of a letter which I sent to my MP a few weeks ago (I also posted it on PH then):
Dear Mr. XXXXXXX,
If this country was a company, with Tony Blair the MD, the receivers would have been called long ago, and the Directors would be banned from future Directorships.
Tax in this country is ludicrous. Politicians often quote the comparatively low rate of income tax in relation to other countries. They’ve missed the plot entirely – the overall tax liability for UK citizens is obscenely high. I demonstrate with my life's story:
I leave school and get a job – my income is taxed, plus I pay NI.
I buy a house and I have to pay stamp duty on said house.
I also have to pay local taxes (rates) because I now own a house.
I buy a car so that I can drive from my house to my job and I pay Road Tax.
I fill the car up with petrol so that the engine can rotate, and I have to pay exorbitant tax on the fuel.
On my way to work there are (unnecessary) roadworks on the motorway – paid for by my road fund license. These roadworks have a 40 mph limit and, but my speed is 45 mph so I’m taxed by a speed camera.
Now my car is an essential tool for my job so you would think it’s tax deductible – guess again. It’s a company car so I have another ‘special’ tax on that.
I manage to save some money because I’m heeding the Government’s advice about preparing for the future – I’m taxed on that.
During my life I need to buy stuff in order to live – I pay VAT on that.
I set up a company, because the Government is encouraging entrepreneurs – this means employing people. I pay employers NI on everything my staff earn plus they pay tax as well.
Eventually the company makes a profit, however I’m now lumbered with Corp Tax.
In exchange for my staff performing well and making a profit, I offer them a ‘thank you’ by giving a few perks (karting, meals, west end shows) – I’m taxed on that.
Eventually, I sell my company in order to retire. I pay CGT on that.
The stress of all this eventually gives me a heart attack and I die. However, having heeded the Government’s advice about saving for my retirement I have a reasonable estate which my kids can inherit. But, oh dear, the have to pay IHT on my demise.
Now, I wouldn’t object to the above if public services reflected my contribution. But, I have to pay for my family to have private health care – because the hospitals are overstretched. I have to send my kids to private schools because the quality of education is appalling. Well, at least I’ll have a decent pension after all of my outgoings - no, afraid not. Unfortunately I also have to take out a private pension scheme – because the Government’s squandered all my money.
If I ran my company the way the Government runs the country - every week I'd be broadcast on "Watchdog" and I'd be (rightly) sued by my staff, clients and suppliers.
Get a grip people.
Yes tony and his cronies are a shambolic bunch of wasters (in a very literal sense) after all even they have identified £22Bn of 'waste' in the civil service. If I identified that here I'd, well I'd save it!
Anyway it is your duty to try ensure you pay as little tax as possible make sure you do so. Get a good accountant!
Like many of you I have no issue with paying taxes, I also have no problem with my taxes going towards the welfare of those less fortunate than myself. However I do have many general issues with the way the country is run, the fact that there are so many sponging tw*ts and that people liek me (and I assume many of you) are easy targets for the govt.
When I'm PM (I'm going to do the term after derestrictor has done his) I'm going to put one very simple measure in place.
If you claim benifit for unemployment you will work for the state, simple as that, no work no pay, if you don't like it you can f*kc off. I'll also make sure that disability benifits are only paid to those who actually need it. No massaging of employment figures in my govt.!
D.
Yes tony and his cronies are a shambolic bunch of wasters (in a very literal sense) after all even they have identified £22Bn of 'waste' in the civil service. If I identified that here I'd, well I'd save it!
Anyway it is your duty to try ensure you pay as little tax as possible make sure you do so. Get a good accountant!
Like many of you I have no issue with paying taxes, I also have no problem with my taxes going towards the welfare of those less fortunate than myself. However I do have many general issues with the way the country is run, the fact that there are so many sponging tw*ts and that people liek me (and I assume many of you) are easy targets for the govt.
When I'm PM (I'm going to do the term after derestrictor has done his) I'm going to put one very simple measure in place.
If you claim benifit for unemployment you will work for the state, simple as that, no work no pay, if you don't like it you can f*kc off. I'll also make sure that disability benifits are only paid to those who actually need it. No massaging of employment figures in my govt.!
D.
srebbe64 said:
Dear Mr. XXXXXXX,
If this country was a company...
[pedant mode]
You have a company car and have to buy your own road tax ?
[/pedant mode]
At least you don't appear to be paying car insurance premium tax!
Who ever we vote for we'll still be paying about the same.
Work from monday till weds to pay fat Gordi and we get to keep the rest!
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