Discussion
8Ace said:
Alfa_75_Steve said:
Why are people celebrating this?
All that has been achieved is to take people out of work and put them on benefits.
Benefits are cheaper than Public salariesAll that has been achieved is to take people out of work and put them on benefits.
People on a salary are also paying tax, NI, keeping up their mortgage payments to the banks which are being propped up by the government and also paying VAT on stuff they buy.
People on benefits aren't paying any tax, are unlikely to be able to pay their mortgages, meaning the government backed banks suffer and the government will ultimately have to shell out for more benefits. Their reduced income also means less spending on VAT-able goods.
On average, I reckon they'll end up spending more on benefits than they save in losing the jobs.
Whether or not you actually agree with the taxes they chase, HMRC jobs generally pay for themselves, and by some margin. Shedding HMRC investigation jobs actually costs money in lost revenue, even before you factor in the costs of the benefits & lost tax of those made redundant (a point already admitted by Brown, in fact lauded as "efficiency").
ALso interesting to note the talk of "restructuring the estate". Presumably this is the "estate" sold to Mapeley. The "estate" sold to a company based in an off-shore tax haven. And the same "estate" where the contract is already more than £500m overspent. Expect another nice compensation payment to appear on this one (once Private Eye have made the FOI request, had it ignored for a year, had it refused, then successfully appealed to the ombudsman)
ALso interesting to note the talk of "restructuring the estate". Presumably this is the "estate" sold to Mapeley. The "estate" sold to a company based in an off-shore tax haven. And the same "estate" where the contract is already more than £500m overspent. Expect another nice compensation payment to appear on this one (once Private Eye have made the FOI request, had it ignored for a year, had it refused, then successfully appealed to the ombudsman)
Alfa_75_Steve said:
8Ace said:
Alfa_75_Steve said:
Why are people celebrating this?
All that has been achieved is to take people out of work and put them on benefits.
Benefits are cheaper than Public salariesAll that has been achieved is to take people out of work and put them on benefits.
People on a salary are also paying tax, NI, keeping up their mortgage payments to the banks which are being propped up by the government and also paying VAT on stuff they buy.
People on benefits aren't paying any tax, are unlikely to be able to pay their mortgages, meaning the government backed banks suffer and the government will ultimately have to shell out for more benefits. Their reduced income also means less spending on VAT-able goods.
On average, I reckon they'll end up spending more on benefits than they save in losing the jobs.
If they worked harder, didn't have so much 9 - 4.30 attitude, and didn't have ridiculous pensions they'd get more sympathy.
If they simplified the tax system there'd be much much less evasion adn much less need to employ thousands of collectors and admin staff. We could try to actually make something in this country instead of more public service non-jobs.
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