Budge It

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Wed, 2007-03-21 15:22

Budge It

...second time in a week I've started a thread in the wrong place...

I liked Menzies Campbell's comments about wasteful public spending. It seems like evry other week you hear about some expensive hair brained scheme.

My reaction

Well losing the 10p starter rate on the first 1500 of taxable income means everyone is down £150 but 22% to 20% on the basic rate means my overall gain is about a grand! Even though the majority of people will be better off, those people earning very little because they're part time (ie students) will probably be slightly worse off by losing the 10p rate. I still think the threshold for higher rate is far too low and hasn't kept up with inflation. £28k a year isn't exactly affluent....it should be at least £35k

I am two months today without a cigarette and so I won't suffer that rise - money was a big motivating factor in my decision so maybe it does work - VAT on nicotine patches is down to 5% - that's good even though I don't need them any more - they are so hideously expensive it's not exactly encouraging to somebody who is considering giving up.

He's already doubled airline duties and yet this will not reduce the number of flights - it is still far cheaper than trains. I wish some money was put into public transport - a more popular way of addressing environmental issues.

I admit I am pleased with the budget - I will be significantly better off. But I can't help feeling it is a big dangly carrot on a stick.
Usually the CE offers a tax-cut carrot before election but in this case - before the leadership election.

anyone else?

Wed, 2007-03-21 15:27

justyn_thyme

Just remember: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. "You don't need the light of the Lord to read the handwriting on the wall." Copies of Warsaw Tales available through www.new-ink.org

Wed, 2007-03-21 15:58

maddan

The sneaky bugger's abolished the 10p rate from this tax year but hasn't cut the basic rate till next tax year.

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:05

mississippi

He's a slimy bastard and I detest him even more now. Just wait until he's guvnor! He'll be hated more than Thatcher by the time he's through.

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:12

poetjude

The sneaky bugger's abolished the 10p rate from this tax year but hasn't cut the basic rate till next tax year. SLY BASTARD !!! right I am not quite as happy now jude "Cacoethes scribendi" http://www.judesworld.net

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:20

poetjude

are you a winner or loser? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/business/budget_calc/html/budget_c...

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:21

maddan

yeah, and 5p on wine, 1p on beer, and 2p on petrol. That's three of my four most purchased liquids gone up.

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:23

poetjude

...oh it can't do the new calculation re income tax yet... without that I am still slightly better off because I don't drive, drink or smoke!

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:31

maddan

I'd be marginally better off if I quit driving to work.

Wed, 2007-03-21 16:40

#10

poetjude

Loopy ideas to expect in the future... -tax breaks for pot dealers. -excise duty on altar bread. -Congestion charge exemption for whatever car Ken livingstone fancies for himself next year. -Pavement tax, everyone has to wear a pedometer which tells a central computer how much you have walked on public roads. jude "Cacoethes scribendi" http://www.judesworld.net

Wed, 2007-03-21 18:44

#11

Jingle

Anyone really expecting the Chancellor or for that matter any other politician to take his hand out of your pocket or purse and not take, create or engineer a dozen new ways a year to steal more of your money, must be living in cloud cuckoo land. The whole lot of them, most of whom have never held a "Proper job" can't wait to tell you how you should spend your money and how they could and will given half a chance spend it better. Their performance though should be enough warning to everyone not to believe a word they say. If any commercial company had spent a fraction of what government departments have spent on, say the introduction of computers to name but one subject, that company would certainly have gone bust. Amid naturally sympathetic noises from politicians who if they had been asked would have of course been able to tell that company how it should have gone about it's business. Do me a favour....let's not get into politics on the site it'll cause more nastiness than religion or any other subject.

Wed, 2007-03-21 20:33

#12

Yan2

hmm...i can never watch a budget and pay proper attention because I'm always glued to that funny thing he does with his tongue. Let hippies rule! "Stop Dude" road signs everywhere! And everywhen...and everyhow..everywho...that's you! There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed - Dennett

~It's a maze for rats to try, it's a race for rats to die.~

Wed, 2007-03-21 23:02

#13

alan_benefit

"are you a winner or loser?" A winner to the tune of 1% of my gross salary - which is so low anyway that it'll make little difference. A quid a week, if I'm lucky. A can of beer, if you like. Or a loaf of bread. Though I prefer to judge budgets more in terms of how the majority will be better or worse of rather than myself - especially those at the lower end of the income scale. I'm not saying I like him myself - but please explain why you hate him so much, Missi. I'd like to know. This detestation is clearly making you very bitter. Perhaps you need to purge some of it.

Thu, 2007-03-22 08:51

#14

mississippi

Er... I think my first four words summed it up in a nutshell, Alan. Apart from that I believe the man is so power-mad he's dangerous beyond anything Blair could ever manage. By the way, I'm not 'bitter', just passionate about my political beliefs.

Tue, 2007-03-27 13:05

#15

mikedixon

From what I can gather the abolishing of the lower rate on income tax is an attempt to hit people like me - small business owners who pay themselves minimum wage but take the rest of the money as dividends. Its been a "tax dodge" for years and I am surprised more hasn't been done to stop it - trouble is this "fix" hits the (relatively) well off small business owners who on paper earn small salaries (which if fair enough) as well as people who genuinely earn small salaries (which is pretty daft!). My general thoughts are : 1. Get rid of the "second job automatically gets taxed at higher rate" - a stupid rule that generally hurts the poorer - and just combine all your incomes into one to calculate the tax. 2. Introduce a super-high-rate, perhaps only a couple of percent higher - 43% instead of 40% on everything over £50k for example. 3. Make it easier to hire/fire people, I run a small business and would love to take on more staff - but am petrified that I won't be able to get rid of them if it doesn't work out. Job security laws tend to prevent the creation of jobs in the first place. 4. Everyone should be forced to call me sir and feed me grapes. my 2 pence worth m

Wed, 2007-03-28 13:11

#16

bobblehat2023

"Loopy ideas to expect in the future... -tax breaks for pot dealers." We've already got that, it's called prohibition without enforcement.

Wed, 2007-03-28 13:41

#17

poetjude

working tax credits for pot dealers to encourage crack dealers to downgrade ? jude "Cacoethes scribendi" http://www.judesworld.net

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