1001 reasons NEVER to vote Labour

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Home Improvement Tax

Home improvements have not been included in previous Council Tax revaluations but, on the orders of Deputy Prime Minister John 'Two Jags' Prescott, they will be included in the revaluation exercise which will set C-Tax bills for 2007.

The list includes loft conversions, conservatories, extra bathrooms, summer houses, sheds, swimming pools, garden areas converted for off-street parking and anything else the tax-gatherers can think of.

All of the above should have been reported to the council's planning department for permission. Anyone who dared to improve their home without permission will be hit with a massive fine in addition to the H.I. Tax.

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£550 tax rise (at standard rate) for people using a company van or people-carrier out of work time

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The 100% tax allowance for small businesses & self-employed on new computer/advanced telephone equipment cut to 50% for 2004/5 tax year

[DimPrawn]

Britons are paying almost £1.5 billion a week more in tax than they were in 1997, the year Labour came to power, according to official figures.

The total direct tax take for the last tax year was £172 billion, up 11 per cent from the previous figure of £155.5 billion, statistics released by HM Revenue & Customs show. That is equivalent to an increase of £317m a week in the last year alone. In 1996/97, the total direct tax take was just under £104 billion.

Mike Warburton of accountants Grant Thornton, said: "The Government has had a pay rise of 11 per cent, and not many of the rest of us have had a pay rise of 11 per cent, have we?''

Direct taxes include income tax, inheritance tax, and stamp duty, but not things such as VAT. These figures also do not include National Insurance receipts, as the Government does not consider them "taxes''. It is estimated that NI receipts for 2004/5 would be £77.9 billion.

The biggest rises have come in areas such as income tax and stamp duty. For example, income tax receipts for last year were nearly £123 billion, up from nearly £114 billion the previous year. They are now nearly double the 1996/97 figure of £69 billion.

The tax take on stamp duty has gone up by a fifth in the last year, from £7.5 billion to nearly £9 billion. In 1996/97, the figure was £2.4 billion.

John Whiting, of accountants Price Waterhouse Coopers, said: "These figures do show how the tax take is going up. It shows how much extra is being raised and spent, and it comes over quite starkly.''

A spokesman for the Revenue said: "The increase [for the past year] is largely due to an increase of £9 billion for income tax and £5.5 billion for corporation tax. Income tax receipts depend strongly on wages and salaries. Earnings increased strongly in 2004/05 compared with 2003/04 and there was also an increase in the numbers in employment."

However, while accountants agree there has been growth in earnings and employment, most cite "fiscal drag'' as a main cause of the increased take. This is where earnings rise faster than the tax allowances, bringing more people into the higher rate bracket and increasing the take by stealth. Francesca Lagerberg, national tax director at accountants Smith & Williamson, said: "One factor must be an effect of fiscal drag.''

Ros Altmann, governor of the London School of Economics, said: "Spending is rising and the deficit is rising; the question is will they have to raise taxes further?''

The Centre for Economics and Business Research this week criticised the Chancellor's "over optimism'' and warned of "stealth taxes'' to come that would be equivalent to 3p on income tax.

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For having the audacity of putting this on their treasury web page

Budget 2005

Investing for our future: Fairness and opportunity for Britain's hard-working families

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The Lakshmi Mittal Affair

Britain's wealthiest Asian made a £125,000 donation to New Labour.

A month later, Tony Blair wrote to Adrian Nastase, the Romanian Prime Minister to support Mitt al’s bid against a rival French company for Eastern Europe's largest steel maker.

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House Arrest without Trial

The Home Secretary wants to detain any of us under house arrest on the merest suspicion of being connected to terrorism. This will be without trial or any proper right to defend ourselves against a New Labour Executive Control Order.

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The "new" liebour government that gave us this piece of tulip


Campbell. Liar.

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Vote fiddling in Birmingham.

[NoddY]

Paying TWICE for any public 'service':

Planning Permission:
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in fees

Companies House / IR returns:
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in fees

Public Transport:
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in fares

Driving licenses:
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in fees


Congestion charging / Tolls
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in tolls


Education I (sh*t schools)
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in fees for a decent education - private/tuition

Education II ( degree level)
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in tuition fees

Medication
pay ONCE out of general taxation/rates
pay AGAIN in prescription charges

I rang the council to take away an old television set - "That's £25 please"
pay ONCE out of rates
pay AGAIN in spurious fees for this'n'that

MY BLOOD IS AT BOILING POINT