Should we allow foreign investors to buy our utility companies ?

[fullyautomatix]

BBC News - Severn Trent receives takeover approach

What is stopping them from charging exorbitant rates to make good their investment and hold the british consumers to ransom over water ?

If Kuwait wants to invest in water projects surely there is no better place than the Gulf desert.

I think the government should step in and stop this nonsense.

[xoggoth]

I vote no. I think it was better when we had nationalised utilities. I did a lot of work with the CEGB and they were generally a good organisation, not always on strike etc. They served us better than all these French owned power companies.

[The Spartan]

BBC News - Severn Trent receives takeover approach

What is stopping them from charging exorbitant rates to make good their investment and hold the british consumers to ransom over water ?

If Kuwait wants to invest in water projects surely there is no better place than the Gulf desert.

I think the government should step in and stop this nonsense.

I think it's ridiculous, you only have to look at what's happened to other utility companies to see how it will go. Prices will rise, money will as per usual leave the country through some form of loophole and the companies will pay very little in the way corporation tax.

[SimonMac]

BBC News - Severn Trent receives takeover approach

What is stopping them from charging exorbitant rates to make good their investment and hold the british consumers to ransom over water ?

If Kuwait wants to invest in water projects surely there is no better place than the Gulf desert.

I think the government should step in and stop this nonsense.

I think that ship has already sailed if you look at the likes of EDF (France) e.on (Germany) etc

[vetran]

I think this is one mistake Maggie made, part privatisation would have been good. 1/3rd privatised taking 1/3rd of the profits/losses taxed in the UK.

Private businesses pushing for efficiencies, elected officials making sure the country is served.

I would also make sure support could only be done in UK. The Indians can turn our water off, that's ridiculous.

[gingerjedi]

My local water company is owned by the yanks, we have the most expensive water in the country.

Apparently it cost more to supply than arid Spain despite regular and frequent deluges.

[VectraMan]

What is stopping them from charging exorbitant rates to make good their investment and hold the british consumers to ransom over water ?

Well there's the regulator for one. The same one that stops UK companies charging exorbitant rates and holding the British consumers to ransom over water.

I like the idea that British corporations are all good and honourable, and would never do anything so crude as dare to make a profit, yet as soon as Johnny Foreigner gets involved everything rapidly goes to hell. Doesn't quite fit reality does it?

[fullyautomatix]

Well there's the regulator for one. The same one that stops UK companies charging exorbitant rates and holding the British consumers to ransom over water.

I like the idea that British corporations are all good and honourable, and would never do anything so crude as dare to make a profit, yet as soon as Johnny Foreigner gets involved everything rapidly goes to hell. Doesn't quite fit reality does it?

Well british companies while profit minded would always consider the consumer as important and try and give the consumer a good deal. The british are ethics minded. But once a foreign company takes over, they would hardly bother about some brit across the Atlantic having to shell out more for water than beer.

Also, I think when it comes to water you have no choice but to stick to one supplier.

[The Spartan]

OK let's also look at it this way out of all the Gas/Electric companies which company paid the most corporation tax? Centrica which is a British company is the only one out of the lot that paid what they should have the others like RWE and EDF paid very little despite making big profits. So already we can see the model that they will use before they've even bought it.

[VectraMan]

Well british companies while profit minded would always consider the consumer as important and try and give the consumer a good deal.

That sounds extremely naive.

Utility companies compete on price (and in theory service but I'm sure most just switch to whoever is cheapest), which by definition is giving the consumer a good deal. Just because one is foreign owned doesn't change that.