Reply to: SNP now showing their true colours

[seanraaron]

I don't know what it is now, but Israel had %100 VAT on cars for a long time - didn't stop people buying them.

[vetran]

You mean sanitary products?

yeah that seems to be a bit odd however they tax toilet rolls which has a broader appeal.

[seanraaron]

You mean sanitary products?

No, they should probably stop applying it to essentials (EU rules probably would prevent that, but you know our government could try reform instead of moan for a change) or have a separate "luxury tax" to apply to things like toys, cars and electrics.

For the purpose of disclosure I live in a band E - a very modest modern two-bedroom flat which wouldn't be in this band but for the neighbourhood. Another reason I think Council Tax is BS: just because a property is higher band doesn't mean it's a "big house." I could care less about the extra hundred quid, though; haven't had a rise in a over a decade.

[ContractorHardman]

This affects me as I am in a higher band property. I am not shocked as there has been a council tax freeze on for years and to be honest, it doesn't bother me. I am in the highly affected area in Edinburgh where 4 out of 10 households will go through a rise.

My only wish is they fix the pot holes with the extra cash.

[SueEllen]

You should have higher VAT to discourage people buying crap they don't need.

You mean sanitary products?

[seanraaron]

Why won't you give that proportion of your income to charity instead? You'd achieve a lot more too...

Council tax is supposed to be for relatively fixed costs per house/person - garbage, police etc. There is no need to link it to income at all because if you do, then why not have 30% VAT rate for those who have higher income when they buy same stuff in shops? It's only fair innit?

We shouldn't need charities, they're mostly filling gaps in public services; I do give a tenner a month to Greenpeace, though.

You should have higher VAT to discourage people buying crap they don't need. Regarding the rest, I would expect a property tax (scaled to discourage multiple property ownership) to sit side-by-side with a local income tax. Bill separately for water rates and rubbish if people are concerned about "fairness" or whatever.

Council Tax is regressive BS and the basis for determining it is nonsense. It needs to go.

[bobspud]

What his job is to cut spending - that's what he got mandate for and that's what he promised.

No thats what he told us he was up to, But he has far too many mates that have their fingers in the pie so actual cuts? Never happening.

Cut spending in only most fair way: everything gets cut by X% to hit proficit target over 5-10 years period - only exception I'd make for defense, which was cut over many years already and costs very little in the first place.

How many people on this board get fed up when XYZ company wanders in and asks for a 25% cut in day rate? Now try doing that to a supplier that has bought your staff and data centres and charge you to use them....

We need a wholesale move away from supplier and bid lead provision of services, Then we can get back to a point where the government lead those projects themselves I have been involved with two of those type of programmes while I have been away and both of them have had Game of Thrones style drama with suppliers doing their upmost to make it look like they want to try while actually making damn sure the whole thing crumbles...

It would also help if the guys in the Permanent jobs hadn't been told to stop doing a real job and then just buy stuff all day. There is a fair number of guys that had good IT careers ripped from under them and are now going to be damed if they are re-skilling and getting back on the tools after 15 years...

[bobspud]

I make a wage above the median, so yes, I'd be happy to pay a proportion of my income in a replacement for the regressive Council Tax as opposed to having a tax which is based upon my postcode and fails to take my income into account. Whether or not it's higher doesn't matter to me as long as public services are preserved.

But the problem is that you are thinking reasonably and the SNP are not. They will want BOTH taxes because they are under the impression that giving poor old Civil Servants more money will improves services...

Thats like saying providing beer to alcoholics solves their issues...

[DodgyAgent]

Ideally he should FOAD, but sadly that's just wishful thinking.

What his job is to cut spending - that's what he got mandate for and that's what he promised.

He did not do it in first 5 years - blamed LibDems and scheduled cuts to happen after 2015 elections.

Where are those cuts???

Here is what he should have done:

1) Taxes: increase VAT to 25% slowly over 10 years - maybe 5.

2) Use QE to fund infrastructure like HS2

3) Cut spending in only most fair way: everything gets cut by X% to hit proficit target over 5-10 years period - only exception I'd make for defense, which was cut over many years already and costs very little in the first place.

4) Lower taxes for wealth generation, and I mean REAL wealth generation which is EXPORT of products/services - something that brings in real NEW money into this country rather than sends same cash around, which mostly ends up in HMRC coffers.

5) Cut any tax IF it is deemed very likely that by cutting such tax OVERALL revenues raised from it will increase

6) Dealing with house prices - if current builders can't make it then create new Govt owned building company to get enough houses build every year to meet demand - nice IPO later to take it private.

That would be a good start.

I have just placed you at the Treasury for a 12 month contract. Turn up at at 9.00 am and your contract is in the post

[SueEllen]

7) Interpret EU law like the rest of Europe so laws are interpreted in our favour.

[AtW]

So smart arse what SHOULD Osborne be doing

Ideally he should FOAD, but sadly that's just wishful thinking.

What his job is to cut spending - that's what he got mandate for and that's what he promised.

He did not do it in first 5 years - blamed LibDems and scheduled cuts to happen after 2015 elections.

Where are those cuts???

Here is what he should have done:

1) Taxes: increase VAT to 25% slowly over 10 years - maybe 5.

2) Use QE to fund infrastructure like HS2

3) Cut spending in only most fair way: everything gets cut by X% to hit proficit target over 5-10 years period - only exception I'd make for defense, which was cut over many years already and costs very little in the first place.

4) Lower taxes for wealth generation, and I mean REAL wealth generation which is EXPORT of products/services - something that brings in real NEW money into this country rather than sends same cash around, which mostly ends up in HMRC coffers.

5) Cut any tax IF it is deemed very likely that by cutting such tax OVERALL revenues raised from it will increase

6) Dealing with house prices - if current builders can't make it then create new Govt owned building company to get enough houses build every year to meet demand - nice IPO later to take it private.

That would be a good start.

[DodgyAgent]

Osborne totally fooked over middle classes (including those in Scotland), which is supposed to be Convervatives core vote, yet you post tulip about a few hundred quid annual increase as some kind of big deal???

"If the two increases were combined, householders in the average Band E property would end up paying £152 more than at present. The total average rise for Band F would be £267, for Band G £398 and for Band H £600."

Fook me, a whopping £152 annual increase, same property band as me... my council tax is around £1500 (less single occupancy discount)

So smart arse what SHOULD Osborne be doing

[AtW]

Osborne totally fooked over middle classes (including those in Scotland), which is supposed to be Convervatives core vote, yet you post tulip about a few hundred quid annual increase as some kind of big deal???

"If the two increases were combined, householders in the average Band E property would end up paying £152 more than at present. The total average rise for Band F would be £267, for Band G £398 and for Band H £600."

Fook me, a whopping £152 annual increase, same property band as me... my council tax is around £1500 (less single occupancy discount)

[AtW]

That is not the point is it? Osborne is doing it to raise money to keep the UK solvent whereas SNP are driven by envy and class war

No, the real point is this -

1) SNP will increase tax by hundreds of pounds (OMG!!! ... phew, I am not in Scotland so that's ok then, it was a close one!!!)
2) Osborne will increase my income tax by 30% (that's fine then, he is a lovely Conservative chap from Eton)

Which one do you think is more important?

UK is insolvent because Govt spends too much money, period.

[AtW]

I make a wage above the median, so yes, I'd be happy to pay a proportion of my income in a replacement for the regressive Council Tax as opposed to having a tax which is based upon my postcode and fails to take my income into account. Whether or not it's higher doesn't matter to me as long as public services are preserved.

Why won't you give that proportion of your income to charity instead? You'd achieve a lot more too...

Council tax is supposed to be for relatively fixed costs per house/person - garbage, police etc. There is no need to link it to income at all because if you do, then why not have 30% VAT rate for those who have higher income when they buy same stuff in shops? It's only fair innit?