The spring Budget

[JJonas]

Dave's simple solution, start charging repeat offenders for their medical care. We all have a medical record, it'd be easy to see if people ended up in hospital due to excessive drinking more than a couple of times in a year. Saddle them with a bill and see what happens.

 

I thought that was my solution?

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I thought that was my solution?

 

It was! Hadn't read your post when i was replying to Neph's Edited my post

Edited March 19, 2014 by ICTDirect_Dave

[pantscat]

I thought that was my solution?

 

Either way, it's a reasonable solution. Although morally speaking what do we do when someone has a "problem" and can't afford to pay? It's a minefield having a "civilised" society!

[rich_tech]

Tax on sugar and its content on foods I would very much welcome, Its pretty much everywhere with everything these days and alarming, more alarming again what companies do with lobbying to prevent legislations going through.

 

I would like to see a £1 at least added in tax on things like chewing gum to fund cleaning of streets better too, where I live the pavements need blasting big time.

 

I would also like to see things like Council Tax having optional elements to them allowing you to opt out of services that you dont use ! thats not going to happen ever though in reality.

[featured_spectre]

Wow...taking under 21s out of the tax bracket regardless of earnings...that's brave! Some bankers at 21 pull in 6 figure salaries!

[sted]

Sure, we would all like that, but do you really see it as "cause and effect"? If the Govt were to spend money (locally) THAT might kick start a recovery.

 

same as with the bank bailouts if instead of giving the cash to the banks direct they had paid off the mortgages of people who couldnt afford them (granted open to a hell of a lot of abuse ) the same money woyuld of propped up dodgy banks AND given people money to go out and spend AND less people would of lost their homes for something that was not their fault

[zag]

BOOOM! Isa limit raised to 15k

 

Thats amazing!

 

That really really helps people saving for a house deposit, didn't expect that!

Edited March 19, 2014 by zag

[Tesla]

help to buy extended to 2020 , that works for me

[zag]

Beer duty cut by 1% as well, this is the best budget ever lol

[featured_spectre]

no, not 1% on beer duty, 1p, its a big difference (1% is 2.6p per pint)

[Tesla]

i must admit, im not all big on politics, but i just watched the last few minutes of that budget delivery, and i thought it was very postive.

[Bananas]

Of course it was positive he's buying votes

 

Personally if they're predicting austerity for longer i'd have thought it would be more sensible to leave things alone but of course that's not politically astute

[zag]

no, not 1% on beer duty, 1p, its a big difference (1% is 2.6p per pint)

 

indeed good spot!

[Disease]

Of course it was positive he's buying votes

 

Personally if they're predicting austerity for longer i'd have thought it would be more sensible to leave things alone but of course that's not politically astute

 

Ofcourse that is the problem with blinkered politics, it does not matter what parties do people will still find fault. ;P

[Bananas]

Cutting taxes when they claim we need more cuts because we're still in the do do isn't very clever and blatantly vote buying or are you claiming otherwise as i'd be interested in where you're coming from

 

What i'd like to ask them is why when their pay body comes back and says MPs need an 11% payrise theres literally nothing they can do to stop it yet when another independant body says nurses should get a 1% pay rise it's oooh we can't afford that. All governments lie and twist things but this government is vile and spiteful trying to turn us against each other (ie immigration, europe and benefits)

 

I'd also like to ask how much has the spare room subsidy actually cost the country because I can't see it having saved any money by forcing people out into more expensive private rents as there's no smaller social housing available. Why the government has not stopped the social rent escalator which is above inflation and directly increasing housing benefit costs, why there are thousands more people working on benefit fraud (which is tiny in money terms) and only hundreds dealing with companies dodging taxes, why the government aren't collecting figures on deaths after disability benefits were withdrawn, the number of suicides driven to do so by aggressive benefit sanctions.

 

Don't get me wrong i'm not blinkered I don't think Labour are much better and the Lib Dems are going to be done as a party next year, voting elsewhere is effectively wasting your vote (depending on where you live obviously), UKIP they're just the Tories that hate Europe, Green party too marginal so short of big changes to democracy what else do you do? Immigrate? LOL

Edited March 19, 2014 by Bananas

[unixman_again]

Osbourne 2014:

• Fuel duty rise planned for September will not happen
  
• Beer duty cut by 1p a pint
  
• Duty on spirits and ordinary cider frozen
  
• Tobacco duty to rise by 2% above inflation
  
• GDP forecast to grow by 2.7% this year and 2.3% next year, then by 2.6% in 2016 and 2017 and by 2.5% in 2018
  

Osbourne 2013:

• September's 3p fuel duty rise scrapped
  
• April's 3p rise in beer duty scrapped. Instead, beer duty to be cut by 1p
  
• Annual inflation +2% rise in beer duty to be ended but "duty escalator" to remain in place for wine, cider and spirits
  
• Cigarette duties unchanged - continuing to rise by inflation +2%
  
• Growth predicted to be 1.8% in 2014; 2.3% in 2015; 2.7% in 2016 and 2.8% in 2017
  

So same old, same old. Budget 2013 at a glance

[Graham-Millgate]

Single person discount definitely shouldn't be abolished at all! Why should I pay the same council tax as a family? I use less of the resources and services of the council! If anything, it should be a 50% discount.

 

 

I agree! I only fill 1 wheelie bin per month even with 2 large dogs.

 

I would tax those electric cigarettes, they are just encouraging people to never break the addiction to nicotine.

[Gatt]

I agree! I only fill 1 wheelie bin per month even with 2 large dogs.

 

Stop putting your dogs in the bins then

 

One way to get more revenue would be to charge 5% for everyone who incorrectly refers to the "Spare Room Subsidy" as the "Bedroom Tax"

In fact no - anyone who complains about it should be taxed at 5%...

[Bananas]

I really resent paying the same council tax as other areas when we have NO facilities not even street lights (not that I want them I enjoy looking at the stars) but the only service we get is bins being emptied and there's 4 of us 2 adults 2 kids and a german shepherd dog and we never run out of room with our 2 bins (rubbish and recycling)

 

Second home owners should pay quadruple council tax!

 

I'd also quadruple tax people who can't show empathy and put themselves in someone elses position and those who read the Daily Mail although that's arguably the same group

Edited March 19, 2014 by Bananas

[tmcd35]

One way to get more revenue would be to charge 5% for everyone who incorrectly refers to the "Spare Room Subsidy" as the "Bedroom Tax"

In fact no - anyone who complains about it should be taxed at 5%...

 

It is what it is. You may as well charge 5% to everyone who refers to a "shovel" as a "spade" then! I see nothing wrong with describing a tax on bedrooms as a "bedroom tax" even if it's being officall spun as the "spare room subsidy"

[Gatt]

It is what it is. You may as well charge 5% to everyone who refers to a "shovel" as a "spade" then! I see nothing wrong with describing a tax on bedrooms as a "bedroom tax" even if it's being officall spun as the "spare room subsidy"

 

 

Urgh - No its not! Tax is where someone (usually a Government) takes off a percentage of money that you have earned..

You don't "earn" a bedroom do you??

[tmcd35]

Urgh - No its not! Tax is where someone (usually a Government) takes off a percentage of money that you have earned..

You don't "earn" a bedroom do you??

 

Erm, being asked to pay £15 per week (or about that) for each unused bedroom = real money being taken out of real peoples wallets = tax. Where did you think the money paying this "subsidy" was coming from other than out of peoples pockets?

[Andrew_C]

Heard of the "Window Tax"? Value Added Tax?

 

1.1Pay tax on (something, especially a vehicle): the Land Rover slowly disintegrates and no one has bothered to tax it

[Gatt]

Erm, being asked to pay £15 per week (or about that) for each unused bedroom = real money being taken out of real peoples wallets = tax. Where did you think the money paying this "subsidy" was coming from other than out of peoples pockets?

 

Erm - the original housing benefit?

That is still not a tax - its a reduction in your benefit - same way as you get reduction in other benefits depending on your circumstances..

 

It's also technically not a subsidy - Its legal name under the legislation is "Under-occupancy penalty". If you live in a house taht has more bedrooms than you need then this penalty is deducted from your benefit.

 

Penalties != Tax (It may feel like it is - but its not)

[zag]

You cant win the Spare room subsidy/Bedroom tax naming debate.

 

Labour supporters inherently believe in spending more on welfare.

Conservative supports inherently believe in spending less.

 

In reality is simply a reduction in the amount of money people receive in housing benefits. You can call it what you want