Now we have an interest rate rigging scandal.with the Banks.
How bad does it have to get? Since the crash and the Banks' bailout it seems clear that they are the terrorists holding the World to ramsome. They wreak mayhem and destruction and even Governments cower to them.
WHY?
Banks do nothing but look after money. They make nothing, invent nothing, help no one, what do they do except line their own pockets. How do they get away with it.
If their was a small cartel of companies controlling say the world supply of wheat - there would be Wars about it but Banks have the power to bring down Governments hence the Bank Bailout.
I can't see why when the Government (Us really) own the big 3 banks we are in such a mess. People have no money, prices rise and pensioners get poorer with measly interest rates on their savings whilst Banks get richer.
What a crazy world.
Thursday 28 June 2012
Monday 25 June 2012
Benefits Vs Work
So Cameron is at it again. Bashing those claiming benfits.
Lets start by saying this is no worse that Jimmy Carr's LEGAL tax Avoidance. Claiming Benefits IS Legal. Lying about your circumstances is NOT.
Secondly - I think it should not be possible to be Better Off NOT working than Working!
How long is he to go on about this before they do something?
What I want to see is the Insurance brought back into National Insurance.
If you've been working and paying your taxes for say 6 months minimum and you lose your job then you should be able to claim on your National Insurance - and get Unemployment Benefit linked to your previous wages and time worked, at least for a period then it should drop gradually as you remain unemployed until you reach a collar level.
Those who have NEVER worked (not including disabled and children) should only get a bare minimum to enable them to exist, not enough to allow them to live in Council Houses and take kids out for meals etc.
Its just wrong when millions on low wages are struggling.
Lets start by saying this is no worse that Jimmy Carr's LEGAL tax Avoidance. Claiming Benefits IS Legal. Lying about your circumstances is NOT.
Secondly - I think it should not be possible to be Better Off NOT working than Working!
How long is he to go on about this before they do something?
What I want to see is the Insurance brought back into National Insurance.
If you've been working and paying your taxes for say 6 months minimum and you lose your job then you should be able to claim on your National Insurance - and get Unemployment Benefit linked to your previous wages and time worked, at least for a period then it should drop gradually as you remain unemployed until you reach a collar level.
Those who have NEVER worked (not including disabled and children) should only get a bare minimum to enable them to exist, not enough to allow them to live in Council Houses and take kids out for meals etc.
Its just wrong when millions on low wages are struggling.
Thursday 21 June 2012
Tax Avoidance - I wish!
I say good luck to Jimmy Carr, if he's not broken any laws?
He's just one and has done well in life. Even at 20% what woudl he owe the treasury?
What about us lower paid folks we toil year afte year and give over 30% of our income to beloved HMRC (yes add Tax and NI -basically another tax). Is this example fair - I ask you.
My friend has worked for over 30years and never earned enough to pay Higher rate tax and indeed is below the national average wage. His wife doesn't work - their choice agreed - but deem they can manage on his income. So his mother dies and he inherits her estate. Not enough for Inheritance tax (he wishes) but a nice little bungalow - a bit tired. So after sorting out wills, affairs etc puts said Bungalow on the Market. Lets say £200k. it take 3 years to sell and in fact he gets only 150k but this is in fact £30k more than the value when she died, a gain of £30k. So HMRC want him to pay CAPITAL GAINS TAX. So he fills in his tax return and that year they add it to his income - say £20k making a fantastic £50k in that year taking him into Higher rate tax. Whoopee - now he has to write a cheque to the taxman to cover all this off. Total tax bill £13k!
IS THIS FAIR? If he'd had the full £150k as an inheritance it would be Tax free. Just because there was a time lapse between inheritance and selling the bungalow and it went up by £30k (could have easily been down by 50k if it had happened 2/3 years later).
ITS JUST NOT FAIR. A once-in-a-lifetime event you only get parents dying once and the measly bungalow sells for a small profit and the Taxman grabs £13k because he's been so lucky to "make a profit". He has never and probably never will become a true Higher rate tax payer but that's the rules.
If it was a business or someone like Jimmy Carr it wouldn't even be a pin prick in his income. But HMRC are bullies and the rules applly with an iron fist to the little people.
He's just one and has done well in life. Even at 20% what woudl he owe the treasury?
What about us lower paid folks we toil year afte year and give over 30% of our income to beloved HMRC (yes add Tax and NI -basically another tax). Is this example fair - I ask you.
My friend has worked for over 30years and never earned enough to pay Higher rate tax and indeed is below the national average wage. His wife doesn't work - their choice agreed - but deem they can manage on his income. So his mother dies and he inherits her estate. Not enough for Inheritance tax (he wishes) but a nice little bungalow - a bit tired. So after sorting out wills, affairs etc puts said Bungalow on the Market. Lets say £200k. it take 3 years to sell and in fact he gets only 150k but this is in fact £30k more than the value when she died, a gain of £30k. So HMRC want him to pay CAPITAL GAINS TAX. So he fills in his tax return and that year they add it to his income - say £20k making a fantastic £50k in that year taking him into Higher rate tax. Whoopee - now he has to write a cheque to the taxman to cover all this off. Total tax bill £13k!
IS THIS FAIR? If he'd had the full £150k as an inheritance it would be Tax free. Just because there was a time lapse between inheritance and selling the bungalow and it went up by £30k (could have easily been down by 50k if it had happened 2/3 years later).
ITS JUST NOT FAIR. A once-in-a-lifetime event you only get parents dying once and the measly bungalow sells for a small profit and the Taxman grabs £13k because he's been so lucky to "make a profit". He has never and probably never will become a true Higher rate tax payer but that's the rules.
If it was a business or someone like Jimmy Carr it wouldn't even be a pin prick in his income. But HMRC are bullies and the rules applly with an iron fist to the little people.
Saturday 16 June 2012
Gay Marriage again
Why do we have keep going on and on about Gay Marriage? There are much more important issues for the Government to consider. For example when is someone (Government) going to challenge Syria about its Human Rights vioaltions? The UN seem impotent, merely forever draing lines in the sand.
Anyway, I suport Gay Marriage mainly because if Gay people can marry and why not? it strenghthens MARRIAGE surely?
The Government should consider spending half the time it does on Gay Marriage on traditional Marriage! If they dod this and brought in the promised Tax advantages to marriage (Gay as well) we would perhaps end up with a better society.
2 people who commit to each other and make a legal contract must be supported. In the end why should non-married people have rights that Married people get? Surely that's the point of Marriage. To get the rights you have to have a contract. That is how law works in all areas.
So if they allow Gay marriage it must follow that they support traditional Marriage. So lets go for it.
Come on David, stop discriminating against non-Gay people.
Anyway, I suport Gay Marriage mainly because if Gay people can marry and why not? it strenghthens MARRIAGE surely?
The Government should consider spending half the time it does on Gay Marriage on traditional Marriage! If they dod this and brought in the promised Tax advantages to marriage (Gay as well) we would perhaps end up with a better society.
2 people who commit to each other and make a legal contract must be supported. In the end why should non-married people have rights that Married people get? Surely that's the point of Marriage. To get the rights you have to have a contract. That is how law works in all areas.
So if they allow Gay marriage it must follow that they support traditional Marriage. So lets go for it.
Come on David, stop discriminating against non-Gay people.
Thursday 14 June 2012
Poverty - what is it?
Archbishop Sentamu wrote a good article in the Yorkshire Post on Saturday about poverty. I do like him but he missed one point I think "poverty" is a state of mind, given some minimums.
Look at this on the BBC
£150 a week enough? Well it depends. What do you define as necessities? Some people now regard a mobile phone as their "human right".
When I was unemployed and we had little money we did without things. No sky TV, no TV licence. No mobile etc. etc.
The only thing is the Government should make it possible to get a job! Living on benefits is NOT an alternative. But when people have no real chance its a spiral down. They get desperate and the rules go out we get thieving etc. and a "couldn't care less" attitude. They want to take because how else are they to get anything. I can see this.
However at one time even POOR people were honest and decent. Where have we gone wrong. Giving people money the answer.
Look at this on the BBC
£150 a week enough? Well it depends. What do you define as necessities? Some people now regard a mobile phone as their "human right".
When I was unemployed and we had little money we did without things. No sky TV, no TV licence. No mobile etc. etc.
The only thing is the Government should make it possible to get a job! Living on benefits is NOT an alternative. But when people have no real chance its a spiral down. They get desperate and the rules go out we get thieving etc. and a "couldn't care less" attitude. They want to take because how else are they to get anything. I can see this.
However at one time even POOR people were honest and decent. Where have we gone wrong. Giving people money the answer.
Saturday 9 June 2012
Highways Agency - Polluting planet
Today, had a break at Doncaster services and pulled up next to a Highways agency patrol vehicle, nice meaty Mitsubishi 4x4. Whilst there the 2 operatives sat init and "had lunch" I guess. We had a 20 minute break on our journey. All the time the vehicles engine was "ticking over". Why?
What a waste of fuel!
If it was hot I could understand (not excuse) them running their aircon, but they had their windows open so why?
Winder if they have a reason to keep the engine on, maybe they didn't know how to start/stop the engine?
What is the reason - Highways Agency?
What a waste of fuel!
If it was hot I could understand (not excuse) them running their aircon, but they had their windows open so why?
Winder if they have a reason to keep the engine on, maybe they didn't know how to start/stop the engine?
What is the reason - Highways Agency?
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