PeteBrant

I completely disagree with that. You are assuming that there was a choice at the last election, and to a certain degree the next. There was/is none. The diversity in British politics has all but dissapeared. The Torys have moved left and the Labour party right. Middle England is all that matter to them because that's where elections are won and lost.
Conciously abstaining from voting or submitting a spoiled paper is every bit as valid as voting for a given party.

Voter apathy has been bred by the mainstream parties.

In the next general election I shall be submitting a spoiled paper, unless by some miracle there is some definable difference between the main parties. My "vote" in this respect gives me just as much "right" to moan as you.

dynamix

iTrader: (3)

I agree with you Pete, you have a right to moan but you could always stand yourself you know and make a difference that way.

Voter apathy is caused by dumbing down by the main parties - they cloud the issues in a proper debate in the hope that people get bored and go away thinking "ah they're all the same .... blah blah - leave them to it" - one of the main reasons why a proper debate has NEVER been had on the euro or will be had on road pricing or splitting scotland and wales away into their own 'proper' countries.

Back to topic though - devil is in the details and that wont be available for a few days.

Neverguess

That's what people should always be doing, rather than not bothering.

And anyone that bites back at pslewis doesn't deserve to earn money and should be put in a cage for allowing him to wind you up Or send me their wages each month

CupraT

Seen the details of the increase of the 40% limit to £43k and the reduction of basis rate to 20% from 2008.

What happens to allowances this year - in line with inflation?

MattW

Broadly

Sauron

It's nice to see old Godon doing his bit for the environment "£800 million allocated to the environmental transformation fund to finance overseas development projects" plus "And I can announce financial support of £50 million for a pathbreaking ten country initiative across central Africa to prevent the destruction of the second largest rain forest in the world." i.e they are going to plant trees.
So probably half of thethe £50M will be siphened off to local warlords and corrupt government officials over there.
Shame the NHS and schools are in such a mess £850M might just have helped. But it always looks better to give money away overseas, than spend it on your own population.
All hail T Blair President of Europe.

hades

Do you mean actual inflation, or the politically adjusted official figures? If you mean actual inflation, the tax bands go up by about half as much. Also known as the official (politically adjusted) figure.

But don't worry, Gordon said inflation will be under 2% next year, as part of our propserous economy that is borrowing less and less. What he didn't mention is that in order to meet that target, there'll be the new BPI* which removes anything that rises in price by more than 2% from inflation calculations.

* - BPI = Brown Price Index

bartmanuk

wot a muppet

BM

Mitchy260

He's taking the **** mate as there are quite a few members on here who think they have ''millionaire'' salaries, well they say they do anyway

Im sure pete is well aware what the national average wage is, its only a 10sec google search away

Pete does his job well, throws the line and awaits the ''bites''

Sometimes he does have very good valid points, he just likes a windup most of the time

The Snug Rhino

hardly - he's shottin fish in barrel on here.

pslewis

Fact of the matter is that ALL the parties need the money that is being collected by Labour ................ OR they will cut services somewhere.

You cannot have both.

So, the choice is yours .... would you vote in a Party that said they would dismantle the NHS? Abandon Defence? Withdraw Social Support? Have 'Pay-As-You-Learn' Schools?

If so, then you can have a nice Tax Cut ................

You have all done VERY WELL from rising property prices, you all drive an expensive car, most of you spend ££££££££££'s trying to make it go faster, you don't care about what it pollutes and by how much, you all earn more than £40k a year (if not you should be voting Labour!!!), most of you have big flat screen TVs and a lifestyle that those in the 1950's could only dream about!!

Now, you have NEVER had it so good ..... stop moaning and blubbing and being greedy - share it amongst those less fortunate!!

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Pete you really are a Socialist of the highest order aren't you?

I have no objection to paying a reasonable tax rate, the amount the gov coin in is more than enough to run the country with decent services, the bit I object to is the gross wasting of our tax money on other countries, imigrants, spongers, bums and stiffs, which leaves no money for the services that we are paying for and are entitled to at a reasonable standard.

Diesel

What a bizarre budget - most of it doesnt even kick in.

E.g Inheritance tax to £350k by 2010 & personal allowances increase in 2008. Is he just trying to stuff the chancellor next year and steal his chips?

Horrified that it seems to be hitting the worst off the most, or maybe I'm getting smoke in my eyes?

D

RB5_245

I don't think we need to pay any more tax, just thin out the billions that are thrown away each year by government incompetence and the bloated civil service.

I didn't vote and I don't think I will next time either. Hitler, Stalin or Mugabe... Ohhh which shall I pick

Diesel

Yep Albeit in a geriatric manner!

PeteBrant

It is - but not until 2010. Of course the rise in house prices between now and then will mean this is a token gesture. A headline grabber rather than actually having any tangeable benefit.

Nimbus

correct, by 2010.

And the reduction in income tax is not effective until April 2008.

Diesel

Credit where it id due - that is a significant [and very overdue] raise to the IHT threshold. Spoils it a bit with the deffered bit though

RB5_245

Particularly for those with elderly parents

Sauron

"the bloated civil service."

The majority of staff in Civil Service work a 42 hour week for less than £18.5K pa. Only a relativly few earn over £30K.
Hands up how would work 42 hrs for £18.5k. But that is only for staff who have been there for years and received better than average performance markings.
With the changes in HMRC they are cutting staff to the bone, so don't complain if it takes a lot longer longer to get things sorted. The work load stays the same but less staff to do it.
Managers treating staff like 10 yr olds telling them where they can put stuff on their desks and taping out an A4 area on desk to place personal belongings.
You can also face disciplinary if you take more than 10 days sick in any rolling 12 month period. A good dose of flu and your buggered.

Minitrue

Why persist in posting this crap Pete?

RB5_245

Bloated as in numbers, not salaries. But then again stay there for a few years and you get the pension of a kings ransom, or laid off and you're sorted for life.

'Managers treating staff like 10year olds' Exactly, too many chiefs not enough Indians. A thinning of the crop is long overdue. With these bloodsuckers and unemployed layabouts the rest of the tax paying fools are forced to handle the burden.

The Snug Rhino

It was anounced last year that the limit would go to 300, 312, 325 - to add on 25k in 3 years time (if he's still around) is hardly a "significant" increase

Diesel

From 285k to 350k is significant jump in my book - esp when the increases have been peanuts in the past. It's, err, £65k which means £26k less in tax [grandmother and suck eggs caveat applies here, not that I'm saying you are being an old granny]

D

106rallye

If only it was just the managers telling them to do that. It was actually an outsourced 'initiative' called lean working and these guys Unipart Portal > Home ( DNN 4.0.3 ) got a 7 million pound windfall for implementing it.

I think if the government stopped spunking cash up the wall on stupid stuff like this then people might actually see the benifits of paying tax a little more. I appreciate that 7 million in the scheme of the annual government expenditure is not massive but its more than a lot of peoples individual contribution to the tax pot for their life.

Andy

Leslie

What possible advantage is there for the average house owner if property values go up?

Les

The Zohan

Very true and with Liberal PC dumb ***** like Ken Livingstoned apologising and suggesting we should pay reperations for slavery - would that be in addition to alll of the moneies paid in aid and loan repayments that have been dropped?

Sauron

[quote=RB5_245;6772531]Bloated as in numbers, not salaries. But then again stay there for a few years and you get the pension of a kings ransom, or laid off and you're sorted for life.

Right.
It means having to work for 40 years to get a pension of 1/2 finishing salary i.e £9152, max amount,hardly a kings ransom.
The majority of CS pensions are less then £4K.
Unlike MPs who do 26 yrs and get £38K pension. More if a memeber of cabinet.
Do agree though there are to many chiefs telling people how to do the work rather than people actually doing it.