I've just heard on the news that the conservationists and Green Activists are urging the government to press people into being more 'Green'. How are they suggesting that the government do this? By taxing the embittered populous that's how. Seeing as we already live in Taxland and seem to be taxed to the hilt from birth to death I would like to wish all these 'holier than thou' tree hugging sons of bitches a slow and miserable death.
The way things are going, relocation to China is looking more like heaven.
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
By the term 'Green' I think this must mean 'naive' as they obviously are! I do think that we should be concerned, but the manufacturers of packaging could do a whole lot to help the situation, perhaps they should pay fines for over use of plastic etc? Even Mr Blurr isn't likely to listen to this kind of codswallop, imagine having to assess someones waste? (doesn't bare thinking about!!!) ![](./skins/1/emoticons/glare.gif)
"To play it safe is not to play at all."
Brit taxes aren't that bad, though admittedly they could be better in some areas. Hard to see how that would work, and although it should be companies that get the shaft, they won't and even if they do they'll pass it on to the common man.
FullAuto: Brit taxes aren't that bad, though admittedly they could be better in some areas. Hard to see how that would work, and although it should be companies that get the shaft, they won't and even if they do they'll pass it on to the common man.
I'm guessing by that comment you don't pay a lot of tax. It's got so bad for me I now refuse work as soon as my tax code is used up. When you look at the rest of Europe our tax rates stink and a couple of friends have just got back from Australia where they were really impressed that the Aussies are moaning about fuel being taxed up to 50p a gallon.
And that Adam Hart Davies ..
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Trust me, I'm a doctor.
http://www.worl...rg/statpres.htm
Like I said, not that bad. Besides, higher taxes spur economic growth.
Perhaps Brit taxes wouldn't be that bad if we didn't have all the stealth taxes - income tax , ok you pay more if you earn more but everything else gets taxed on top, fuel, food, power basically everything. How can this be fair? If a person needs to eat and keep warm and, heaven forbid use transport to buy certain commodities how can this be done without paying YET MORE TAX? For the person 'on the bread line' this is almost impossible. Just because British tax isn't 'that bad' doesn't mean it's good, that's the trouble with the Brits, we (I do not include myself) are so happy because 'things could be worse'. Fuck that! things could be a lot better!!!! Ask Mr F***ing Blurr if he has to think before he orders the next 5 bags of coal to keep warm? It makes me MAD!!!! ![](./skins/1/emoticons/rage.gif)
"To play it safe is not to play at all."
What do good taxes look like, exactly? If you want a strong economy and good quality of life, with free health care and unemployment benefit and the state looking after you as you look after it in turn, then you need to pay a decent amount of tax.
Lower taxes are just something the well-off get behind to get popular support from the lower class, not because they give a shit about anyone else, they just want more money.
Look at Scandinavia. High tax, but a high quality of life, low unemployment and so on and so forth. I think most of the countries there paym ore VAT than we do, too, but their economy and their populace is in pretty good shape.
FullAuto: What do good taxes look like, exactly? If you want a strong economy and good quality of life, with free health care and unemployment benefit and the state looking after you as you look after it in turn, then you need to pay a decent amount of tax.
Lower taxes are just something the well-off get behind to get popular support from the lower class, not because they give a shit about anyone else, they just want more money.
Look at Scandinavia. High tax, but a high quality of life, low unemployment and so on and so forth. I think most of the countries there paym ore VAT than we do, too, but their economy and their populace is in pretty good shape.
A good tax is a fair tax which is paid by those that can afford it (ie income tax) as for free health care, have you tried registering at a NHS dentist lately? I can't see that the state looks after you as you look after it, how about self employed small business people? they go off ill - no sickness benefit. Unemployment benefit/Income support, good in theory except for those that screw the system and there are loads of those(ok a system is not accessible unless it is open to possible abuse). I agree that we need to pay a decent amount of tax, but this should be based on your income and circumstances. I can hardly shed a tear for the upper management of large companies who are earning in excess of £250,000 per year (and mostly for doing a poor job of it) but I do feel for those who are just above the poverty line (and a benefits policy of - 'if you have no kids then it's tough shit!'doesn't help) and can't claim any assistance. Not convinced FA, what we need is a revolution brothers. ![](./skins/1/emoticons/rage.gif)
"To play it safe is not to play at all."
Now then ladies, put your handbags down, tax is good if we are taxed and the money is put back into standard of life - the problem is it clearly isn't and the two multi million pound wastes of time called Gulf War one and two (bit of a misnomer there) were a waste of my tax. Cheap scate health systems kill more people than they are supposed to cure. Why aren't my taxes used to give a better life to the old rather than starve them to death in homes? - after all, they paid their tax too.
Revolution yes, but lets have pure chaos this time. Chaos is predictable, chaos is good fun, chaos tastes of lemon sherbet, chaos is like a big fluffy teddy that sits ........
I'm drifting ......
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
Truce then, my handbag is on the floor under the desk now, but yes STD you were drifitng again!!! ![](./skins/1/emoticons/laugh.gif)
"To play it safe is not to play at all."
FullAuto: What do good taxes look like, exactly? If you want a strong economy and good quality of life, with free health care and unemployment benefit and the state looking after you as you look after it in turn, then you need to pay a decent amount of tax.
Lower taxes are just something the well-off get behind to get popular support from the lower class, not because they give a shit about anyone else, they just want more money.
Look at Scandinavia. High tax, but a high quality of life, low unemployment and so on and so forth. I think most of the countries there paym ore VAT than we do, too, but their economy and their populace is in pretty good shape.
Hi FA, can we agree to disagree on this one? Still friends????
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"To play it safe is not to play at all."
Well, Norway is still a major oil exporter, which helps their government to balance the budget.
The tax system in Britain is daft. You even get penalised if you try to save money instead of irresponsibly buying stuff you cannot afford on credit and going into a debt you will probably never escape from. Share dividend and interest in most bank accounts are treated as taxable income. If you try to set up a private pension scheme instead of depending on the soon to be cancelled state pension, you can be sure that the Chancellor of the Exchequer will do a Robert Maxwell. And then a surprising number of state benefits are already means tested, which means that people who find themselves on benefits are punished for having any savings.
Things are only going to get worse over the next few years. Gordon Brown's tax and spending plans assumed that the economy would grow at a far greater rate than it has been managing lately, which has created a black hole that can only be filled by either budget cuts or tax increases. Just guess which one he will go for...
Around one million jobs have been lost in manufacturing since Blair came to power. Coincidentally, this is about the same as the number of local and national government jobs that he has created. It has been a long time since I had the courage to look at Britain's balance of trade figures.
As for the war in Iraq, we budgeted for a quick victory and the cost of the occupation and rebuilding being entirely met by Iraq's oil revenues. Instead, there is a long, drawn out war with no end in sight and the Iraqi oil industry largely shut down by the insurgents. Wait until the Iraqis start demanding compensation for the invasion and occupation. Cherie Blair will no doubt get millions of pounds in legal fees by fighting their case.
Accounting Troll:
Around one million jobs have been lost in manufacturing since Blair came to power. Coincidentally, this is about the same as the number of local and national government jobs that he has created.
On this point I heard in the pub (so it's bound to be true) someone saying that 1 in 5 people in England work for local government, I thought this was bullshit until I started asking what everyone in the pub did for a living. The figure may be quite close.
Trust me, I'm a doctor.