5 years hard labour ?

[Primus1]

9 hours ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

If that happened, the only option would to make a clean breast of it, and confess.

If you didn’t, you’d look rather sheepish 

[Haliotis]

11 hours ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

If that happened, the only option would to make a clean breast of it, and confess.

Or spin a good yarn!

[Bper]

9 hours ago, Haliotis said:

Or spin a good yarn!

Now you are trying to pull the wool over our eyes😂

[AndyN01]

From the last posts I reckon there's a group of people who fit the descriptions brilliantly.....

Politicians.

Which I think is where we started 😉

[Bper]

The UK has announced up to £1 million (UGX 4.9 billion) to support Uganda’s response to the ongoing mpox outbreak in the country. Why are we being given money for this? Don’t we have more deserving problems of our own? So, does Uganda not have its own resources to deal with this?

No, of course it doesn’t. It's one of the worst countries for corruption, and I’m sure the million will go towards better causes, like luxury holidays for the politicians.Well done Labour.😡

[Primus1]

Perhaps the bartering system isn’t a bad idea, you could go into a dealership and put down a pony as deposit on a new car, or, if your flush , a monkey…

[Bper]

Rachel Reeves should launch a £10bn tax raid on motorists by charging them a fee for every mile they drive, Sir Tony Blair’s think tank has urged.
Cars and vans should pay 1p per mile and heavy goods vehicles charged between 2.5p and 4p per mile, according to proposals published by the Tony Blair Institute (TBI).
The former prime minister’s think tank said the move is urgent because drivers are moving to electric cars  ditching petrol and diesel, which currently hands the Government almost £30bn of tax a year from fuel duty, and VAT charged on that duty. Good old Tone never a one for trying to influence policy and make the world the way he wants.😡

 

[Mjolinor]

Hmm, if the career criminal Blair thinks it's good there is a pocket liner in it for him and the best thing to do is the opposite. Morally he should still be in gaol from his exploits twenty years ago.

[AndyN01]

I remember my late dad saying that it would be fairer if there was no car tax/VED or whatever they want to call it. It should be on the price of fuel - the more you use, the more you pay.

Fast forward half a century.......

So, the urgency, enthusiasm and push to "go green" leaves a big financial hole. Forget all the incentives and moral blackmail for saving the planet, apparently we need the cash.  There's a shock 😉.

Obviously, the pay per mile shall only apply to those vehicles that are electric. Oh, quick, hit the deck,  there's a squadron of pigs flying past.... 

 

[Bper]

7 minutes ago, AndyN01 said:

I remember my late dad saying that it would be fairer if there was no car tax/VED or whatever they want to call it. It should be on the price of fuel - the more you use, the more you pay.

Fast forward half a century.......

So, the urgency, enthusiasm and push to "go green" leaves a big financial hole. Forget all the incentives and moral blackmail for saving the planet, apparently we need the cash.  There's a shock 😉.

Obviously, the pay per mile shall only apply to those vehicles that are electric. Oh, quick, hit the deck,  there's a squadron of pigs flying past.... 

 

What I fail to understand is all this BS about net zero, yet we have one of the highest electricity prices in Europe and probably the world. Pushing the EV market and then introducing pay-per-mile charges is a real incentive for buyers. Once they hit net zero, politicians will jump up and down, claiming we are the first. However, the cost of charging these vehicles will be a fortune, along with the pay-per-mile fees, and the high cost to buy one will make motoring a nightmare for consumers financially.☹️
 

[Cyker]

Okay if they charge 1p/mile but scrap fuel duty, VED, insurance premium tax and whatever the other car-related tax I'm sure I've forgotten, and it doesn't involve modifying the car or collecting any information other than the mileage done annually, then I would *happily* pay 1p/mile!!

If, on the other hand, that charge is on top of all the other taxes we already pay for the same thing (triple-taxed? quadruple-taxed?) then the Cyker Think Tank says we should charge Tony Blair and everyone in his think tank 1p for every mile they cover when we fire them all into the Sun.   I think my proposal would have more popular support and would raise more money!   

 

[Bper]

8 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Okay if they charge 1p/mile but scrap fuel duty, VED, insurance premium tax and whatever the other car-related tax I'm sure I've forgotten, and it doesn't involve modifying the car or collecting any information other than the mileage done annually, then I would *happily* pay 1p/mile!!

If, on the other hand, that charge is on top of all the other taxes we already pay for the same thing (triple-taxed? quadruple-taxed?) then the Cyker Think Tank says we should charge Tony Blair and everyone in his think tank 1p for every mile they cover when we fire them all into the Sun.   I think my proposal would have more popular support and would raise more money!   

 

I Absolutely agree I think you should be the next priminister 😂

[Haliotis]

So, on the news, Starmer was asked what his version was of a working person.   His reply was that it was someone who got paid monthly and was not able to write a cheque if they were faced with a sudden large expense.   Later, Downing Street said that a working person could have a small amount of savings.  Cheeky sods! I wonder what their idea of “small” would be?    A working person can have a reasonably good salary and, if they have invested in a private pension and are regular savers with a simple lifestyle, they could accumulate several thousands of pounds over the years.  And why shouldn’t they?  They have paid their taxes on their earnings, and are free to build up their savings with the interest - they will be taxed on that interest, subject to the parameters of the time, and that is all HMRC have a legal right to do!

You have to keep an eye on HMRC - for this example.   Years ago my wife and a savings account in her own name. She worked part-time and her earnings plus the interest on her savings did not reach her tax threshold.  So HMRC tried to annexe her savings to my income.  I played Hell, and pointed out that she was entitled to savings in her own right, and asked for a copy of any legislation that said she was not.  It all went quiet and we heard no more.  I wonder why that was?

[Mjolinor]

13 minutes ago, Bper said:

I Absolutely agree I think you should be the next priminister 😂

He has far too much sense to take that job no matter how many £ are offered.

[Bper]

1 minute ago, Mjolinor said:

He has far too much sense to take that job no matter how many £ are offered.

I think you should ask Cyker if he buys his own clothes.😂

[Primus1]

Why is tony Blair driving round in a tank..?, that can’t be good for the environment and the mpg must be awful…or is he just thinking about it?, I’m getting old, I don’t understand these things….

[Bper]

1 hour ago, Primus1 said:

Why is tony Blair driving round in a tank..?, that can’t be good for the environment and the mpg must be awful…or is he just thinking about it?, I’m getting old, I don’t understand these things….

If Tony Blair is actually driving around in a tank, he’s probably got the sat nav set to “Past Mistakes” with a list of dodgy decisions to revisit starting with a detour to Iraq. With his old motivational speeches blaring, he’s likely whispering, “You thought that was bad? Just wait and see.”Who cares about the tank’s carbon footprint? It’s probably visible from space. But when you’re already carrying around the baggage of the Iraq War and the Financial Crisis, you might as well go all out.Maybe it’s just his new taxi service: Tony’s Tanks. “Hop in,mate. Doesn’t exactly handle like an Uber, but you’ll feel very safe. Unless you like public inquiries... then you might want to put your seat belt on.”T****r 😂

[Haliotis]

What puzzles me is:  These politicians are nothing until we vote them in - usually after being fed a load of lies - then, once they are in power, they do as they like, fail the country, and we can do nothing about it until the next election.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some kind of ombudsman who could step in and kick them back into line?  Crazy world, ain’t it?

[Bper]

OMG Budget day tomorrow 

[Corolly Poly]

great. here's hoping for tax rises and increased spending on public services and infrastructure 🍿

[Bper]

Now that today’s budget is finalised, did it meet expectations, or were there any surprises? The £22 billion going into the NHS and the £1.4 billion for crumbling school infrastructure sound positive, but it reminds me of the Conservatives' promise under Boris Johnson to build 40 new hospitals. The government even announced before the budget that the £22 billion might not make a significant difference.?

 

[Eddie G]

5 hours ago, Bper said:

Now that today’s budget is finalised, did it meet expectations, or were there any surprises? The £22 billion going into the NHS and the £1.4 billion for crumbling school infrastructure sound positive, but it reminds me of the Conservatives' promise under Boris Johnson to build 40 new hospitals. The government even announced before the budget that the £22 billion might not make a significant difference.?

 

Am very surprised fuel duty did not go up, employer national insurance going will be interesting 🤔 will it be past onto employees in other ways? making the new minimum wage evaporated and we are no better off? 

[Primus1]

11 hours ago, Bper said:

Now that today’s budget is finalised, did it meet expectations, or were there any surprises? The £22 billion going into the NHS and the £1.4 billion for crumbling school infrastructure sound positive, but it reminds me of the Conservatives' promise under Boris Johnson to build 40 new hospitals. The government even announced before the budget that the £22 billion might not make a significant difference.?

 

Anything promised by bojo is to be taken with a shovel full of salt..

[Bper]

7 hours ago, Eddie G said:

Am very surprised fuel duty did not go up, employer national insurance going will be interesting 🤔 will it be past onto employees in other ways? making the new minimum wage evaporated and we are no better off? 

The employer national insurance will hit SMEs the hardest and will lead to businesses laying off employees. Prices wil rise to pay for this. Many businesses who operate on very small margins will close. ☹️

[Bper]

2 hours ago, Primus1 said:

Anything promised by bojo is to be taken with a shovel full of salt..

You have spelt SALT wrong if has a H and i in it.😂