The Budget

[Von Boy]

Just watched the boy George do the honours.... I don't think its to bad... shame... I did hope for deeper cuts on benefits...

VAT up tp 20% in Jan 2011... if you don't buy you don't pay... simple and a good tax... brings UK in line with Europe.

[number 6]

Turns you on does it seeing the poor get hammered?

[Ned]

A budget that hammers the poor on every possible level.

"if you don't buy you don't pay" is a real genius way of thinking. If nobody buys anything, how does the economy grow?

The VAT increase is not a surprise, but neither is it wise.

[David Johnson]

"VAT up tp 20% in Jan 2011... if you don't buy you don't pay... simple and a good tax."

The above is an idiotic statement.

To quote Ed Balls

"Walk around your house or flat and you'll see that's not true. All your household goods, kitchen appliances, snacks, soft drinks, furniture, adult clothes, electronic equipment, bathroom products and over-the-counter medicines have VAT on them. When your car, roof, boiler or sink needs repairing, your bills for repair and maintenance carry VAT as well. Essentials of modern life like mobile phones, DVDs and computers all carry VAT, as well as all the toys and games we buy for our children.

And almost every paying leisure activity bears VAT, from going to the cinema and the football to eating out in a restaurant. When you fill up your car, buy a drink in the pub or light up a cigarette, you are not only paying excise duty but VAT.

VAT is a tax that no-one can avoid paying.

CHeers
D

[justincyder]

poor hammered my arse the fact that you've said this demonstrates you don't understand the economics model - see post on other thread

[justincyder]

it grows by reduction in corporate and small business tax, it grows by reducing national debt, it grows by cutting unecessary benefits and re-investing in other areas. Do you actually have any idea of the poverty line in this country and how its measured. Its not about struggling to eat its measure on whether someone can afford a mobile phone or not, thats not being poor thats being inconvenienced an entirely different thing.

Saying o the poor the poor just displays a huge amount of ignorance as to the machinations of economy I'm afraid

[justincyder]

D

what you have failed to mention is that are varying levels of VAT for different goods. 20% will be for non essential items. Last time I checked eating out, having a mobile, buying dvds etc weren't what I would classify as essential and if you can't afford them don't buy them.

So its not an idiotic statement. If you cannot afford something you don't need and by need of course I don't mean the basic essentials you should not be buying or borrowing the money to get it, it is why we are in the state we are in.

t h e c u l t u r e o f b o r r o w i n g i s t h e r o a d t o r u i n t h a t b r o u g h t u s h e r e.

[Ned]

Really. I suppose you believe the little fantasy chart included in the budget statement that shows the rich bear the greater burden, when it doesn't cover years three, four and five of the five year plan, when the burden on the less well off will be much greater.

Add to this the fact that the less well off rely on the services that are going to be slashed massively and this budget is far from fair.

[David Johnson]

"what you have failed to mention is that are varying levels of VAT for different goods."

I did not mention it because the VAT increase only affects the standard rate. I am of course aware that there are other rates like 5% for fuel and 0% rated items like children's clothes.


"20% will be for non essential items"
In short you are wrong. To be precise, it is those items at the standard rate which will be 20%. As to whether it is only non essential items which are at the standard rate, depends on what your definition of non-essential items is.

I assume that you are not stark naked whilst writing your post. Clothing for adults is at the standard rate, for example. And if your banger breaks down on the way to work, the service required to get it fixed etc like the overwhelming majority of services are at the standard rate.

The only way you can avoid paying VAT is if you choose to live like a Hindu guru in a cave dressed in a loincloth.

So in short, people have no choice in the matter of whether VAT increases will affect them or not.

That is why Von Boy's statement "If you dont buy, you dont pay" is idiotic because it implies that all purchases at the standard rate of VAT are unnecessary for basic, everyday living.

Cheers
D

[Dave Wells]

Right ! One of you clever clogs can finally explain all this bollocks to many people like me I suspect.

'We' are in debt to the amount of billions. Who is we exactly ? And who exactly do we owe this money to ?

Didn't 'we' just bail out the banks ? So they should owe us surely ?

This is all just a load of bollocks by the 'rich' to keep them rich (coz it doesn't make any difference what the twat had done for the rich) and keep the poor even poorer !

Pull out of Afghanistan, scrap Trident and ban the sponging royal family from receiving the crazy 'benefit' money they're on. These three measures alone would save billions !

Rip Off Britain as always !

Watch Zeitgeist !