The Oi, Cameron, time to sort out...” poll

[ifan.goch]

Originally Posted by ikhnos0512

I must be one of the few people in the country who isn't terribly concerned about petrol prices.

Here's my reasoning:

* I drive a less-than-average number of miles each year, in a car which is of above average efficiency.

* I therefore pay less than "my fair share" of this tax.

* Contrary to what the complainers seem to believe, the things that the government spends this money on will not magically become free if the tax is reduced.

* Therefore, the government will have to raise the money elsewhere.

* Since I currently pay less than "my fair share", it seems likely that under any other scheme, I would end up paying more tax.

* I don't want to pay more tax.

I'm sure that there's some impact on my outgoings in terms of transport cost for food and other goods, but when I look at the amount of stuff that you can stick in the back of a lorry, and consider how much I eat, I imagine that the impact is tiny.

Well Ikhnos, I'm glad you're doing so well taking more out of the system than you're putting in while the rest of us are subsidising you.

I live in a rural area where petrol prices are high, filling stations are few and far between and public transport is unreliable, infrequent and expensive. It's a 20 mile round trip to the supermarket to stock up on food, or there's the village shop at extortionate prices.

It's good to know that the high taxes I'm paying on my fuel are helping people like you to screw the system.

[The Pixi]

Originally Posted by ifan.goch

Well Ikhnos, I'm glad you're doing so well taking more out of the system than you're putting in while the rest of us are subsidising you.

I live in a rural area where petrol prices are high, filling stations are few and far between and public transport is unreliable, infrequent and expensive. It's a 20 mile round trip to the supermarket to stock up on food, or there's the village shop at extortionate prices.

It's good to know that the high taxes I'm paying on my fuel are helping people like you to screw the system.

Calm down and move.

[stevemcol]

Originally Posted by XRAT

The fact that financial education scores so low says it all, most of the people voting are paying too much tax without realising it. I agree with the few people above who want tax sorted out. Income tax is only designed to catch those on poor wages, the lazy and the hard working. I was one of them, too poor, working too many hours to compensate, to look into it. As a result of reading some advice on the ISA's v pensions thread on this site (by 'DunstoneH' I think) followed up by reading the HMRC website I transformed my tax.
Last year I reduced my tax bill from 12 to 4 grand and claimed more than the difference in benefits (when I had been entitled to none) and it's all legal. Immoral but legal. The government needs to sort it out.
Dunstone if you're reading this, I can't thank you enough.
The rest of you need to change your mindset. The government isn't entitled to your money, they'll only waste it. It's much better in your hands, so fight to keep it!!!

Great. Then there's just the small matter of roads, education, welfare state, defence, health service, sanitation, police and pensions to sort. Otherwise, you have a brilliant plan.

[MothballsWallet]

Fuel prices - my local bus company will put fares up again in January like they have for the last few years running because of rising fuel costs.
Energy prices and the switch process - takes too long to change suppliers, we could have and lose many nuclear wars in the period of 6-8 weeks it takes to switch...
Then - Cameron can tax all his rich mates and the celebs with sponsorship deal incomes...

[XRAT]

Originally Posted by stevemcol

Great. Then there's just the small matter of roads, education, welfare state, defence, health service, sanitation, police and pensions to sort. Otherwise, you have a brilliant plan.

Dear Stevemcol,
You are of course absolutely right, I should feel ashamed.., but you know what I don't!
I've worked in Whitehall and seen the waste, I've worked in Westminster and seen the waste, we've seen in the press that M.P.s claim extortionate expenses out of our hard earned tax, and give away what's left in child benefits to children who don't live in this country and M.E.P.s.
Companies don't pay tax, entertainers don't pay tax, footballers don't pay tax.., only the 'little man' pays tax. When the little man stops then government will be forced to reform the system. Until that happens I suggest you hold on to your money tight.

[WelshGandalf]

There's so much on this list down to market forces or the global economy... there's really nothing meaningful that can be done on petrol (the tax would just have to go somewhere else) or gas/elec prices (which are mostly global forces in the cost of the energy). As others have said, there's no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to those things.

What the government can do something about - and without costing much money - is demand more financial education, so that today's kids are less likely to screw up when they are older and so they understand how society is just after another buck from you.

Similarly, tax evasion - many of the richest among us are not paying their fair share, if we all did then the nation's finances would be in a much better place, and more generally income inequality has got worse and worse over the last 10-15 years and it is something the government has the capability to tackle.

Also - the cost of houses (NOT availability of mortgages) needs to be addressed and the government has a large amount of tools with which to address it. The cost of having a roof over your head is WAY larger than petrol, gas and elec bills combined for the young people of today. I can't believe this wasn't on the list - MSE seem to have followed the vested interests in blaming the slow house market on the nasty banks not lending hundreds of thousands of pounds rather than the fact that houses cost hundreds of thousands of pounds in the first place...

[benireland11]

Originally Posted by Torry Quine

Financial education is needed to prevent many problems arising in the first place. Savings rates are ridiculously low. Also electricity and gas bills are too high and many can't afford to keep warm.

Here here! If more people were educated about essential every day finance, then there would generally be more people interested, willing and able to put forward new ideas. Younger people moving into their own places always seem to learn the hard way that gas, electric and water prices (not to mention council tax) are huge outgoings for those on lower incomes.

16.4% of houses in England are in Fuel Poverty, which means they need to spend 10% or more of their income on heating alone, and this figure is even higher in Scotland, Wales and NI. Heating your home is one of the most basic needs in this day and age, and people are being priced out of doing so.

More needs to be done to tackle this as the few energy companies have what is essentially a joint monopoly. Also, they aren't spending enough of their vast income on sustainable energy, which, despite the initial high investment, will be cheaper for the consumer in the future (ie. you can't charge them for wind or sun, just the conversion). The simple reason being that they wont make as much money!

[ikhnos0512]

Originally Posted by ifan.goch

Well Ikhnos, I'm glad you're doing so well taking more out of the system than you're putting in while the rest of us are subsidising you.

I live in a rural area where petrol prices are high, filling stations are few and far between and public transport is unreliable, infrequent and expensive. It's a 20 mile round trip to the supermarket to stock up on food, or there's the village shop at extortionate prices.

It's good to know that the high taxes I'm paying on my fuel are helping people like you to screw the system.

I suspect that I pay more than my fair share in other areas. But I don't get stressed about it -- tax is a redistribution scheme, not a savings scheme. Swings and roundabouts.