If things get tougher?

Trow

For more details on what your car tax may end up being, go here:

http://www.whatprice.co.uk/car/car-tax.html

I'm delighted to find mine should go down!

[Deleted User]

Its awful the way the gov is tightening the tax screws on ordinary people. There is something every day but I am blowed if its going to get me down. I feel really really sorry for people who are absolutely at their wits end.

I don`t have a garden, just a patio and a stunning view but am 1 mile from the train and from the buses and have an oap bus pass. Swings and roundabouts here as the house is 3 years old and nice and warm without heating because the sun shines in, whenever the sun comes out that is.

The thermal vests arrived today in double quick time and I couldn`t help saying `wow` because they are lovely. Much much nicer and better than expected, beautifully made and lightly brushed on the inside and long enough to cover the derriere. One for my dh and one for me as a couple set cost £13. They are way better than the damart ones I used to get (I also got a tonne of unsolicited mail from damart)

We turned the air con off in our skoda and I swear that we are getting more mpg. 69 mpg the other day when we went up the motorway and 56 mpg today when I did 24 miles to bridgend

carriebradshaw

Ruthibe73 wrote: »

Well having listened to the 10 o'clock news last night and how road tax is going up I really don't know how we will cope when it does get tougher. We have one car DH uses for work (22 mile round trip mon-fri) not a huge journey admittedly but he is now beginning to think about quitting the job that he loves and getting one within walking distance of our home and then just using the car as and when we need at the weekends. I suppose we could downgrade to a smaller car (we currently have a 2004 reg Kia Carens), but I don't consider our car to be huge. If we did downgrade this would mean that DH wouldn't be able to fit the wheel barrow in the car for when he is on the allotment, its a private allotment and does have things pinched from it as it is right by a public footpath! This would probably mean we would have to give up the allotment and that would be hellish!

DH and I were trying to come up with ideas to make the Government sit up and take notice, I pointed out that whatever we could come up with would need the whole of the country to do at once and do so for a month. Hmm can't see it happening really.

Anyway sorry to go on at a slight tangent.

if you do have to downgrade your car you could get a fold up wheelbarrow and then you wouldn't have to give up your allotment

katieowl_2

Ruthibe73 wrote: »

DH and I were trying to come up with ideas to make the Government sit up and take notice, I pointed out that whatever we could come up with would need the whole of the country to do at once and do so for a month. Hmm can't see it happening really.

Anyway sorry to go on at a slight tangent.

:j Well you can count me in Ruthibe73!!! I've been saying the same thing to my DH - I suggested a 'Mass Turn OFF' on the electric for 24 hours, or working hours or something as a protest! A week would be better (just to remind them that we are the customers and without us they dont have a business....) but I guess most people wouldn't be that hard core :eek: and as usual people will just gulp and dig further in their pockets....

Anybody else got any suggestions, would love to hear yours

Regards

Kate

Chuzzle

Carrie - I've mentioned to DH about the foldup barrow but he wasn't too keen - something about it was a womans barrow and he was a big burly butch man!! I laughed at that one!!

Katieowl - Thanks, will deffo call upon you when I've come up with a brill idea. But like you say most people will just grumble and say ooh er can't manage a week without this that and the other, but they'll be the first to moan.. Ho hum.

I did think about not voting in the elections (well I don't anyway as they are all full of b*llsh*t), but as DH pointed out there are some hardened supporters who will always vote for their lot cos they think they are the bestest at everything. Another thing he pointed out was that if no-one voted then we'd be no better off as the same government would stay in power - but my thinking is they might be shocked enough to start listening to us...

katieowl_2

Nah....it has to hit back where hurts...in the pocket!

If I was younger and fitter I'd suggest a riot But hey we couldn't afford the petrol for the molotovs (just joking) (BTW can you make a molotov with chip fat??? )

It needs to be 'industrial action' of some kind.... Like everyone in the country doing something at the same time as a protest....

Unfortunately with the general level of apathy I don't think ballot box actions would have any real impact.

Hmmmmm.....thinking cap on.....off the top of my head - a mass basics shop?? A walk to work strike??? Leaving work early to show the 'extra hours' you now need to work to afford the basics? Still like the idea of everyone switching the power off though.

Regards

kate

Primrose

I would happily switch all my power off if I thought everybody would do it but there would have to be some exemptions. There's no way I'd switch off my freezer and risk loosing all the home grown produce I worked so hard all year to grow or cook. But if we all switched off for just two hours, nationally there would probably be such an enormous power surge when we switched it back on that it would probably blow the brains out of all the systems at the power stations ! Keep the ideas coming. There has got to be something we could all do - spend Monday morning in bed perhaps ??

Chuzzle

Primrose - Only Monday MORNING in bed???? Prefer the idea of a whole week in bed :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Katieowl - yeah, you're right my idea is a bit far fetched and after much consideration probly wouldn't have that much of an effect. Will have to think on that one. Like your ideas though

tramps

ref car tax yes we will hit the £400.00 mark and yes we do drive a four wheel drive but as we are in agricuture you cannot drive along fram tracks/across fields in a small car we need this car and will have to afford the car tax what the goverment has also done is now make some cars unsellable because people will not buy them because of the high tax bracket anyone with a car such as ours is now effectivly stuck with it

mary43

I don't drive but OH does and needs it when he gets back to work....no bus route - as it is we use the car as little as possible (OH currently not able to work due to his workshop being burnt down).........I have my OAP bus pass so can get where I need to go for free (thank goodness).
Couldn't find the model of our car on the link and will have to ask OH about details of its age etc. when he comes back in but its certainly not a newish one and no way can we afford to get rid of it and buy something different -the money just isn't there.
How on earth do the government expect people to manage to carry on driving to work to earn a living when obstacles like this are thrown up ?
Bad enough with the price of fuel and all the increases that seem to go with it without having to pay yet more tax as well.