'What should I ask George Osborne? Question suggestions wanted.' blog discussion

dots_thots

redux wrote: »

Given that the silver content dropped to 50% in the 1920s and to nil in 1947, there aren't likely to be many around, and you'd have got better returns on other investments

Well, precisely - Gresham's law proved true as a lot of people took them out of circulation - you can buy them on ebay.

Also, silver is at an historic low today and yet it is 6 times rarer above ground than gold currently and is the first mineral to run out at current consumption rates according to the US Geological Survey.

The vast stock pile from that very demonetisation has been being drawn down for 60 years, precisely why silver has been so low. I think that is set to change, so all those people who kept their old shillings will be laughing all the way to the errr.. illegal black market to sell them :mad: ... unless a miracle happens and we go back to sound money and non-Alice-in-Wonderland economic theory.

feijoa

Echoing the queries from other posts re prescription charges, will you please ask him if free prescriptions will be offered to those suffering from severe and life-threatening allergies and who must carry injectable adrenaline with them at all times. These epipens have comparatively short use-by dates and need to be replaced - at full prescription cost - at frequent intervals. Our local MP, Sir Alan Beith, successfully campaigned for diabetics to receive free prescriptions. It is surely right for those who have similar life-threatening conditions to be given similar entitlement.
And will he continue offering bus passes to the disabled and the over-60s? If so, can it please be a UK-wide pass? Those who live close to the Welsh and Scottish borders find that free travel does not cross the border, unless bus companies and local councils come to an agreement - and of course this is equally frustrating for those living in Scotland and Wales, who find their bus passes aren't valid in England.

teamwork

Would the conservatives consider passing a law that can charge government ministers with fraud if they waste taxpayers money? If Madoff is serving several life sentences for losing £30 billion why should Gordon Brown get off 'scot'-free:) for losing £190 billion.

If a government creating a deficit greater than, say, 4% could be charged with a criminal offence then they might take more care. (And there was no need to save the banks as the more stable ones like HSBC would have moved into the vacuum left by banks like RBS and taken over their savings and mortgage business).

While your at it, how about abolishing the central bank and leaving interest rate determination to the market as Jim Rogers says - the conservatives should employ him as an adviser as he's one of the only commentators who has predicted the worlds economic path.

parrylyn

Does he have any plans re: The BBC / Europe / Payments to Scotland (Bennet Report).Imagine the money saved if the following were followed.The BBC was privatised or the license fee halved, Scotland given the same allowance per person as the English are allowed, Come out of Europe (saving us Trillions and thats not only on the MEPS expenses) and sending back all the immigrants that France lets through the net just to abuse our Welfare system with their inflated housing costs and claiming for children that do not live in this country. I am voting for UKIP hoping they will change things and give us a vote on the Lisbon Treaty or better still come out of Europe. Also scrap all these quangos they are just an excuse for the PM to give his mates inflated salaries for work the Government Ministers should be doing. These are just a few things that would reduce our debt. Plus take our soldiers out of Afganistan and put them on the Fawkland Island to protect our people.

GTG

1) Base rate is 0.5% and your average mortgage is around 5%, except for a few who were on SVR's before interest rates were reduced. That means a 90% profit for mortgage lenders, banks and building societies etc. Does he not think that this is disgusting to allow one industry to profiteer to such extent when others e.g utitlity companies are regulated in this area? This is an organised rip off IMO by the banking institutions in collaboration with government, as if receiving TAX PAYERS POUNDS in bailout money is not enough!

2) Ask him why a government needs to borrow money AT ALL and pay their creditors both the principal + INTEREST out of TAXPAYERS POUNDS when we have a tax base to raise money for whatever projects/services the country needs WITHOUT BORROWING!

http://www.bbc5.tv/eyeplayer/video/money-debt

http://www.bbc5.tv/eyeplayer/video/zeitgeist-addendum

3) Will the vast amounts in peoples private personal pension plans be seen as an easy target to raise taxes to cover the deficits created by bailing out the banks turning this crisis from what should have been limited to bank insolvency to now an issue of insolvency of the UK, for whom all taxpayers will have to pay.

minerva_windsong

My inner cheeky whatsit wants to ask: If you have to go into a coalition with the Lib Dems after the election, will you stand down as Chancellor and let someone who knows what he's doing have your job?

My sensible person wants to ask:
Other than the first £10K being tax free, what financial benefits are there for young single working people and people on low incomes if the Tories get in?

spurn88

Ask him why all interest on savings is taxed, when it is only the interest over and above the rate of inflation that is profit.At the moment there are savings rates of 0.5% taxable when the inflation rate is 3.5%.These aren't savings accounts they are losing accounts.

kaym

1. Isa providers currently have a maximum of 30 days to transfer customer isas. From my expeirnece, companies exploit this in taking ages to action transfer, when in this day of technology it should take only a week. either this or for providers to give customers same no of days (ie 30) for free penalty tansfer when an isa comes out of a fixed rate product.

ISA allownace of £10200 can be invested completely in shares. why not also allow this same amount for investing in cash ISA? (instead of only half the allowance(5100). Another rule require changing is to allow customers to top up ISA to maximum after withdrawals have been made.

thanks

PAEC

We have seen the UK Pension Industry decimated by the taxation of Fund Income since the abolition of recovery of ACT and Income Tax in Gordon Brown's first budget.

How will the Conservatives go about helping to reinstate the Pension Industry as a world class institution of which we can be proud and the rest of the world envious?

neutron

Ask him why he considers himself qualified and capable of managing the UK finances. What qualifications and what experience?