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

cuz111

Hi, Could you ask him if we could have set Mortgage arrangement fees across the board therefore banks can't be deliberately misleading when your trying to find the most competitive quote.

EarthaKitt

I would like you to ask about benefits. My neighbours have 5 children all mod cons and games, sky, wii, etc. I don't have children as presently can't afford it and working 3 jobs to keep myself debt free but where is the insentive for anyone on benefits to go back to work?

infj

As someone who works for the public sector why should I vote for someone who wants to make me redundant? and pensionless?

Protecting NHS is already a fiction - at my workplace 5% budget cut in 2009/10, 7% or more for 2010/11 and similar amounts expected for next 6 years.

Edw65

Has he thought of on the one hand re-introducing 10% take break to kick after personal allowance up to double that allowance so approx £13-14k and at the same time raising the threshold for 40% tax payers to a more realistic figure of say £65k (keeping £50k break where it will be) but then going on to put a 60% rate on anyone in the £1m per year?

Regarding pension provision how about keeping the nominal rate for pension contributions but offering 40% state contribution to everyone making provision into personal pensions...and not letting anyone paying 50% or 65% get above 40%?

Have they thought about re-introducing a version of the old "Enterprise Allowance Scheme" from the old Thatcher regime to encourage people to develop new businesses etc by paying lets say the equivilant of an allowance of £100-150 per week to start a business..with a benefit cushion for all those in receipt of other "benefits" for 6 months?

shshsh

Perhaps you could ask him if he will make credit card fraud the responsibility of the police and not the banks, who will never willingly accept liability or accept that chip and pin is insecure.

BILL_OAP

QUESTION FOR GEORGE OSBORNE

"If the Conservatives were to form the next government would they be prepared to bring in a measure similar that being introduced in N Ireland whereby some pensioners can exercise a rates deferrral option?"
[- see BBC /N Ireland /politics - web site]

This is a measure whereby pensioners are able to defer rate bills until they die or sell their properties. As an OAP my biggest monthly outlay is the council charge which I find crippling. Getting that monkey of my back would be a huge relief -in more ways than one

mikwes

Does he think it right that on top of the low interest that pensioners receive and the fact that there will be no increase in personal allowances,we are no longer to receive any increase in the additional amounts(serps etc.) that were deducted from our pay in the belief that we would receive an enhanced state pension?
In fact it seems that both parties may be relying on pensioners to get the country out of trouble.

mushtiff

On the one hand, millions in savings accounts at very low rates of interest. On the other, national debt and cuts to public services. Does he have any suggestions for enabling ordinary people to invest savings (securely & with interest) in their local communities and national public services eg through bonds, shares? OK there's NS&I but it's not ringfenced, and local ethical investment schemes, but they're not secure. I'd rather govt used my savings for services than them contributing to bank boss bonuses!

oxfordguy_2

Gideon Osbourne

1. Tell me about your qualifications in economics. (He has none.)
2. Do you mind if I call you Gideon? (His name before he changed it.)
3. Do you think being the eldest son of a baronet, and attending St. Paul's public school, not to mention the Bullingdon club at Oxford, puts you in firm touch with ordinary people?
4. The Mirror published a photo of you, some 17 years ago, with a black prostitute, a 'dominatrix'. Did that help your rise to power within Tory ranks?
5. You opposed the bailing out of banks, in the first place, and then did a U-turn when it became clear that the whole world was following the lead of Gordon Brown. Why should people trust someone with such faulty judgment?
6. Why do you think your attempt to blame Gordon Brown for the entire global financial crisis didn't work?
7. When you tried to start a run on the pound by predicting a run on the pound in that well-known speech, you broke the cardinal rule of macroeconomics - you don't talk down the market. Do you regret risking economic ruin for your own country for your own political gain? Will you, in fact, do and say anything to gain power?
8. With the economy still fragile, it could be that the markets are only confident enough not to bolt so long as Gordon Brown is in charge. You and David Cameron say you will instantly launch a massive economic experiment on being elected, hacking away savagely at the crutches that still support the economy - and yet you have almost no economic training between you, you made the wrong choice about supporting the banks, and the markets might cut and run the moment you gain power simply because they have no confidence in you to hold it together. Shouldn't you simply withdraw from the election for the good of the country?

JBFAN

How about giving tax breaks to folk without children? We work from 16 - 65 - we don't need maternity pay, or paternity pay, we don't need child benefit, schools, doctors, or dentists for our children or free prescriptions and council houses. As we work full time we don't need subsidised child minding, or income support, and as we've worked all our lives (and hopefully saved hard) we'll need less support in our retirement years - where's the break for us workers?