Right you lot - Let's Change The World - Take 2

carolt

My first attempt at provoking and discussing positive solutions to all the economic misery we face and disect on here daily kind of foundered because I made the cardinal error of giving an example in the original post - which was then debated to death in the next several pages.

No-one actually ever got round to coming with any other ideas to debate.

So this time, I'm not suggestng anything - yet.


I'm just throwing open the floor to anyone with any fantastic ideas on how to improve our world, or just one little bit of it, whatever.

I know you lot are intelligent, passionate, inspiring and creative people, so I look forward to hearing all your ideas.

Over to you now:

peterg1965

Double the tax on alcohol, it is discretionary and the impact of people drinking less will save money for the NHS and is good for health. To balance this out, reduce tax on petrol/diesel.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Ban a***holes from MSE

carolt

Fine, I'm with you - but a bit limited in impact, I would have thought, 1984?

carolt

peterg1965 wrote: »

Double the tax on alcohol, it is discretionary and the impact of people drinking less will save money for the NHS and is good for health. To balance this out, reduce tax on petrol/diesel.

Why reduce tax on petrol/diesel?

1984ReturnsForReal_2

carolt wrote: »

Fine, I'm with you - but a bit limited in impact, I would have thought, 1984?

It is a start...

Acorns, Oaks & all that...

:rotfl:

peterg1965

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Ban a***holes from MSE

As long as that includes that lizestelle member who winds me up!

carolt wrote: »

Why reduce tax on petrol/diesel?

Because it is far too much and it serves no other purpose than to use the motorist as a cash cow.....

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

peterg1965 wrote: »

Double the tax on alcohol, it is discretionary and the impact of people drinking less will save money for the NHS and is good for health. To balance this out, reduce tax on petrol/diesel.

Drinkers and smokers already subsidise the NHS.

Drinkers pay around 26 billion a year in duty and tax on alcohol, but drinking related diseases only cost the NHS 2 or 3 billion a year. Smokers pay 11 billion a year on duty/tax on tobacco, but smoking related diseases only cost around 2 billion.

Without smokers and drinkers, society would need to find over 20 billion a year. Should we start by raising your taxes?

lostinrates

I think we should all do a year of National srvice. ot necessarily forces but something (cleaning at a hospital or buses, filing for the the local government, maintaining public parks/spaces: there is a lot we could do with degrees of skill). I think we enter adult hood not appreciating what we have already received from our parents and the country (access to education healthcare etc) and it would be good to have a sense of paying some of that back. I also think moving away from a home area broadening horizons even for a short period is healthy. (I think that's a key way in which university is/was traditionally help ful.)

i have long thought a part of education should be following a court case through, connecting with our justice system (in a non punitive way nor as a victim).

I think reducing bureaucracy would encourage a greater sense of freedom and ...um...forgotten the word...er um...resourcefulness.

(tbh carolt I could do this all day ideas of a varying degree of rationality so I'll stop there.)

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

carolt wrote: »

Why reduce tax on petrol/diesel?

It is an unfair and regressive tax that penalises the millions of people who have no choice but to use a car. Rural communities especially.

lostinrates

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

It is an unfair and regressive tax that penalises the millions of people who have no choice but to use a car. Rural communities especially.

Those of us in rural communities do need cars. bt we do often over use them. People would bnever dream of walking to the nearest town/large village from where I live and yet I walked far shorter distances routinely for similar purposes in London. better to ask people to drive more responsibly on our roads so when walking on roads with no pavements and lots of bends/high hedges we don't get killed.