how would you run the country

martinsurrey

antrobus wrote: »

you would have a devil of a job persuading the likes of Nestle or Apple to start paying you the dividends just because you had 3 Para on the streets of Oslo.

I think you are underestimating just how persuasive 3 Para could be...

but they're not very good swimmers, so the fjords might win...

[Deleted User]

Generali wrote: »

Let me guess, these are mostly tax increases other people will pay and cuts to the taxes you pay.

Nice touch in slashing incomes for disabled people. And you reckon Tories are barstewards.

1)i pay no taxes,so non to change
2)i am disabled and claim dla

otherwise 3/10 for effort

antrobus

woodbine wrote: »

1)i pay no taxes,so non to change
2)i am disabled and claim dla

otherwise 3/10 for effort

You are happy to make DLA taxable, even though you are in receipt of DLA, because you don't pay income tax anyway.

You are happy to increase basic income tax to 25%, which you don't pay, but want to reduce VAT to 15%, which you do pay.

Nah, I think Generali pretty much had you nailed.:)

[Deleted User]

antrobus wrote: »

You are happy to make DLA taxable, even though you are in receipt of DLA, because you don't pay income tax anyway.

You are happy to increase basic income tax to 25%, which you don't pay, but want to reduce VAT to 15%, which you do pay.

Nah, I think Generali pretty much had you nailed.:)

neither of you had me "nailed"i also claim other taxable benefits which added to my dla would mean i would pay tax (which i don't now)

as for vat its a regressive tax which punishes the poor,so reducing it to 15% would negate some of the other changes i proposed,you really need to read everything i say before judging what i say,it does help the debate

antrobus

woodbine wrote: »

neither of you had me "nailed"i also claim other taxable benefits which added to my dla would mean i would pay tax (which i don't now)...

First you say "i pay no taxes,so non to change"; now you say "i would pay tax (which i don't now)". You are just making things up as you go along!

woodbine wrote: »

...as for vat its a regressive tax which punishes the poor,so reducing it to 15% would negate some of the other changes i proposed,you really need to read everything i say before judging what i say,it does help the debate

I do read everything you say. It's just that what you say changes from post to post.

princeofpounds

Free up planning permission to cool off distorted land prices, improve economic growth and competitiveness, solve social housing problems. Details TBA in another post sometime. At the same time, I would raise building standards.


Leave the EU. Although I like the idea of increase European integration in many respects, I do not like the political and legal structures of the EU. But I would actually keep many of the policies of the EU - free trade, product standards and so on. This works quite well for EEA countries.


Radically simplify tax. Seriously, it would be a bonfire of the accountants. Merge national insurance and income tax. Simplify benefits too (and that doesn't mean just mashing it all into one universal credit). I would move the emphasis away from taxing productive activities (employment, business in general) and towards activities with negative external impacts (pollution, waste). Of course this can practically only go so far.


Converge capital gains and income taxation. Why should people be taxed more on their human capital and less on their financial capital? Deeply unfair and the source of much tax avoidance.


Continue to cut the deficit.


Tackle the unfunded pension problem. Successive governments have done little here. We need to be honest about it, reduce entitlements further (including from existing and near-pensioners; these people wrote themselves an unaffordable cheque their descendants would have to pay) and raise compulsory savings (but into private plans).


Change the emphasis of green energy - cut funding and lower people's energy bills. Subsidise research, development and commercialisation. Support growth of renewables by other methods that don't have a cost for consumers - lower tax and regulation burdens.


Break the tube union.


Separate the professional and union functions of the medical associations such as the BMA. In particular, the stranglehold they have on medical training quotas. It is ridiculous how many foreign medical staff we have to import a agency rates simply because the doctors won't allow us to train enough medical students to keep wages high. Plenty of perfectly competent students willing to work for less wages are being refused entry into the profession.


Permit increased private provision of services within the NHS, where they can do a better deal. Invest the savings into adult/senior social care to help relieve bed blocking. Keep NHS free at the point of need. Would love to do something to bring basic dentistry back into public provision - it is a health service just as much as anything else.


Change the green belt into green wedges. Establish new 'national commons' in the place of equestrian fields and golf courses that currently occupy the greenbelt and offer little to the public or wildlife.


Focus tax cuts on disadvantaged areas - much better than benefits and subsidies, just make them more competitive.


Scale back the BBC. Not talking about dismembering it, but it simply doesn't need dozens of radio channels and a whole load of TV channels. It should be able to deliver its core mission in a more focused manner with equal quality.


Raise the personal tax allowance even further. It's the best way to avoid high marginal tax rates when coming off benefits.


Stop anti-car measures in infrastructure and planning. This will be seen as a terrible myopic mistake similar to 60s concrete monstrosities in just a few years as electric cars and autonomous driving technology start to make an impact. That doesn't mean stopping pedestrianisation of town centres.


That'll do for starters.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I'm worried I'd make a rubbish fascist dictator, as I can only think of things like insisting all crisp manufacturers put Salt & Vinegar in blue bags, and banning people with ugly feet from wearing open toed sandals in summer.

kabayiri

I'd privatise the Royal Family when in power.

It's got a strong brand image; some ready made logos; a nice looking HQ; mates in all the high places.

It's got to be worth a good few tens of billions?

The Royal Carriage with an Apple Logo on the back.

What's not to like?

patman99

If the starting-point was 'from this moment in time', then I would -

1. Reduce VAT & excise duty on Beer, wines and spirits by 5%. This would encourage the French to come over to the UK to stock-up on their alchohol.
2. Zero-VAT rate all insurance policies and make it compulsory for every household in LA property to have both buildings and contents insurance.
3. Withdraw funding for nuclear energy and divert it into thorium reaction development.
4. Index link State Pensions.
5. Switch Universal Credits to weekly paid for unemployment and disability benefits.
6. Pay Housing benefit direct to the landlord, thus avoiding the risk that the money is used by the tenant for other purposes.
7. Re-nationalise the railways at no cost to the Tax payer by not renewing franchises as they expire.
8. Raise Tax threshold for pensioners to £20,000.
9. Increase Tax rates by 1%.
10. Invest in infrastructure projects both in the UK and abroad that will make future profits far exceeding the build and running costs (i.e. building a new container port in Hull or Grimsby, or purchasing the Greek's water, telecoms and energy services from the Govt.)
11. Scrap the licence fee and instead, employ people to knock on doors to collect a monthly fee for watching the Beeb. If the people liked what was on, they would pay and if they hadn't watched the BBC at all, they would pay nothing (this works in Japan)
12. Cut the number of staff processing requests for asylum. This would lead to long delays and with no food, money or housing available to those waiting to be assessed, would lead to a sharp drop in the number of illegals entering this country.
13. Change medicine licencing so that the pharmaco's have to allow the Govt. the right to produce the medicines for supply to the NHS and those on benefits, or the company cannot sell any of it's products in the UK.
14. Scrap the current VED and replace it with a banding system based on actual emmisions as recorded at the MOT.
15. All motoring fines to be a percentage of income (as earnded and not excluding any outgoings). This makes it fairer for all.
16. Immigrants attempting to enter the UK in the backs of lorries would, where evidence prooves they broke into the vehicle, be charged with breaking and entering and the deported back to their original Country.
17. Introduce new Laws setting national maximum wage rises. These would set the maximum a company could increase it's wages by and would have the caveat that any wage rise would have to be an 'across the board' one where the same % rises applied whether you were the cleaner or the MD.
18. Rescind the Law forbidding Govt. departments and LA's from making a profit on their services as most have already found ways around it.
19. An English Parliament to deal with English matters with no interferance from the Scottish, Welsh or Irish. There would be a national assembly made-up of 10 members of each of the Assemblies to discuss and vote on matters affecting the entire UK.
20. Build an artificial island in the middle of the North Sea oil fields with the island being under English controls (this would place the oil fields in English hands should the Scots decide to vote for independence).
21. Withdraw from the EU and join the EFTA.
22. Change the beneifits system to one where if you are unemployed and a Council has a short-term need (1-3 days) to cover a role, you would have to go in and fill the role or loose your benefits for the period. As a bonus, you would be paid 75% of the wage for the job with no affects on your benefits.
23. Change the rules on Low Emmissions Zones so that only cars purchased after the introduction date must meet with the requirements. Vehicles purchased prior to this date would not be required to pay any fees to enter the LEZ.
24. Introduce minimum purchase price for milk and bread from farmers.
25. Set maximum charge for overstaying on a private carpark to £10.

markharding557

1/ Bring back old money because so a £ has 240pennies so everyone gets a pay rise.
2/ Install air conditioning on the outside of buildings to tackle global warming.
3/ For politicians, compulsory three year stint cleaning out cow sheds and then two years in poundland or some other god forsaken dive, all unpaid of course.
4/ Tax roadworks
5/ Install Natalie Bennet to run things because she's far loonier than anyone else and put it on a reality TV show..