Budget 2016

cells

lisyloo wrote: »

Personally I don't think the chancellor should be cutting taxes for the better off at a time of austerity when the books don't balance.
I will save £80 a year which won't make any difference to me personally or the vast majority of people who are on middle or higher incomes, but could collectively do some good for society where there is greater need. £6.70 per month would buy about 2 coffees a month. I'd rather they only did tax cuts for the low paid.

Why not spend it, then it will employ people who can earn it while working. As opposed to give it to the government who will hand it out to someone to sit at home rather than make you those two cups a month of coffee?

DiggerUK

michaels wrote: »

.........I don't know why all the schools weren't made academies ages ago by labour let alone the tories.......

Disability payments? I don't understand the issues......

It means that political responsibility for education disappears. In its place we have a bizarre possibility emerging. That religious organisations, with a proven history of abusing children, wil be given more power.

The issue with disability payments, is that they are paid to disabled people with needs above those without disabilities. Now they are to be cut. What are "the issues" you "don't understand"..._

lisyloo

cells wrote: »

Why not spend it, then it will employ people who can earn it while working. As opposed to give it to the government who will hand it out to someone to sit at home rather than make you those two cups a month of coffee?

We are almost at full employment in this country and in my home county Wiltshire unemployment is 1%.

I believe the majority of those sat at home deserve our help and compassion.

I don't believe in spending for things I neither need nor want.

CLAPTON

DiggerUK wrote: »

It means that political responsibility for education disappears. In its place we have a bizarre possibility emerging. That religious organisations, with a proven history of abusing children, wil be given more power.

The issue with disability payments, is that they are paid to disabled people with needs above those without disabilities. Now they are to be cut. What are "the issues" you "don't understand"..._

I'm not sure that Rotherham council were an example of how to protect children

chucknorris

lisyloo wrote: »

I agree that obesity is a real issue, both the economic and human cost.
Picking one item seems rather arbitrary to me and cynically one might think it had been put in to the budget to distract people from other issues.

Health is very important, fitness has always been one of the main focuses of my life, and financial health pales into insignificance when compared to actual heath. There is not much advantage in being wealthy if you do not have your health.

mwpt

lisyloo wrote: »

I agree that obesity is a real issue, both the economic and human cost.
Picking one item seems rather arbitrary to me and cynically one might think it had been put in to the budget to distract people from other issues.

People have been asking for a sugar tax for some time. This is a good start, not sure why you'd object to doing something rather than nothing.

chucknorris

mwpt wrote: »

People have been asking for a sugar tax for some time. This is a good start, not sure why you'd object to doing something rather than nothing.

Totally agree, it is a step in the right direction.

Thrugelmir

lisyloo wrote: »

Personally I don't think the chancellor should be cutting taxes for the better off at a time of austerity when the books don't balance.
I will save £80 a year which won't make any difference to me personally or the vast majority of people who are on middle or higher incomes, but could collectively do some good for society where there is greater need. £6.70 per month would buy about 2 coffees a month. I'd rather they only did tax cuts for the low paid.

The increase in the personal allowance was a manifesto commitment.
If you spend the money buying coffees then the Exchequer collects tax in the form of VAT and you may help give a small business a boost. Thereby creating further economic activity.

Insurance premium tax was increased again the budget so the middle class and those on higher incomes will be contributing more than the lower paid.

lisyloo

mwpt wrote: »

People have been asking for a sugar tax for some time. This is a good start, not sure why you'd object to doing something rather than nothing.

I don't object to it per se, it's just a poor effort at tackling obesity by picking one item and seems like a ploy to distract from other issues rather than an attempt to tackle the issue head on.

Wouldn't you rather see a more robust attempt to tackle the issue head on?

lisyloo

Thrugelmir wrote: »

The increase in the personal allowance was a manifesto commitment.
If you spend the money buying coffees then the Exchequer collects tax in the form of VAT and you may help give a small business a boost. Thereby creating further economic activity.

Insurance premium tax was increased again the budget so the middle class and those on higher incomes will be contributing more than the lower paid.

Part of my point was that £6.67 per month (my cal from the BBC budget calculator) is not enough to change any behaviour of any middle or high earner (if they want a £3 coffee they can probably afford it already).
I don't believe Those amounts will change anyone's behaviour, so we come back to the feel good factor and it being done cynically (although I accept the personal allowance also helps low earners).