Moving on with things

Scott_Weiland79

Dont get me started re the budget alt80

We get child benefit nothing more, and the fact the welfare bill is 324 billion. It astounds me 

Am i right from memory you have an electric car or is it a hybrid?

Hope your doing okay its good to see you posting again mate.

alt80

I’m doing ok mate. The past few weeks in business have been stressful which hasn’t helped alongside the near constant winter colds. We don’t have the electric cars anymore, my company leased them and I saw the writing on the wall for the tax breaks combined with horrific levels of depreciation which affect the lease rates we decided to stop leasing and buy a C63. They aren’t missing out you’ll be pleased to know lol tax is ridiculous and plenty of fuel duty in their pocket running a V8. Puts a smile on our face though and that’s what matters eh.

I 100% know where you’re coming from re the government. We’ve never even had child benefit mate. They don’t give a !!!!!! about small business owners- I pay obscene levels of tax through my companies and personally, hardly use any public services and all we get is further taxes. The additional dividends tax is really !!!!!! getting me down now I’ve had some chance to process it. Can’t possibly be a working family if you pay yourself in dividends. No !!!!!! incentive to take a risk, not really any wonder that the economy is stagnant as !!!!!! is it? We had the VAT levied on my son’s school because you’re not a hard working family if you pay for your kid’s education, they’ve raised employer NI contributions because employers can’t possibly be working people either. I’m the last to be paid, first to have sleepless nights because all the risk burden and responsibility of making payroll for my staff falls on me. They haven’t got a !!!!!! clue what running a small business is like, neither did the previous lot, and SMEs are still the backbone of Britain, 

Done everything I can to try to mitigate anger these past few years but I’m angry about this. I’ve worked my balls off all my life and through plenty of things that the work shy claim stop them from working. Kept people in employment and !!!!!! kept on smiling in the office no matter what. 

I know that I’m in a position many of the population don’t get to and I am fortunate. Equally I was handed nothing from my parents other than a work ethic and a will for my sister and I to do better in life as they had from their own upbringing. Surely the government should be encouraging people out of poverty, investing in education, truly helping people with their mental health rather than pumping them with benefits and prescription drugs? Why aren’t they getting them into therapy, education, the gym, sorting their nutrition out and building initiatives for employers to work with them to get them ready to work? I’d step up and take a a chance on a few if they had the right support behind them to get them ready for employment. Same thing goes for asylum seekers, if you are letting them in (whole other debate) why are they being left to languish in accommodation being let at exorbitantly high rents before being thrown out once processed with no real integration into the new society that is quite possibly very different to their own. As many know on here, my parents moved to Greece because after they lost their home and business here the UK was too expensive for them to start again. They earned their citizenship through integrating with the culture, language and  !!!!!! contributing to their new country. However, if they’d arrived there with untold trauma, on a makeshift boat having given their last penny to traffickers, do you really think they’d have been ready to work and educate themselves to integrate into their new communities? It !!!!!! breaks my heart what has happened to the UK in the past 20 years and terrifies me what country my son is going to inherit. My mum and dad haven’t been back to the UK in 22 years now and they wouldn’t recognise it. 

Long time since I’ve had a rant on here lol. 

warby68

Nice to hear from you @alt80. Not nice of course, that its been a tough few months for you all round (similar phase here) but very very nice that you're coping well and coping clean.

I agree with you on all the more political stuff. Priorities are upside down and driving the wrong behaviours on many fronts. OH has given quite a few 'rough diamonds' a chance. Some do come good, some spectacularly so. Plenty don't though. Sad to see really young people with zero ambition and zero self-respect, all knocked out of them by age 20. 

My sons both transitioned to mum and dad much earlier - it broke my heart at the time. Its one of those growing up landmarks. Your son has been lovely about it. 

Keep doing what you're doing @alt80. Your life sounds really good now and Mrs A seems to have grown into herself too. 

katsu

Dear @alt80

I'm sorry that you are angry about the situation in the UK. It's clear that a lot of people have been angry and unhappy in the last few years, before this government was elected.  We see it in other countries too, and I wish it was easy to know what to do to make life better for as many people as possible. 

Benefits for people shouldn't be stigmatised, as that's what makes us a society, helping each other.  So far my house hasn't burnt down and I've not yet needed to be rescued from a road accident, but I'm happy to pay for the Fire and Rescue Services.     

I'm a higher earner too, and how we all got here is a mix of our own hard work, and opportunities that different people gave us, people we knew along the way and those who paid taxes for our education, police, rubbish collection, public spaces... all the infrastructure that makes a society. I went to school with some very lovely people who weren't very intelligent. They'll never be in a position to earn high wages, whether that's through employment or running a business, but they can be a positive part of our society.

Money is a very imperfect way of assessing what e are here to achieve or how good our lives are. There's a level of advantage that many of us have from the intelligence we are born with, and also the circumstances we are born into. As a woman if I had been born when my mother was, I could never have achieved the earnings or had some of the opportunities I've had. 

Lots for us all to think about in the rest of our non-MSE lives I think. 

Lonelygambler

C63 - Beast Car. 

Hope you’re well fella. Xmas is a tough time for my addiction 

ryanm8655

Scott_Weiland79 said:

alt80 said:

I’m doing ok mate. The past few weeks in business have been stressful which hasn’t helped alongside the near constant winter colds. We don’t have the electric cars anymore, my company leased them and I saw the writing on the wall for the tax breaks combined with horrific levels of depreciation which affect the lease rates we decided to stop leasing and buy a C63. They aren’t missing out you’ll be pleased to know lol tax is ridiculous and plenty of fuel duty in their pocket running a V8. Puts a smile on our face though and that’s what matters eh.

I 100% know where you’re coming from re the government. We’ve never even had child benefit mate. They don’t give a !!!!!! about small business owners- I pay obscene levels of tax through my companies and personally, hardly use any public services and all we get is further taxes. The additional dividends tax is really !!!!!! getting me down now I’ve had some chance to process it. Can’t possibly be a working family if you pay yourself in dividends. No !!!!!! incentive to take a risk, not really any wonder that the economy is stagnant as !!!!!! is it? We had the VAT levied on my son’s school because you’re not a hard working family if you pay for your kid’s education, they’ve raised employer NI contributions because employers can’t possibly be working people either. I’m the last to be paid, first to have sleepless nights because all the risk burden and responsibility of making payroll for my staff falls on me. They haven’t got a !!!!!! clue what running a small business is like, neither did the previous lot, and SMEs are still the backbone of Britain, 

Done everything I can to try to mitigate anger these past few years but I’m angry about this. I’ve worked my balls off all my life and through plenty of things that the work shy claim stop them from working. Kept people in employment and !!!!!! kept on smiling in the office no matter what. 

I know that I’m in a position many of the population don’t get to and I am fortunate. Equally I was handed nothing from my parents other than a work ethic and a will for my sister and I to do better in life as they had from their own upbringing. Surely the government should be encouraging people out of poverty, investing in education, truly helping people with their mental health rather than pumping them with benefits and prescription drugs? Why aren’t they getting them into therapy, education, the gym, sorting their nutrition out and building initiatives for employers to work with them to get them ready to work? I’d step up and take a a chance on a few if they had the right support behind them to get them ready for employment. Same thing goes for asylum seekers, if you are letting them in (whole other debate) why are they being left to languish in accommodation being let at exorbitantly high rents before being thrown out once processed with no real integration into the new society that is quite possibly very different to their own. As many know on here, my parents moved to Greece because after they lost their home and business here the UK was too expensive for them to start again. They earned their citizenship through integrating with the culture, language and  !!!!!! contributing to their new country. However, if they’d arrived there with untold trauma, on a makeshift boat having given their last penny to traffickers, do you really think they’d have been ready to work and educate themselves to integrate into their new communities? It !!!!!! breaks my heart what has happened to the UK in the past 20 years and terrifies me what country my son is going to inherit. My mum and dad haven’t been back to the UK in 22 years now and they wouldn’t recognise it. 

Long time since I’ve had a rant on here lol. 

Haha thats one heck of a rant but nothing i dont agree with there. Love it.

My rant 

It boiled me the other day when i read a lady saying her and partner would be 900pm month better off with there five kids. Neither worked benefits increase, i got a pay increase last year but grafted for it and it wasnt a 10800 increase. Try 2.75 percent, my missus got a small pay rise but it wasnt 3.2 percent either.

2750 pm in benefits gerrrrr

gerrrrrrrr then we get people moaning re the car motability scheme cutting re leases audi/mercedes/lexus/bmw etc you now cant get any of these makes. I know people are entitled if disabled etc etc but why should i work 40-50 hours pw, do overtime, work hard but yet a person on benefits have a better car than me. 

We have a Seat on lease, its not flash but what we could afford. My missus is a higher rate tax payer worked solidly since being 22, me the same and i am 46. We had too pay alot for IVF is that the next thing are the government gunna make that free if on benefits.

It absolutely boils me i get clients ringing me at work. 

Convo goes like the following and this is the state of our country sadly. Betterment shouldnt exist but does re the benefits system.

"have my wages gone in"

"no, no wages have gone in"

"what so my universal credit or dla or carers allowance hasnt gone in yet"

"oh sorry you said wages i didnt realise you meant benefits"

Not going to comment on all of that but disabled people can work, they aren’t all on benefits. If they want a nicer car it costs them a fortune, it isn’t free. There’s a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation around the motability scheme. The majority of people moaning about it are the sorts of people who would rather see people worse off, even though it doesn’t impact them at all. It’s why this country is going rapidly downhill.

As hard as it is, I’d recommend focussing on what you do have rather than being envious of what you think others have.

Hazelnutty

This thread has taken a nasty, mean direction. This isn't supposed to be a space for politics but when it's so misinformed it's even worse. Taking aim at the most vulnerable based on tabloid hate-mongering. What a shame. I'm out.

alt80

@warby68 thank you, hope things are on the up for you soon - tbh this time of year is enough alone to drag us down without factoring in anything else eh? Despite some of the other things going on, my mental health has largely been better than in a very long time. I’m still on the program aimed at tackling OCD and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health. Haven’t had the not wanting to be here thoughts in a while and I’m driving again. Both I didn’t think would ever happen last year. 

Not struggling with cravings either - I just don’t want it in my life or close to my life. Feel very fortunate to be in this position. 

Most of my new starters at an entry level are grads or year out placement students. Plenty of rough diamonds there, ha and have to say I’ve found the same as your husband. However, it’s just heartbreaking to see how many young adults seem to have just resigned themselves to the scrap heap at such a young age. There’s no system to support them into making meaningful steps towards being ready to work and hold a job down so they sink or swim. More sink than should and as employers we can only offer so much support. I’m 100% sure if the population had access to the right coaching, healthcare and mentorship that more would come good and we’d be in a much better place as a country. 

My boy knows that I’ve not been very well and that we’ve been through some rough times. We know that he looks out for us in his own way and I think that he knew that us being just mum and dad was going to be difficult. He still lets me read to him every night but it seems to just be a matter of time now.

My Mrs is doing splendid, she has also been in therapy this year; she finds drawing a line under the past a lot easier than I do which has really helped her. It sounds ridiculous but doing her bike test and getting a motorbike has given her confidence to just give anything a go. Know it was you who said maybe she is just a late bloomer and I think that you’re right again haha. 

@katsu I don’t think fault lies entirely with this government, far from it. The last government’s time in power had to end, they were spending too much time tearing themselves apart rather than running the country. I agree that there are a lot of problems in and outside of the UK. Idk politically things seem more volatile than I can remember in my lifetime. 

Regarding benefits, I respectfully think you have interpreted my intent incorrectly; as one seeking to simply stigmatise the individual rather than a systemic problem of the state failing to adequately support those stuck in a cycle of worklessness. I am much more angry about how our taxes are spent, leaving swathes of the population seemingly helpless and stuck on state welfare rather than directing my anger towards the individuals themselves who largely will do what they feel is open to them as the best option. Our money (taxes) are imo grossly misappropriated and this is paid for by each of us who give more than we receive (in taxes). 

At the heart of my anger is a broken system starting with an NHS that gives people 10 minutes in front of a GP. I’ve had flack on here for seeing a private GP but I get 45 minutes to an hour with a professional who isn’t rushed and who I’ve developed a good relationship with. The population doesn’t have a relationship with their GP to plan their health, run periodic testing to benchmark, signpost to other health professionals to build relationships with where appropriate. If the population had access to a healthcare system that worked on building relationships with patients I reckon we’d have more people ready and able to work and less net recipients. As it sits relationships aren’t built between health professionals and patients and there is a culture of leaving people to deal with complex problems largely by themselves. I think that’s a lot of the reason we have many people on disability benefits due to mental health difficulties. Many other government services are the same - we are simply not getting value as tax payers. 

@Lonelygambler re car; haha 100% it’s a brute in a suit. Real Jekyll and Hyde car depending on the mood you’re in. 

What I find hard about Christmas addiction wise is remembering the times when it was fun rather than problematic, well before it crept into parts of my life it shouldn’t have. It saddens me to say no to some events / parties but I’d rather say no than open myself up to any potential risk. We do other things as a family and I always organise a really nice clean and alcohol free Christmas lunch with my staff. Had great feedback for it over these past few years too. 

 

@ryanm8655 I can’t really comment on the cars for people on disability benefits. It’s something I know nothing about and that particular announcement seemed a bit of a red herring to me. 

I hope that the comment about wanting to see others worse off wasn’t directed at me. I want to see, wherever possible, that people have the tools to thrive. As an employer I do whatever I can to give my staff opportunities and a supportive environment no matter what has been going on in my personal life. 

If I thought that our taxes were being spent to make peoples lives better, I would be a lot less angry about the amount I pay both company and personal. 

Fwiw I’m grateful for where I am in life and I appreciate no one is truly self made. I was offered opportunities that put my business on a trajectory of growth that had I not been at that particular place in time I perhaps wouldn’t have had. 

@Hazelnutty I’m sorry to see your post. I do write about all sorts of things on here and in this instance I was and am angry about the amount of tax I am paying that is affecting profit margins across practically all businesses but especially SMEs from a company point of view and the double whammy of reduced profits and additional taxation personally. I accept that I am in a privileged position but even so I’m feeling the pinch.  

ryanm8655

alt80 said:

@warby68 thank you, hope things are on the up for you soon - tbh this time of year is enough alone to drag us down without factoring in anything else eh? Despite some of the other things going on, my mental health has largely been better than in a very long time. I’m still on the program aimed at tackling OCD and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health. Haven’t had the not wanting to be here thoughts in a while and I’m driving again. Both I didn’t think would ever happen last year. 

Not struggling with cravings either - I just don’t want it in my life or close to my life. Feel very fortunate to be in this position. 

Most of my new starters at an entry level are grads or year out placement students. Plenty of rough diamonds there, ha and have to say I’ve found the same as your husband. However, it’s just heartbreaking to see how many young adults seem to have just resigned themselves to the scrap heap at such a young age. There’s no system to support them into making meaningful steps towards being ready to work and hold a job down so they sink or swim. More sink than should and as employers we can only offer so much support. I’m 100% sure if the population had access to the right coaching, healthcare and mentorship that more would come good and we’d be in a much better place as a country. 

My boy knows that I’ve not been very well and that we’ve been through some rough times. We know that he looks out for us in his own way and I think that he knew that us being just mum and dad was going to be difficult. He still lets me read to him every night but it seems to just be a matter of time now.

My Mrs is doing splendid, she has also been in therapy this year; she finds drawing a line under the past a lot easier than I do which has really helped her. It sounds ridiculous but doing her bike test and getting a motorbike has given her confidence to just give anything a go. Know it was you who said maybe she is just a late bloomer and I think that you’re right again haha. 

@katsu I don’t think fault lies entirely with this government, far from it. The last government’s time in power had to end, they were spending too much time tearing themselves apart rather than running the country. I agree that there are a lot of problems in and outside of the UK. Idk politically things seem more volatile than I can remember in my lifetime. 

Regarding benefits, I respectfully think you have interpreted my intent incorrectly; as one seeking to simply stigmatise the individual rather than a systemic problem of the state failing to adequately support those stuck in a cycle of worklessness. I am much more angry about how our taxes are spent, leaving swathes of the population seemingly helpless and stuck on state welfare rather than directing my anger towards the individuals themselves who largely will do what they feel is open to them as the best option. Our money (taxes) are imo grossly misappropriated and this is paid for by each of us who give more than we receive (in taxes). 

At the heart of my anger is a broken system starting with an NHS that gives people 10 minutes in front of a GP. I’ve had flack on here for seeing a private GP but I get 45 minutes to an hour with a professional who isn’t rushed and who I’ve developed a good relationship with. The population doesn’t have a relationship with their GP to plan their health, run periodic testing to benchmark, signpost to other health professionals to build relationships with where appropriate. If the population had access to a healthcare system that worked on building relationships with patients I reckon we’d have more people ready and able to work and less net recipients. As it sits relationships aren’t built between health professionals and patients and there is a culture of leaving people to deal with complex problems largely by themselves. I think that’s a lot of the reason we have many people on disability benefits due to mental health difficulties. Many other government services are the same - we are simply not getting value as tax payers. 

@Lonelygambler re car; haha 100% it’s a brute in a suit. Real Jekyll and Hyde car depending on the mood you’re in. 

What I find hard about Christmas addiction wise is remembering the times when it was fun rather than problematic, well before it crept into parts of my life it shouldn’t have. It saddens me to say no to some events / parties but I’d rather say no than open myself up to any potential risk. We do other things as a family and I always organise a really nice clean and alcohol free Christmas lunch with my staff. Had great feedback for it over these past few years too. 

 

@ryanm8655 I can’t really comment on the cars for people on disability benefits. It’s something I know nothing about and that particular announcement seemed a bit of a red herring to me. 

I hope that the comment about wanting to see others worse off wasn’t directed at me. I want to see, wherever possible, that people have the tools to thrive. As an employer I do whatever I can to give my staff opportunities and a supportive environment no matter what has been going on in my personal life. 

If I thought that our taxes were being spent to make peoples lives better, I would be a lot less angry about the amount I pay both company and personal. 

Fwiw I’m grateful for where I am in life and I appreciate no one is truly self made. I was offered opportunities that put my business on a trajectory of growth that had I not been at that particular place in time I perhaps wouldn’t have had. 

@Hazelnutty I’m sorry to see your post. I do write about all sorts of things on here and in this instance I was and am angry about the amount of tax I am paying that is affecting profit margins across practically all businesses but especially SMEs from a company point of view and the double whammy of reduced profits and additional taxation personally. I accept that I am in a privileged position but even so I’m feeling the pinch.  

It wasn’t directed at you chap.

The guy deleted his post by the looks of things.

Scott_Weiland79

@ryanm8655

If i offended you perhaps delete your post also, i apologize if it caused you offence.

But everyone @ryanm8655 is entitled to there opinion.