this 10p tax issue.....

King_Weasel

This thread's become a bit of a mess, with half of it (like this message) properly belonging in the Discussion Forum.

I think some of the comments here are slightly exaggerated (and a few wildly over the top) but the mess is quite bad enough as it is. Gordon Brown must know now he's made a mistake and he's doing his best to rectify it. He's certainly not being gratuitously cruel, as linden might be saying. But the trouble is, even with Gordon's allegedly planet-sized brain, it's probably impossible.

He can't reverse the budget and start again, though he must heartily wish he could. He can't devise new measures that compensate everybody affected, though Alastair and the Treasury are doing their best on his behalf. So it looks like SOME people will be compensated - more in some cases, less in others - while others won't and yet others who weren't hit in the first place will still be "compensated". It would be a bit easier for the public finances if he could claw back some of the benefit he gave away already, but that would merely provoke another outcry.

All in all, he's between a rock (not Northern) and several hard places, and it's entirely of his own making. He forgot the basic rule that people who are hit by higher taxes shout louder than those who benefit - especially if they reckon fairness is on their side.

So basically it's the Poll Tax all over again - on a smaller scale, maybe, but big enough to derail him. Everyone knows it's entirely self-inflicted and they will punish him for it. Many said he was a good Chancellor but doubted his Premiership qualities. How ironical, then, that he should now be penalised for his budget.

Dylanwing

This mess was spotted shortly after it was announced, and whilst not headlines, was commented on in most of the Press. That was when Mr Bean should have reacted, as it clearly affected what could be classed as 'Traditional Labour Voters'. He chose not too, and in recent Months, fuel and food prices have risen drastically, so this has compounded the anger felt by those affected. Once this all blew up, Bean handled it appallingly, first by standing his ground, then a U turn, and now the fine print of the U turn shows it to have been a very hollow gesture.
The simple thing to do would be for Bean to admit to getting it wrong, and making a firm commitment to increase personal allowances for the next tax year to negate any losses, paid for by scrapping ID cards - That would put him back in favour, wrong-foot the Tories, and spare us from yet another monumental c*** up. Sadly, Bean lives in a parralel Universe, so we'll probably get an incredibly complicated 'Low Earners Tax Credit' that involves filling in lengthy forms, and costs twice as much to run as it pays out.
Personally I have no sympathy with Mr Bean, the warning signs were there, he chose to ignore them, he should take the consequences. And where were the Labour MP's with a conscience (Is that an oxymoron?) before this became headline news?
BTW, just found out that I gain £6 per week - That should not be at the expense of the poor, but the wealthy tax avoiders!

King_Weasel

Agree with all that, Dylanwing, except that Mr B should have reacted when his advisers warned him - as they surely did - what his budget meant and have a rethink BEFORE going public. It's astonishingly bad judgement to put a moment's glory when wrong-footing Cameron above the mess that he's chosen to create.

No sympathy here, no-one else to blame.

Chrysalis

Kay_Peel wrote: »

Sigh......

I'm getting a baffling message from the chancellor's so-called 'compensation' measures. The 'deserving' poor are of pensionable age or they have children. The 'undeserving' poor are adults between 18 and 60/65 years.

I fall into the 'undeserving' category and so do my adult student children who work part-time in low paid jobs to pay their debts while at university.

How many of the undeserving are there, I wonder? And why are we undeserving? If I hear any politician use the phrase 'hard-working, decent families' and how their policies are designed to help h-w and d families, then I will throw up.

Bring on the local elections! And, by golly, I'll remember this tax rise at the next general election.

couldnt agree more, its always the word 'family' used by the media and politicians like its assumed everyone has a child? The truth is childless adults have had a hard time for years but its only now the issue has finally raised its head and still brown and co are ignoring it. This country seems to have a mindset everyone with children is struggling and need lots of help whilst everyone without a child is living a high life and is awash with cash.