Topic: Do you think the government listens ?

[valmarg]

Yes it is sickening what the leeches get away with.

valmarg

[saddad]

As was painted on a wall in Derby in the 80's... "Don't vote, it only encourages them.... "
 ;D

[Paulines7]

BTW Hubby pays for my car because I care for my mother who has alzheimers. I provide ( I retired early from Nursing to do this) 24/7 care for which the government thinks is worth 45 pounds per week!!! If I didnt care for Mum she would go into a home and cost the NHS 900 pounds per week!!!

And as she has a house they will sell it to pay for her care and if that still isnt enough they can charge ME her top up fees, by which time I dont get carers allowance and have been out of the job market for so long I may not get another job.
There is no other medical condition that these rules apply to. >:( >:(
................
When Hubby retires we will go and live abroad.

Ishard
I have every sympathy for you and your family, caring for a relative with Alzheimer's.  I cared for both my parents who had the same disease though five years apart. 

The carer's allowance is a ridiculous amount but it has been for many years.  Do make sure that your mother claims the full 24 hour attendance allowance and maybe use some of this money towards your car and travelling costs.

You cannot be forced to pay top up fees for a nursing home.  See this example: http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/socialcare/resaccom/3736.html

As for going abroad, some of the European countries pay far more tax than we do so the grass is not always greener on the other side!

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

The only way taxes could be brought down (other than by cutting services) is to get the rich to pay income tax.  Many of them evade it altogether so we have the situation where a low paid worker pays more than someone earning millions.  The Government has brought out some legislation which may help this situation but no doubt accountants will find other ways around it.  What the Government has done though is to cut the number of Civil Servants who bring in the revenue from those who are trying to avoid it! 

I agree with what others have said about benefit cheats.   Moonlighters too should be dealt with severely.

[Flunky]

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M05.pdf Read this and let me know if you think it is a pittance. God bless freedom of information.

Company directors usually get a salary in line with their performance / experience. If you earn a company £10k or £10mil you deseve a share of it. If you do well then you deserve it. I dont think the MP's do deserve it.

[valmarg]

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

And this is where we differentiate between the 'public' and 'private' sectors of industry.

CEOs, MDs, Company Directors of companies in the private sector are the people who contribute towards the wealth of this country, so why shouldn't they reap their rewards.  They bring benefits (aka wealth) into the country.

On the other hand MPs, and for that matter any public sector employee is paid out of tax payers' money and contributes nothing towards the economy.  They are leaches, and the more there are the more expensive it becomes for the private sector.

Under Labour in the last 11 years public sector employees have increased to 25% of the workforce.  This is unsustainable.

valmarg

[posie]

*Rant alert* 

They don't listen at all, it all appears to be spin and lip service.  I do a lot of running around for my grandmother, particularly since my gramps passed away.  I use my car as her mobility isn't good enough for public transport, but lately it's getting tighter and tighter and I'm beginning to get to the point where I'm seriously considering selling it as it's just too expensive to run.  I don't have a so-called gas guzzler, it's an S reg citroen, I keep it in as good a repair as I can afford and I only use it if I can't get somewhere by foot.  So why in hells name should the money that I've paid in taxes be used to pay for an MP's flaming new kitchen?!  She can't claim Carer's Allowance for me (which I don't want anyway) because I'm in full time education, so therefore according to the government I can't possibly be a carer as well.  So I'm priced off the road, I'm tightening my belt left, right and centre to make sure that I can give my kids as good a life as I possibly can (their father doesn't because the now defunct CSA were absolutely useless and told me that it was up to me to find out where he worked as they didn't have "investigative" powers), oh and at the same time I get stick for being a single parent, despite the fact that my children have manners, don't carry knives and respect adults (no they're not angels, but I'm very proud of them).  Then just to kick us in the teeth they now want a £23k grant so they don't have to provide receipts and don't have to disclose where it goes! Grrrrrrrrrr  >:( >:( >:(

*Rant alert over*

[Paulines7]

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M05.pdf Read this and let me know if you think it is a pittance. God bless freedom of information.

Company directors usually get a salary in line with their performance / experience. If you earn a company £10k or £10mil you deseve a share of it. If you do well then you deserve it. I dont think the MP's do deserve it.

I still think MP's salary is low compared to what many others get. 
Company Directors are not necessarily paid by performance. 

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

And this is where we differentiate between the 'public' and 'private' sectors of industry.

CEOs, MDs, Company Directors of companies in the private sector are the people who contribute towards the wealth of this country, so why shouldn't they reap their rewards.  They bring benefits (aka wealth) into the country.

On the other hand MPs, and for that matter any public sector employee is paid out of tax payers' money and contributes nothing towards the economy.  They are leaches, and the more there are the more expensive it becomes for the private sector.

Under Labour in the last 11 years public sector employees have increased to 25% of the workforce.  This is unsustainable.

valmarg

A load of old codswallop as usual from you, Valmarg.  Where is your proof for what you say? 

"On the other hand MPs, and for that matter any public sector employee is paid out of tax payers' money and contributes nothing towards the economy.  They are leaches, and the more there are the more expensive it becomes for the private sector."

I am sorry you feel that way about doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, military personnel and all the other public servants who bring in the cash without which there would not be the money to pay your pension. 

[Flunky]

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M05.pdf Read this and let me know if you think it is a pittance. God bless freedom of information.

Company directors usually get a salary in line with their performance / experience. If you earn a company £10k or £10mil you deseve a share of it. If you do well then you deserve it. I dont think the MP's do deserve it.

I still think MP's salary is low compared to what many others get. 
Company Directors are not necessarily paid by performance. 

MP's are paid a pittance compared with some Company Directors.  I bet there are people on here who earn more than they do.

And this is where we differentiate between the 'public' and 'private' sectors of industry.

CEOs, MDs, Company Directors of companies in the private sector are the people who contribute towards the wealth of this country, so why shouldn't they reap their rewards.  They bring benefits (aka wealth) into the country.

On the other hand MPs, and for that matter any public sector employee is paid out of tax payers' money and contributes nothing towards the economy.  They are leaches, and the more there are the more expensive it becomes for the private sector.

Under Labour in the last 11 years public sector employees have increased to 25% of the workforce.  This is unsustainable.

valmarg

A load of old codswallop as usual from you, Valmarg.  Where is your proof for what you say? 

"On the other hand MPs, and for that matter any public sector employee is paid out of tax payers' money and contributes nothing towards the economy.  They are leaches, and the more there are the more expensive it becomes for the private sector."

I am sorry you feel that way about doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, military personnel and all the other public servants who bring in the cash without which there would not be the money to pay your pension. 

i think thats quite a silly thing to say I think NO ONE has a  problem with any of those people but why the hell do you need an NHS manager to run a ward. Surely the most important people are the nursing staff. We know we need ADMIN tasks etc. But I am in financial services and I know that an NHS manager is on about £30k. How many nurses would that provide. Its not the fact that this sector has increased its all the B*****it roles that have been created. In our local paper the head of the council has a £200,000 salary, now tell me why she deserves more than the prime minister. This is what people are talking about not the increases in USEFUL people. We would be up the creek without them.

The point being made here is that BP for example bring in Billions of pounds to the economy. Sheila/Barry the NHS manager/inland revenue or some quasi role brings in nothing. Therefore we need less of these and more of the BP's who are run by people with million pound salaries.

Bear this in mind also NI contributions paid by us NOW bearly cover the cost the existing pensions. (never mind anything else) God help us when the population claiming pension exceeds the ones who are working. You wait, then you will see a problem.

[TEL]

No >:(

[Paulines7]

Flunky, I agree with your first paragraph.  If the Tories had stuck to keeping the Matrons and NHS cleaners we would not have the MRSA problems that we have now.  I too remember reading that the head of a council was getting at least £200,000.  How can they justify it! 

Inland revenue or some quasi role brings in nothing. Therefore we need less of these and more of the BP's who are run by people with million pound salaries.

I am afraid I disagree with this statement and as an ex civil servant I can tell you that this is not the case.  Do away with Inland Revenue staff and there would be no one to enforce payment.  Believe me, some people with million pound salaries try to get away with paying income tax now and would definitely not pay any given half the chance. 

Might I suggest you read "The Selfish Capitalist" by Oliver James.  There is evidence in the book to show that money from the rich does not trickle down to the poor.

Valmarg,
I am still awaiting proof of your statement that: Under Labour in the last 11 years public sector employees have increased to 25% of the workforce.   Was it in the Daily Mail?  Please, please tell me where you get your information from. 

Here are the statistics.  You will notice that public sector employees have decreased since Labour came to power. 
See http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1292

[redimp]

Trickledown is an outdated right wing economic theory.  Outdated because it doesn't work, never has worked and never will work.

PS - who educated the BP executives.  Who mends them when they are sick and broken?  Who defends their homes from intruders and defends their persons from violation?  Who would defend their country should the need arise?  Who empties their bins?  Who lights their streets and mends their roads?  Need I go on?

Finally, who can afford accountants to make sure that they do not have to pay back what they owe to the state that put them where they are?

[Amazin]

On the other hand MPs, and for that matter any public sector employee is paid out of tax payers' money and contributes nothing towards the economy.  They are leaches, and the more there are the more expensive it becomes for the private sector.

Under Labour in the last 11 years public sector employees have increased to 25% of the workforce.  This is unsustainable

Wow! So public sector employees constitute 25% of all taxpayers and yet they manage to contribute nothing. Neat trick! How do they do it?

[Flunky]

PS - who educated the BP executives.  Who mends them when they are sick and broken?  Who defends their homes from intruders and defends their persons from violation?  Who would defend their country should the need arise?  Who empties their bins?  Who lights their streets and mends their roads?  Need I go on?

Nope, no need to go on. As I said, no one is saying we dont need all the above. I just think they dont need 10 people standing behind them telling them how to do it. Just a couple would do.

How can anyone be bitter about somone who is succesful and uses the system to their advantage ? I know I would if could afford a good accountant (who trains them ?) There is no law against tax avoidence the problem arises from tax evasion. You cant compare percentages of tax v's income. In real monetary value I bet they pay more in tax than most of us earn. They still have the same fuel bills, council tax etc etc and thats point of this thread. The government doesnt listen because ORDINARY people are suffering heavily. No point in trying to "bash the rich" good luck to them I have no axe to grind with anyone who is successful. Who wouldnt want to live in a sunny tax haven ?. Think of the lottie you could have  ;D.

Pauline7 was not being specific just generalising. I know we need tax people. As I said at the start of the post. I have no problem paying my way, in fact i am proud to say i have taken nothing from this country as I have worked since I was 14 and claimed nothing except NHS treament.

[Mr Smith]

I had to laugh last week when 'Gordy' and his bag carrier 'Darling' went up to Aberdeen to give the Oil industry a roasting for charging to much for their Oil and what they should be doing to bring the price down, sorry Gordy look closer to home like your 85p in the pound you grab out of it  ;)

[good7saint]

Don't think any government listens who ever it is in power

[Flunky]

I had to laugh last week when 'Gordy' and his bag carrier 'Darling' went up to Aberdeen to give the Oil industry a roasting for charging to much for their Oil and what they should be doing to bring the price down, sorry Gordy look closer to home like your 85p in the pound you grab out of it  ;)

Thats it Mr Smith, we would have the second cheapest petrol in the europe if not for the tax. The Government dont give a monkeys. The stat I saw the other dau said if they reduced the duty (dont remember to what) then the government would make the same amount of money as they did 12 months ago from fuel. Again i reiterate I dont mind paying tax. This is too much though. The money doesnt go back into roads or realistic public transport. It vanishes. I can imagine the one finger salute being the only thing coming back from the oil companies.

[Mr Smith]

Flunky,
               The money goes to the idle the work shy the scum that  take the pssi out of  mugs like 'ME, and other mugs that crawl out of bed each day to do their work, idle scum do not like being untangled from their bed before the pubs  open or get off their arse and do a thing that is called 'Work,' or like pit lads say'Wok.  Please come back Maggie and sort the this hsti out ;)

[Flunky]

As I have said I am in financial services. Part of my job is to assess client incomes. When I say this I do not say it lightly. You would be absolutlely gobsmacked at the amount of money up for grabs I always remember a guy who was clearing £18,000 PA. in benefits for his brood. I have no problem if its genuinely needed but OMG you would not believe the amounts involved. What really pi55es me off is a good proportion of that cash is not going to someone who really needs its. Do they listen, do they feck.

[Amazin]

I always remember a guy who was clearing £18,000 PA. in benefits for his brood

Flunky, had the man recently been made redundant or gone bankrupt?

do a thing that is called 'Work,' or like pit lads say'Wok.  Please come back Maggie and sort the this hsti out

Mr Smith, How would you know what pit lads say? Heard one recently? No -  because you got your wish years ago, shame on you.

[Mr Smith]

Amazin,
                 And you know everything about the Coal industry living in NW London :)