Budget, coughing up
You would think, if you were a UK resident, that I would have plenty to moan about with the New Chancellor delivering his first budget but alas I have not. I have just completed an online calculator as to how much better or worse off I will be under the new budget and low and behold I will be better off to the tune of £342.92 next year according to indications.
I doubt if I will feel that much better off but I will still spend it non the less.
On the other hand I was expecting much more in the way of help for making households greener through paying less taxes on fuel efficiency and aid towards insulation and the likes.
The tax changes at the higher and lower ranges of fuel efficiency will not go any where in helping with climate change, you only have to look at China, or what our athletes can expect when they get there. I am sure this picture will outrage the 4x4 drivers in this country that are being penalized.
Then there is the usual increase in tobacco and alcohol. The government believes that the smoking ban in public places has been a success, which I do not agree with. If it is such a success then why bother to put up the tax on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. They wish to tackle the ‘binge’ drinking culture amongst the young and only increase the tax on cider, the favored drink of the off license yob, by a fraction. Non of it adds up, especially if this government were trying to create the same drinking culture that exists in France and Spain [unless we Brits are over there still drinking cheaper lager with the same effect as it has over here]
I have given up smoking cigars, reluctantly through ill health, and I drink very little so I have not been hit too much by these tax increases but the poor sods that work all week and like a tipple and a smoke must feel really hard done to once again knowing that their relaxation aids are propping up the economy once again.
I doubt if I will feel that much better off but I will still spend it non the less.
On the other hand I was expecting much more in the way of help for making households greener through paying less taxes on fuel efficiency and aid towards insulation and the likes.
The tax changes at the higher and lower ranges of fuel efficiency will not go any where in helping with climate change, you only have to look at China, or what our athletes can expect when they get there. I am sure this picture will outrage the 4x4 drivers in this country that are being penalized.Then there is the usual increase in tobacco and alcohol. The government believes that the smoking ban in public places has been a success, which I do not agree with. If it is such a success then why bother to put up the tax on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. They wish to tackle the ‘binge’ drinking culture amongst the young and only increase the tax on cider, the favored drink of the off license yob, by a fraction. Non of it adds up, especially if this government were trying to create the same drinking culture that exists in France and Spain [unless we Brits are over there still drinking cheaper lager with the same effect as it has over here]
I have given up smoking cigars, reluctantly through ill health, and I drink very little so I have not been hit too much by these tax increases but the poor sods that work all week and like a tipple and a smoke must feel really hard done to once again knowing that their relaxation aids are propping up the economy once again.
[Image - BBC Day in Pictures 12 March 2008: People standing on the roof of the Beijing Olympic stadium can barely be seen through the smog. China has issued assurances that the air will be safe for the Games.]
Labels: budget, climate change
posted by old enough to moan @ 12:13 am
2 Comments
2 Comments:
they (in usa) that the extra taxes on cigarettes will go to the schools ..but every year the schools are crying they don't have enough money for books,teachers, etc..pisses me off..
i don't smoke or drink so none of the taxing effects me..and one great thing about living in a small town at least 17 miles from a big city?...no smog...clean air..it's wonderful..
Our government threw shite loads of money into our Free National Health Service [NHS] only trouble was there weren’t looking into where it was spent! Less hours and more pay for the health care professionals [this does not unfortunately include nurses, salt of the earth, well most of them]. My GP has never had it so good. The government is now asking them to work longer hours, which they always did before the shake up, which is not going down too well.
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