Had a letter today.

[Hetzer]

This has been sent to all council-tax payers in the borough, asking us to fill out a survey. The govt is going to stop paying 10% of the council-tax rebate money in april (2013), meaning our local council is going to have to find over a million from its own coffers to make up the difference.

Anyone getting the full rebate (those who are on full benefits through illness or unemployment) will be capped at £20 per week. The most vulnerable get a fair bit more than that according to the figures, so will be looking at paying around £15 per week out of their other benefit money. Those already having to make up their rent, due to the levels set being absurdly low, will be doubly hit.

People in work on low pay will have their rebate scrapped entirely.

So much for Cameron's BS about "the most vulnerable will be protected". And "we'll be going after the big corporate and uber-wealthy tax-dodgers".

A snide, lying, two-faced scumbag. Quelle suprise.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[daemonoid]

What borough is this?
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current: ducati monster 750
past: hyosung gt250r, bajaj pulsar 180, hyosung gt 125 comet
@thomasgarrard | www.straitjkt.com | www.racingseven.com

[mentalboy]

I'm only surprised that your council have taken so long in letting you know.
My ladyfriend in Exeter had her notification as to the council's options some two months ago.
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Make mine a Corona.

[Im-a-Ridah]

The more general point really is that these vulnerable (or unemployed) groups generally get a very tiny percentage of the overall government budget. We could abolish JSA for example, but the effect on the budget would be negligible directly, and indirectly crime would see an extreme rise, which in turn would actually make the budget increase massively. If he wants to cut government expenditure he needs to focus on the areas where there are the biggest slices to cut. The liberal types will scream MoD and any rich people who dont vote lib dem, the conservatives will scream the dole scroungers, and labour will scream spend more more more! A much better, though very unpopular option, is to hack out the waste inside the NHS, department for education, civil service etc, DFiD as they're the biggest wasters.

[Vincent]

As the utility companies seem to be raking it in, why don't they take them over? If they did that, pulled out of Afghanistan, and made the big companies pay the taxes they should be instead of evading them, the country might be able to start investing in industry and jobs again.

There was something on TV about the Coffee shops "Costa" paying zero tax right now, surely that can't be good. It's about time we stopped being blackmailed by these Multi nationals that evade tax IMO, let them fuck off elsewhere if they don't want to pay tax, I'm sure we'll manage without them, there's plenty of other coffee shops.
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Space Is Deep

[DrSnoosnoo]

[Rogerborg]

What's that, you say? My taxes might go down?
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[mentalboy]

[panrider_uk]

[JonB]

It was Starbucks, not Costa.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[smegballs]

In all honesty I don't blame companies for avoiding as much tax as they legally can. No fucker likes paying it, who can honestly say that they take a pleasure in paying tax.

I blame the lack of tax collection squarely at HMRC for allowing loopholes to continue, and not enforcing their own policies.

[Rogerborg]

[Polarbear]