General Chat

A proportion goes towards education, road maintenance, libraries, adult education, etc
Then there are things like street lighting, day-to-day costs of maintaining things at a local level, local licensing etc
N.I. is central government and should not be confiused.

I understand what your saying Errol - but I still don’t understand exactly what I am paying for - as what used to be paid for under rates doesn’t apply as Water and Garden refuse is no longer free, I cant be paying for emergency services as we don’t have any - they have all been closed down or new super hospitals too far away to get to in an emergency.

The same as my NI - I’ve paid for over 20 years towards the pensioners of today (and yes they deserve it - they worked and paid it too) but who is going to pay for mine in return? It’s highly unlikely - I will recoup a fraction if any of what I have paid in - and I'll have to work even longer for this privilege too?

Maddie many of those things are centrally funded.
On a local level, if somebody is unemployed does that mean they do not have the right to have their bin emptied?
As far as a bus service is concerned, since deregulation that is down to the individual (profit making!) company.
I am not saying things are right but that is how it is.

Erroll

If my council tax is not being used to support those that dont have to pay for it -what is it for? In my county I have to pay for Garden waste to be collected not only for a bin but an annual fee, my refuse is ony collected on a fortnightly basis and only the amount that fits in the (small) bin provided with the lid closed - any more and they throw it back at your house. Oh yes and I pay a company to proffesionally clean my bin as after two weeks you dont want to know!

Police, ambulance and local hospital have all closed down.

I have one bus that runs twice an hour locally......

I have never seen a policeman let alone a community officer in the three years I have lived here. But my council tax went up 12% last year.

Definitely feeling the pinch, and I earn a reasonable salary.
But OH has just retired; Council Tax is nudging £2,000 pa; petrol and diesel have gone up by 20p per litre in the last year; food is up (about 7% in the last year according to today's paper); gas and electricity are rocketing.

As has been said, from April the abolition of the 10p band will increase the tax on OH pension.
And also from April the employee NIC will be payable on a much higher maximum figure.

By the time I retire in 2010 the State Second Pension,(what used to be SERPS) will be capped rather than being paid on your final salary, so I will lose out on that.

And from 2012 the State pension increases will be linked to earnings instead of prices.
That sound good, but explains why Brown is trying to keep wage increases below 2%. If that's all earnings go up by and inflation is still running at 4% on the RPI we'll be shafted.

Thanks all, I hoped for a better debate but maybe I am wrong ,

The input was good, night,


Caz xxx

It may not Errol but its a bit depressing when you know drug dealers and work evaders who dont pay it and those who struggle to have had bailiffs at the door for being a month behind,

But this is probably a very different debate!!

Caz x

Although devolution of government (making local accountability more important) is taking place, Council Tax does not pay for state benefits.

Maggie, Im sure we are in that category and we are penalized every which way,


Caz x

Maddie, your post strikes at all I am saying, trust me,


Caz xxx

The governments tax cuts - to come to life in April sound marvellous- until you realise the personal allowance is being cut.
This means those on lower incomes - below the average and therefore the majority - will actually end up WORSE off, as the personal allowance is a hhigh percentage of their pay, while those earning the average or above will be BETTER off - as the persoal allowance is such a small percentage of their pay.

I don't know about the populace thinking the country into a recession - the government's certainly giving the majority of us a kick in that direction!!

maggie

Couldn't agree more with Brian, he is right that the CPI does not take into account mortgage costs which have risen and the RPI is a more accurate account for inflation, this is why most peoples earning aren;t in line with their actual costs/spending and why the goverment loves using the CPI so much when deciding the payrises of the public service and not themselves as you can bet they give themselves more than 2.1%

Whatever the figures are from whatever source, I know we, as a family with 2 adults working and 5 kids that we are feeling the pinch a lot more,

Caz x

Caz I could not consider not working - I know what you mean though. But I grew up with nothing and have worked hard all my life to get what I little I have - and when I say little its because I see peers with better cars, bigger houses newer furniture ...and they don’t work - just breed!

I don’t mean to offend any parents out there - but it always sticks in my throat the amounts we shell out for tax and ni and council tax. The police stations have closed, our nearest is miles way. We now pay for water its not free anymore, the fire stations and ambulance stations have reduced - the nearest hospitals have closed, refuse is only collected fortnightly and I have to pay separately to have my garden waste collected! Can someone remind me what my council tax is for other than paying for a percentage of society that chooses not to work??

That’s not a dig at genuine health reasons or people that have worked and through no fault of their own are not working at the moment. I mean those that wouldn’t even consider working and spend their time working out what additional benefits they can get!

As for my NI - Excuse me - do you think I will get a state pension by the time I retire - oh yes and like everyone else I will have to work an extra five years now - thanks!

Sorry I have probably not worded this well at all but you have hit my pet gripe! Oh and I wanted to put up a small wind generator to help with my leccy - but the council are refusing planning permission for them due to noise pollution!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

OK, in simple terms, the CPI understates inflation, the RPI is reasonably accurate for an average person.

Brian - maybe that is why the government like to quote it so much!
Your own personal spending pattern can also lower your personal inflation.
This is what I mean about people talking us into a recession. If people only look at worst case scenarios and the worst set of figures then of course things look grim. This is very much a debate of whether a glass is half full or half empty and I think it is far better to consider all figures - not merely those that paint things in a bad light.

Dont mean to be rude Brian, but can you explain to me lol!!

All I know is me and my OH both work and feel the noose is getting tighter and tighter on our finances,


Caz xxx

Hi Ann,


I feel many families, trying to do their best will face huge problems. That isnt just because of tonights headlines, its from experience,


Caz xxx

The CPI is a farce (and I'm speaking as an accountant).

It excludes Council Tax (going up five percent every year) and mortgage costs for a start, so interest rate increases and house price inflation don't affect it.

It includes a high proportion of electrical goods which you only buy once in a blue moon but whose prices have fallen due to cheap imports from China, Asia and the former Soviet states.

The Retail Prices Index is a better guide, currently about four percent, but depending on your own spending pattern your personal inflation rate can be double that.

Thats true Maddie, maybe many people feel its not worth working anymore?

Maggie, its becoming harder and harder isnt it?

Caz xxx