"the cost of running the country does not go down."
But the "cost of running the country", i.e. price increases in existing services, has not risen by anything like the increase in taxation since 1997.
Most of the extra tax raised has NOT been spent on improving roads, other transport or public services but has been frittered away on political costs, propaganda services, poor value contracts, etc.
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Admittedly they will always get their tax from somewhere one way or another, but the Tories aren't saying that they're gonna reduce taxes on motorists etc. IMO they are saying that they won't make them any worse than they already are, while Labour is likely to, as well as increasing the number of scameras etc. Therefore the country won't really lose any tax revenue, and future increases could be found elsewhere...
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The only answer is reduce the need to commute, but no government wants to address this point.
The Tories gave grants to companies from all over the North West {and indeed the world} to re-locate to Trafford Park nr Manchester.
It was said to be the largest industrial estate in Europe. No train line / station, very few buses, almost everyone arrives by car instead of walking to the mill {now des' res' flats'} at the end of the street as they used to. The the Tory pink fluffy dice , with everyone car dependant, cranked up fuel tax, as they did interest rates when everyone had a mortgage.
Paying people more to work in London only adds to the problem. If you want to work in London, you should be paid less, as you block the roads and trains.
Pay peole more to live and work in run down inner city areas
Paul {Forest of Bowland}
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I always wonder why so many government agencies are located in Londom, there is absoloutely no benefit in it, they could save a lot of money by re-locating some (if not most) of the agencies to areas such as the North East where they will be able to work just as effectively but without the high costs of London.
But then that might help start to close the North-South divide and that could be disastorous, so no, maybe that's not such a good idea. :)
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Successive governments have created a dependency on personal transport - but now try to pretend that we're not!
The whole motor industry and customers are far too important to seriously upset - so in time honoured tradition levels of tax will rise - but not enough to cause a serious back-lash.
That applies whatever the colour of the rosette on the chimps that we elect.
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www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fmoney%...l
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A recognised measure of a country's living standards is infant mortality rate:
In 1960 Sweden had the lowest infant mortality rate in the world, the USA was ranked 11th.
In 1997 Sweden still 1st, USA now 27th.
Comparing incomes in different currencies is inaccurate due to fluctuating exchange rates.
Sweden "poorer" than any state in the USA ...... by what measurement?
140/160/240/260/740/760 Volvos make good banger racers and can be surprisingly fast in the right hands although unstable through the corners.
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The costs of providing services has not gone up much - the problem is the vast army of bureaucrats in place to supervise, manage and enforce daft regulations connected with the services.
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"But the "cost of running the country", i.e. price increases in existing services, has not risen by anything like the increase in taxation since 1997."
The existing services are only part of it Brian - it's like the NHS, the cost of existing treatments could stand still and it would still need more money each year - it's the fact that there are always new needs/services that causes the problem, not the cost of existing ones alone.
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Steve S
True, but see Armitage Shanks' reply.
The increase in bureaucracy that I have to deal with has increased enormously in the last few years: I am sending in monthly pension returns where none existed before; the government needs a quarterly stocks return; the Charity Commissioners are on my back; the Data Protection Act makes normal commerce difficult; and so on, and on, and on.
None of this army of regulators produces one extra widget. But the army of extra public relations people convinces the public that it's a good thing.
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Brian,
I'm with you all the way on the regulators and bureaucrats they are killing my business too, but politicians & these career bureaucrats are two aspects of the same thing.
I don't trust any of them - and at the beginning of this thread the talk was of "maybe we should give them (the tories) another chance".
I should co-co, this would be the same IDS that was part of the fuel tax escalator!!
Oh yes, President Blair & G. Brown didn't HAVE to stick with it - but of course he did, they couldn't resist. We are such an easy target. As we will remain for every govt.
But the fact remains that the UK public wants a lawful, civilised society with top rate transport & services - but they have no wish to pay tax.
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See F-F's link. The man speaks good sense. When will we learn?
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What a clever chap. Encouraging people to look at low tax as not only desirable but economically sound - hmmm, very convenient -did he sleep through the 1980's then?
Maybe we imagined the horrendous consumerist boom & bust that followed such nonsense.
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<<< >>
On the contrary it seems to me: the UK public wants all these things, pays all that tax and isn\'t getting them.
At the end of the day the ultimate overarching objective for any political party is to keep itself in power and the individuals in it nicely compensated. Government is somewhere lower down the agenda.
TGIF
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"But the fact remains that the UK public wants a lawful, civilised society with top rate transport & services - but they have no wish to pay tax.". Whatever 'we wish' we are paying tax and loads of it too! It is not being spent on what is collected for IMHO! We are all working for the Government. financially speaking, until some date in late May each year. Until then your pay is going to the Government; after that you are getting it. If we didn't have Domes, rubbish Government computer systems, over 1000 Quangos filled by political lap-dogs put out to grass in comfort etc the country would work quite well! Far too much control, and enforcement of poorly thought out regulations, committees, red tape, dotty regulations,focus groups, think tanks and peripheral dross!
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Two facts:
1) What we all suspected has now been officially proved. We pay more taxes than Germans whilst enduring worse public services than Poland. The Labour party mantra that the NHS is the envy of the world is now so hollow that it sticks in even President Blairs throat. To quote a German I spoke to recently, one year to see a specialist? it would be a national scandal in Germany if we had to wait one day!
2) Gordon Brown has never driven a car and does not hold a driving licence. He has moved from University on to a succession of public sector jobs all of which came with a car and driver. He has no idea of the real world or what people have to do to afford a car so that they can get to work and pay him taxes.
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"In order for the politician to become the master, he must first pose as the servant" -- Charles de Gaulle.
Seems as apposite as ever. You have your New Labour Gauleiters well into "Master" mode by now, while IDS is tuning up in the servants' quarters in the hope of getting some attention.
Plus ca change etc,,,,
Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.
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