The Pre-budget Report
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8402769.stm

It'll be interesting to see just how tough he gets with those pesky bankers, you know, the ones who until about 18 months ago used to be his best mates paying vast sums into the coffers by way of tax...

A bonus tax sounds tough on face value, just the sort of thing the public ought to lap up with glee. Will it work though? Might it all just be avoided by providing 'bonuses' in another form or just deferring them?.. How about a nice fat tax on bank profits? Hang on a minute, HMG owns a nice fat chunk of some of the biggest banks so they'll just be taxing themselves won't they?... :confused:

Does any of this matter to Darling or is all this tough talk really just gesture politics designed to con a few people into voting for them?...

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

It's all rather meaningless and amounts to nothing more than toothless drivel on the part of Darling and Brown.

As you've already pointed out - any bonuses will be either deferred or offset against shares.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

They're shafted really whatever they do, so they've got to try and hide from reality until after the Election.

Since NuLaber havn't actually created many real jobs outside of the public sector there are few actual wealth-creating areas they can target for cash grabs.

Probably the only way they can save any real money will be harsh cuts to public spending. That will hardly go down well with all the voters they bought via vastly-expanded public employment.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Nulabour have painted themselves into a corner this time round.

They normal get the country into debt then hand the poisoned chalice to the Conservatives to sort out with "painfull taxes and reduced public spending", which then set the stage for another Nulabour return to power.

But they shot their bolt too early this time, so have to try to sort something out with minor tinkering and pandering to public opinion, which will not sort out the vast ammount of debts they want to leave in the lap of the Conservatives.

VAT to 20% I reckon, plus perhaps other rates of VAT for certain things (as per the EU model).

The usual suspects (tobabcoo, alcohol, fuel) will also get a hammering too.

They're setting the stage for the General Election, so it all depends on smoke and mirrors this autumn....

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Minor tinkering? - I think they need s 9lb lump hammer to try and sort this out!:)

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Bingo Tax down, NI up... sounds like tinkering to me.

The Old Boiler Scrappage Scheme sounds interesting... I wonder how much I'll get if I trade in my missus for a new model?

;)

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

:rofl: I wonder how long before Harman cracks down on any sexist connotations..

Another pre-election fudge. I swear Darling makes it up as he goes along. He dodges all the really difficult questions/issues and claims now is not the time for tough action to get the debt under control due to the state of the 'recovery'. Does anyone out there really believe that guff?

Even the much heralded crack down on bankers bonuses, it's a one off, there's no detail and apparently no provision to enforce it or tackle avoidance. If this tax is so essential and these bonuses so unfair why hasn't he done the job properly and announced measures to control bank bonuses for the foreseeable future? If the banks defer their bonuses they won't pay any tax and Darling won't rake in any revenue so how does that a) help the poor old taxpayer and b) punish the greedy bankers?

According to Vince Cable, none of the money being raised by the measures he's announced are going to be used to pay off debt. I wonder why?... :confused: Do you think Darling's idea is that he won't cross that bridge until after the election maybe?....

This is all just a cynical political stunt to try to give the impression that he and his cronies care and are in control when it's patently obvious that they haven't got a clue and are largely responsible for the mess we now found ourselves in.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

If politicians in this country had any balls, they would stick the boot into bankers bonuses the same way congress did in the us.... If financial institutions want to pay rediculious bonuses for short-term gain, then follow the yanks lead and hit them for 85% tax on bonus payments....

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8402769.stm

Winter of Discontent 2.0?

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

According to this that hasn't happened though:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...ks-pay-bonuses

Not exactly swingeing cuts.....

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Is my connection over VM cable going to be classed as a fixed line for tax purposes?

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

I would assume so.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

we dont use phone lines for BB and our fiber network was all privately funded years ago ,so i for one wont be paying a bean to the treasury without a dam good fight.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8402769.stm

Pre-Budget report sees Darling raise National Insurance

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

No, the levy is for business lines, I believe.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

I thought that the new broadband tax applied to VM phone's too after reading this a while back.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4...e-widened.html

So we're raising the money for private firms to improve the infrastructure?

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

I wonder how many will abandon their landline and go completely mobile? :erm:

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Less than might like to I'd reckon. Seeing as everyone off-net (VM etc) needs a fixed line for their internetz then they are stuffed....

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Hopefully this discussion is academic as:-

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Wow. A saving of 6 squid a year. That's 20 fags, or 2.5 pints of quality lager...

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Is this what Darling 'forgot' to spell out while he was so busy electioneering I wonder...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8406670.stm

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Well according to the Beeb, it appears good old listening, prudent, honest, straught-talking Gordon Brown is so worried about saving his posterior so close to an election that he overruled 'tougher' action to tackle the defecit..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8407318.stm

Surprise, surprise......... :rolleyes:

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Its all just window dressing, the steps that is designed to do one thing. To try and make sure that the next election results in a hung parliament. Labour have already lost and they know it, this is damage limitation.

_IF_ they had announced the economic steps that would be required to get us out of the huge pile of brown stuff they've got us into they would be handing the next parliament to the Tory's on a silver plate.

Swindling high taxes and budget cuts all over to try and get the deficit down are what is realistically what's going to be needed, and after the next election, that is what's going to happen, the govt wont have any choice.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

And already the broadband tax widens it's scope for collecting charges

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/11/broadband_tax/

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Lets face it, if these barsteward politicians could, they'd tax us breathing air....

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

Shhhh EoB they'll hear you from their belltowers and switched homes ;)

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

I think that many will see the PBR as the final straw.

Voters will decide that if Brown wants this budget to protect his interests more than ours then voters need to vote in their interests which means no New Labour.

This PBR hasn't so much protected New Labour but confirmed in the eyes of the voters that it needs to go.

Cameron, if he gets in, needs to learn the lessons that Labour failed to learn i.e. that the people want an efficient, effective, caring government that acts with openness, honesty, integrity and sensitivity.

Politicians need to think policies through carefully to ensure that they do not conflict or lead to unpredicted adverse outcomes. Errors need to be eliminated at the planning stage not when the policy is being implemented. With this government we have had too much political self-centredness which has adversely affected the logical process.

May I take this opportunity, despite the economic climate, to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous New Year.

Re: The Pre-budget Report
 

However when it is part of Labours other taxes and money grabs it all adds up.