In our last look at Gordon Brown's final budget let us see how he has failed the less well off. Gordon Brown tried to use the final few words of his final Budget to give himself a much needed image makeover.
Uncle Gord is hoping that the Great British Public will be taken in by his sleight-of-hand and forget how taxes have shot up in the last decade. During the last four years of sustained economic growth, disposable income in the average household has risen by just £9 a week.
The primary reason hard-working people have seen their disposable income rise by a pittance is that the state is taking a hugely bigger slice of the national economic cake than ever before. According to the OECD, the state now takes 42.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as compared with just 39.5% in 1997.
The difference between a paycheque and a handout
So how is it that Gordon Brown can announce that people are better off after eleven Budgets and ten years of Labour and yet average households are taking home no more than they were four years ago in real terms? How can both these statements be true?
The answer lies in the way Brown sees income. He sees no difference between income from a pay cheque and income from a handout. It doesn't matter to Gordon that one type of income is earned through personal effort and the other is welfare received regardless of personal effort.
This psychological flaw is why Brown regards it as efficient to reduce your income savagely through tax and then return some of it to you through the welfare state. All that matters to Gordon is that income rises in certain sections of society so that he can claim to have reduced poverty, he doesn't care where that income comes from. You might think this sounds laudable, but there are big problems with this approach.
Welfare dependency destroys the poor
The main problem with most of Gordon's handouts is that they harm the people they are intended to benefit. Welfare payments do increase incomes among the poor but they also take away the incentive for the poor to improve their own lives.
The only true way out of poverty is to increase income from paid employment. For the low paid this means working longer hours and/or getting some training to increase their chances of getting a higher paid job. For the unemployed getting out of poverty means actually getting a job.
The rewards for getting a job, or taking on more hours, or increasing your earning power through training should far outweigh the rewards for not doing those things. But that is not what happens in Britain today.
Paying people not to work
Because Brown can see no difference between standing on your own two feet and being a client of his welfare state, he pays tax credits to those not in work. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) could be worth as much as £5,500 a year to an unemployed parent of three children. You don't need to work to claim CTC, and you get more if you have three kids rather than one. Can you see what type of behaviour is rewarded by the CTC?
Add CTC to Child Benefit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Job Seekers' Allowance or Incapacity Benefit and you have a fully funded 100% work-free lifestyle. This is why 'social protection' cost the taxpayer £80 billion in 2005/6.
Of course, Brown also developed the Working Tax Credit (WTC). This is only payable to people in work and on low incomes. Making work pay for the low paid should be sound strategy. But you can't get the WTC until you are 25 years old and working 30 hours a week - unless you have a child, in which case you can get it at sixteen if you work 16 hours a week. Can you see what type of behaviour is rewarded by the WTC?
The big money for teenagers is in benefits… not work
All this means that for someone who leaves school with few qualifications, the big money is in benefits - not in work. That's why all the tosh in the Budget about tax cuts to reward work is just a scam. And why Gordon Brown will never achieve a lasting and genuine reduction in poverty.
The system he has created starts the young on benefits from sixteen years old (and soon will pay parents benefits for their unborn children). The system punishes the low paid for working by imposing marginal tax rates of as much as 70% as earnings increase, benefits are withdrawn and income tax and NI start to bite. Now Brown has removed the 10% band for income tax in this year's Budget the low paid will suffer even more for working.
So, the next time you hear Gordon Brown boast that he has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, remember this: in 2005, 1.4 million people who were not working claimed tax credits. These are the people that Gordon claims to have helped.
But these people have not been lifted out of poverty. They are not working. They have been given a handout. A handout that makes it far less likely that they will ever work their way out of poverty themselves. A handout that actually entrenches poverty for generation after generation as their children learn how the system punishes work and rewards unemployment and the concept of work being better than welfare recedes into family history.
So what do we think of the next Prime Minister?- A complete and utter tosser!
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:01:54
Showing posts with label gordon brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gordon brown. Show all posts
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The real facts about Brown's '2p off' Budget
In another look at Gordon Brown's budget there are some winners and losers.
Let's start with the facts. The only major change Brown announced that happens this year is higher road tax on gas guzzlers. Apparently the high levels of fuel duty these motorists pay on every gallon of petrol are not enough.
Duty on cars in band G (which includes not just the Range Rover but also the Ford Galaxy and Renault Espace) goes up from £210 to £300 in October, and up again to £400 in 2008.
That was the easy bit. Now for a complicated set of tax and National Insurance changes.
-The 'starting rate' of income tax of 10% is abolished from April 2008.
-The Upper Earnings Threshold for employees' 11% National Insurance contributions rises from £34,840 to £38,790 in 2008 and then to £43,000 in 2009.
-The starting point for higher rate tax at 40% is £34,600 for 2007-08 (up from £33,300) and will also rise to £43,000 in 2009.
-Those aged over 65 get a big rise in their personal allowance from £7,550 (2007-08) to £9,000 in 2008.
-The inheritance tax threshold rises from £300,000 (2007-08) to £312,000 and then £325,000 in 2009-10.
The winners and losers
So who are the winners and losers from this?
The biggest category of losers is single people earning under £18,500 who will pay more income tax because of the abolition of the 10% starting rate. Gordon's clunking fist hits the working poor hardest.
The biggest gainers are 65+ people with income from savings, thanks to the higher personal allowance and the fact that the 10% starting rate of tax will still apply to saving income.
The higher paid go through a win, lose, lose, win cycle. This year the Income Tax (IT) higher rate threshold rises more than the rate of inflation to £34,600 (win). But next year (08/09) the Upper Earnings Limit for NI rises by £3,900 which means you pay 10% of that, or £390 more, in NI (lose).
Then the following year (09/10) the UEL rises again to £43,000 so you pay even more in NI - in fact in that year you'll pay £900 more than you did in 2006-07 (lose). But if you earn over £43,000 you'll also be paying 20% tax instead of 40% tax on £8,160 of your income, saving you £1,680 in tax (win), off which you have to take the extra tax you pay because your first £2,250 of taxable income is now taxed at 20% instead of 10% (lose). Overall in 2008-09 it looks as if you'll be about £500 a year better off.
Cutting the pay of the working poor to increase benefits
The number-crunchers at the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) reckon that overall, about one-fifth of households lose (mostly poor), two-fifths are barely affected and one-fifth gain (mostly rich).
By 2009-10, the effect is to cut taxes by £13.2 billion and raise them by £10.7 billion, producing a net tax reduction of £2.4 billion - chickenfeed in the context of a total government tax take of over £550 billion.
Many of the people in the 'unaffected' category in the middle will only be unaffected if they claim their tax credits, since both Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit have been raised to compensate for the abolition of the 10% tax band.
Winner and losers from the Brown decade
Up to this Budget, Brown's tax and benefit measures (again according to the IFS) have reduced the incomes of the wealthiest 10% of the population by 6% and raised the incomes of the poorest tenth by 12%.
Someone earning £70,000 a year pays about £4,000 more tax; someone on £40,000 pays £1,800 more tax, while someone earning under £28,000 is about £1,400 a year better off. As a socialist, Gordon will probably consider that a satisfactory record, not to mention his obvious delight in using dozens of stealth taxes to prevent people working out how the money made its way from their wallets to the Treasury.
But the real Brown legacy is in the thousands of pages of tax legislation that have made our tax system the most complicated in Europe. In his final Budget, Brown removed the 10% tax band he himself created in 1998 and tried to portray himself as a tax reformer, which is barefaced hypocrisy on an epic scale.
Brown's system is destined for the scrap yard
When he became Chancellor, the seriously rich might have needed advisers to help them dodge tax, but middle Englanders and the poor could work out what they had to pay. But Brown has tinkered so much with his tax credits over the years that virtually nobody understands them.
Last year teams of advisers had to be sent out to explain tax allowances to poverty-threshold old age pensioners because they were incapable of working out what they were entitled to. His final Budget represents just one more piece of tinkering with an appallingly inefficient machine whose obvious destination is the scrapyard.
God help us when he is Prime Minister.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-31 04:18:50
Let's start with the facts. The only major change Brown announced that happens this year is higher road tax on gas guzzlers. Apparently the high levels of fuel duty these motorists pay on every gallon of petrol are not enough.
Duty on cars in band G (which includes not just the Range Rover but also the Ford Galaxy and Renault Espace) goes up from £210 to £300 in October, and up again to £400 in 2008.
That was the easy bit. Now for a complicated set of tax and National Insurance changes.
-The 'starting rate' of income tax of 10% is abolished from April 2008.
-The Upper Earnings Threshold for employees' 11% National Insurance contributions rises from £34,840 to £38,790 in 2008 and then to £43,000 in 2009.
-The starting point for higher rate tax at 40% is £34,600 for 2007-08 (up from £33,300) and will also rise to £43,000 in 2009.
-Those aged over 65 get a big rise in their personal allowance from £7,550 (2007-08) to £9,000 in 2008.
-The inheritance tax threshold rises from £300,000 (2007-08) to £312,000 and then £325,000 in 2009-10.
The winners and losers
So who are the winners and losers from this?
The biggest category of losers is single people earning under £18,500 who will pay more income tax because of the abolition of the 10% starting rate. Gordon's clunking fist hits the working poor hardest.
The biggest gainers are 65+ people with income from savings, thanks to the higher personal allowance and the fact that the 10% starting rate of tax will still apply to saving income.
The higher paid go through a win, lose, lose, win cycle. This year the Income Tax (IT) higher rate threshold rises more than the rate of inflation to £34,600 (win). But next year (08/09) the Upper Earnings Limit for NI rises by £3,900 which means you pay 10% of that, or £390 more, in NI (lose).
Then the following year (09/10) the UEL rises again to £43,000 so you pay even more in NI - in fact in that year you'll pay £900 more than you did in 2006-07 (lose). But if you earn over £43,000 you'll also be paying 20% tax instead of 40% tax on £8,160 of your income, saving you £1,680 in tax (win), off which you have to take the extra tax you pay because your first £2,250 of taxable income is now taxed at 20% instead of 10% (lose). Overall in 2008-09 it looks as if you'll be about £500 a year better off.
Cutting the pay of the working poor to increase benefits
The number-crunchers at the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) reckon that overall, about one-fifth of households lose (mostly poor), two-fifths are barely affected and one-fifth gain (mostly rich).
By 2009-10, the effect is to cut taxes by £13.2 billion and raise them by £10.7 billion, producing a net tax reduction of £2.4 billion - chickenfeed in the context of a total government tax take of over £550 billion.
Many of the people in the 'unaffected' category in the middle will only be unaffected if they claim their tax credits, since both Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit have been raised to compensate for the abolition of the 10% tax band.
Winner and losers from the Brown decade
Up to this Budget, Brown's tax and benefit measures (again according to the IFS) have reduced the incomes of the wealthiest 10% of the population by 6% and raised the incomes of the poorest tenth by 12%.
Someone earning £70,000 a year pays about £4,000 more tax; someone on £40,000 pays £1,800 more tax, while someone earning under £28,000 is about £1,400 a year better off. As a socialist, Gordon will probably consider that a satisfactory record, not to mention his obvious delight in using dozens of stealth taxes to prevent people working out how the money made its way from their wallets to the Treasury.
But the real Brown legacy is in the thousands of pages of tax legislation that have made our tax system the most complicated in Europe. In his final Budget, Brown removed the 10% tax band he himself created in 1998 and tried to portray himself as a tax reformer, which is barefaced hypocrisy on an epic scale.
Brown's system is destined for the scrap yard
When he became Chancellor, the seriously rich might have needed advisers to help them dodge tax, but middle Englanders and the poor could work out what they had to pay. But Brown has tinkered so much with his tax credits over the years that virtually nobody understands them.
Last year teams of advisers had to be sent out to explain tax allowances to poverty-threshold old age pensioners because they were incapable of working out what they were entitled to. His final Budget represents just one more piece of tinkering with an appallingly inefficient machine whose obvious destination is the scrapyard.
God help us when he is Prime Minister.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-31 04:18:50
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Brown's "Green" Budget Giveaway?
When there is nothing else worthwhile to write about over the next week I will look at Gordon Brown's budget and see how good or bad it really is.
As part of Gordon Brown's much-heralded 'Green Budget' he promised significant tax cuts for those who buy zero carbon homes- safe in the knowledge that practically no one will be able to take him up on the offer.
The chancellor continued the trend of promising much and delivering little when he said: "I… can confirm that until 2012 all new zero carbon homes up to half a million pounds will be exempt from stamp duty."
Well that's great news, isn't it? Certainly stamp duty is one of the most expensive outlays when buying, so it's a big incentive and he should be applauded for his generous and inspiring green initiatives.
Well, not quite. You see, there are less than 25 truly "zero carbon" homes in the UK at present (as the Treasury stated earlier), so your chances of actually gaining from this tax cut are minimal to say the least.
All it really does is allow Mr Brown to claim he is pushing forward wholeheartedly with initiatives that incentivise us to "go green" without it actually costing him a penny of his tax revenue hoard.
The problem with zero carbon housing is that, while possible, its still very difficult - and costly - to achieve. That fact was highlighted by Britain's first zero carbon community experiment, BedZed, which after four years of trying - and spending - has yet to achieve its goal.
And while there are a number of "green" homes available out there, none meet the criteria to qualify for the stamp duty exemption Gordon Brown is offering.
Zero carbon homes are possible, but the trade-offs in terms of cost or life style still make them a niche product.
So either be prepared to live in costly discomfort, or continue living as you are. I know which option I'm going to choose.
Basically, Gordon is 'premature' and 'half-hearted' on green issues. In fact he is a tosser.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-29 03:24:22
As part of Gordon Brown's much-heralded 'Green Budget' he promised significant tax cuts for those who buy zero carbon homes- safe in the knowledge that practically no one will be able to take him up on the offer.
The chancellor continued the trend of promising much and delivering little when he said: "I… can confirm that until 2012 all new zero carbon homes up to half a million pounds will be exempt from stamp duty."
Well that's great news, isn't it? Certainly stamp duty is one of the most expensive outlays when buying, so it's a big incentive and he should be applauded for his generous and inspiring green initiatives.
Well, not quite. You see, there are less than 25 truly "zero carbon" homes in the UK at present (as the Treasury stated earlier), so your chances of actually gaining from this tax cut are minimal to say the least.
All it really does is allow Mr Brown to claim he is pushing forward wholeheartedly with initiatives that incentivise us to "go green" without it actually costing him a penny of his tax revenue hoard.
The problem with zero carbon housing is that, while possible, its still very difficult - and costly - to achieve. That fact was highlighted by Britain's first zero carbon community experiment, BedZed, which after four years of trying - and spending - has yet to achieve its goal.
And while there are a number of "green" homes available out there, none meet the criteria to qualify for the stamp duty exemption Gordon Brown is offering.
Zero carbon homes are possible, but the trade-offs in terms of cost or life style still make them a niche product.
So either be prepared to live in costly discomfort, or continue living as you are. I know which option I'm going to choose.
Basically, Gordon is 'premature' and 'half-hearted' on green issues. In fact he is a tosser.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-29 03:24:22
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Country doesn't want Brown
Public faith in Gordon Brown as the next Prime Minister has slumped dramatically, a new opinion poll shows.
Less than one in three (30%) believes he would do a good job in 10 Downing Street, the Populus poll for the Times found - down 10 points since December.
And things did not look like picking up as the survey also found more than a quarter of voters thought Wednesday's Budget would mean them paying more tax.
It is the second post-Budget poll to produce such findings, despite Mr Brown's flourish in almost certainly his last Budget, of cutting basic rate income tax by 2p.
Mr Brown's credentials as Chancellor appeared to remain strong - with a majority (57%) backing his record in that job.
But voters - mainly the younger age groups - had deserted his cause as the successor to Tony Blair when the PM steps down later this year.
If you look at the current government and the shadow cabinet I cannot see anything that gives me confidence for the future. Therefore the only way out is to ensure that at the next election we as a nation vote out all members of the government and shadow cabinet. It is time to start again with a fresh new look.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-24 02:59:23
Less than one in three (30%) believes he would do a good job in 10 Downing Street, the Populus poll for the Times found - down 10 points since December.
And things did not look like picking up as the survey also found more than a quarter of voters thought Wednesday's Budget would mean them paying more tax.
It is the second post-Budget poll to produce such findings, despite Mr Brown's flourish in almost certainly his last Budget, of cutting basic rate income tax by 2p.
Mr Brown's credentials as Chancellor appeared to remain strong - with a majority (57%) backing his record in that job.
But voters - mainly the younger age groups - had deserted his cause as the successor to Tony Blair when the PM steps down later this year.
If you look at the current government and the shadow cabinet I cannot see anything that gives me confidence for the future. Therefore the only way out is to ensure that at the next election we as a nation vote out all members of the government and shadow cabinet. It is time to start again with a fresh new look.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-24 02:59:23
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Summary of Stalin Brown's Budget
Gordon Brown’s eleventh (and - we hope - final) Budget concentrated on the serious business of buying votes. I cannot be bothered to go into the nitty gritty but suffice to say this time it wasn’t Middle England he was targeting, because the 2% income tax cut is a typical Brownian fudge.
For most people, the cut in basic rate tax from 22% to 20% is a typical ‘give with one hand’ Brown manoeuvre, because removing the 10% ‘starting rate’ of income tax on the first £2,250 of income takes it away and more.
In fact, there are only a few small giveaways this year - just as well given the poor state of the public finances. The tax changes all happen in 2008. And they focus on one group that has definitely turned against Gordon Brown in the past two years. It's the Oldies that get the gold, if they live long enough!!
Gordon Brown’s last Budget is very like his first: lots of tinkering with tiny and irrelevant measures (a few tens of millions being trumpeted as an important initiative when the government spends £500 billion of our money!), a few big changes designed to win headlines but actually delivering no meaningful benefit, a few giveaways carefully targeted at those whose support the government needs, and a thick layer of Brown sauce over the whole lot so that only after scores of experts have spent weeks dissecting it will we really know what his Budget contained.
Anyone know a bent accountant?
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-22 11:21:32
For most people, the cut in basic rate tax from 22% to 20% is a typical ‘give with one hand’ Brown manoeuvre, because removing the 10% ‘starting rate’ of income tax on the first £2,250 of income takes it away and more.
In fact, there are only a few small giveaways this year - just as well given the poor state of the public finances. The tax changes all happen in 2008. And they focus on one group that has definitely turned against Gordon Brown in the past two years. It's the Oldies that get the gold, if they live long enough!!
Gordon Brown’s last Budget is very like his first: lots of tinkering with tiny and irrelevant measures (a few tens of millions being trumpeted as an important initiative when the government spends £500 billion of our money!), a few big changes designed to win headlines but actually delivering no meaningful benefit, a few giveaways carefully targeted at those whose support the government needs, and a thick layer of Brown sauce over the whole lot so that only after scores of experts have spent weeks dissecting it will we really know what his Budget contained.
Anyone know a bent accountant?
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-22 11:21:32
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Green Card for Brown Budget
The most obvious way to squeeze through yet more tax hikes in Wednesday's Budget is to play the green card. Mr Brown and David Cameron have recently been trying to gain the moral high ground on this topic. The electorate is almost certainly far more concerned about crime and education and a hundred and one other things, but with global warming the new religion, Brown will feel he can not go wrong.
Not that we need more taxes. The shadow chancellor George Osborne, reckons we've seen 99 tax hikes since 1997, and Mr Brown's on for the century and more on Wednesday.
But which green tax to go for? The latest suggestion is that 4x4s and sports cars will be attacked with higher road tax - having already hiked air passenger duty, which hits less well-off tourists more than the wealthy, he might be tempted to tackle the demon gas-guzzlers to show some semblance of equality. After all, only the well-off drive them and everyone else apparently hates the Chelsea tractor brigade, so it should be an easy grab.
Annual duty on the 225,000 least fuel efficient vehicles purchased brand new since last April, including most 4x4s and sports cars, is set to rise from £210 to more than £400 over the next two years, according to the Times and Sun.
But the move is unlikely to satisfy environmental campaigners, who have called for road tax of up to £2,000 for the worst polluters.
Dave Timms, economics campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said the Chancellor had to put climate change at the "heart" of the Budget, rather than merely "tinker in the margins".
"Mr Brown must come forward with a comprehensive package of measures that tax polluting activities, make it easier and cheaper for people to cut their carbon dioxide emissions and demonstrate that he is prepared to take this issue seriously."
Among other environmentally-friendly proposals believed to be mooted is offering incentives for energy-efficient products, possibly by cutting the rate of Vat on them.
However, those hoping for income tax concessions are likely to be disappointed, and Mr Brown is expected to maintain an iron grip on public spending.
Brown will undoubtedly be crowing about his economic forecasts. He looks on course to meet his public borrowing target of £37billion this year, which he will certainly be pleased about. But in reality, this is nothing to be proud of. Six years ago the Chancellor predicted public borrowing this year would be £12billion. That's a margin of error of more than 200%.
And don't forget about his golden rule which has been yanked and manipulated so much it should really be called the rubber band rule. He claims to have kept government spending to below 40% as a proportion of UK GDP, but if you add in all the off balance sheet items and public sector pension liabilities you could readily reach a figure as high as 80%".
It can only be a matter of time before the economy crashes and like a typical politicion he will escape just in time to leave his successor to deal with the mess.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-19 13:28:47
Not that we need more taxes. The shadow chancellor George Osborne, reckons we've seen 99 tax hikes since 1997, and Mr Brown's on for the century and more on Wednesday.
But which green tax to go for? The latest suggestion is that 4x4s and sports cars will be attacked with higher road tax - having already hiked air passenger duty, which hits less well-off tourists more than the wealthy, he might be tempted to tackle the demon gas-guzzlers to show some semblance of equality. After all, only the well-off drive them and everyone else apparently hates the Chelsea tractor brigade, so it should be an easy grab.
Annual duty on the 225,000 least fuel efficient vehicles purchased brand new since last April, including most 4x4s and sports cars, is set to rise from £210 to more than £400 over the next two years, according to the Times and Sun.
But the move is unlikely to satisfy environmental campaigners, who have called for road tax of up to £2,000 for the worst polluters.
Dave Timms, economics campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said the Chancellor had to put climate change at the "heart" of the Budget, rather than merely "tinker in the margins".
"Mr Brown must come forward with a comprehensive package of measures that tax polluting activities, make it easier and cheaper for people to cut their carbon dioxide emissions and demonstrate that he is prepared to take this issue seriously."
Among other environmentally-friendly proposals believed to be mooted is offering incentives for energy-efficient products, possibly by cutting the rate of Vat on them.
However, those hoping for income tax concessions are likely to be disappointed, and Mr Brown is expected to maintain an iron grip on public spending.
Brown will undoubtedly be crowing about his economic forecasts. He looks on course to meet his public borrowing target of £37billion this year, which he will certainly be pleased about. But in reality, this is nothing to be proud of. Six years ago the Chancellor predicted public borrowing this year would be £12billion. That's a margin of error of more than 200%.
And don't forget about his golden rule which has been yanked and manipulated so much it should really be called the rubber band rule. He claims to have kept government spending to below 40% as a proportion of UK GDP, but if you add in all the off balance sheet items and public sector pension liabilities you could readily reach a figure as high as 80%".
It can only be a matter of time before the economy crashes and like a typical politicion he will escape just in time to leave his successor to deal with the mess.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-19 13:28:47
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Who is the greenest of them all - part one
This week, political posturing over the environment seems to have reached fever pitch as the three main parties seek to convince voters of their green credentials.
Over the next three days I will attempt to cut through the bullsh*t and tell you.
Up today is the finger nail biting jock with a something strange happening to his mouth when he talks (perhaps he his trying to discard a chewed finger nail).
Gordon Brown and the Labour Party
Personal
Following the furore caused by Prime Minister Tony Blair's refusal to curb his flights in January, PM-in-waiting Gordon Brown has sought to distance himself from Blair's comments.
Brown believes that politicians should be setting a personal example and he is a keen advocate of composting, energy efficiency and home insulation.
The Chancellor has made a point of keeping his overseas leisure flights to a minimum, and has spent the last three summers holidaying in Scotland. Unfortunately on all three occassions he has come to back work.
All flights taken on Treasury business are offset. Meaning what I haven't a clue but it sounds trendy and I am using it myself especially to debt collectors.
If Gordon Brown does eventually make it into Number Ten, he will be inheriting a property that comes fully equipped with energy-efficient light-bulbs and a thermostat that has been turned down 1 degree Celcius. With all the hot air that circulates around Number Ten I would have expected closer to 7 degrees.
Political
Labour's draft climate change bill signals a commitment to reduce carbon emissions 60 per cent by the year 2050.
Despite pressure from opposition politicians and environmental groups, Labour have refused to review targets annually, preferring instead a series of five-year reviews.
Labour have also approved plans for new runways at Heathrow and Stansted, a decision which will inevitably impact on their or any party's ability to hit those all important 2050 targets.
The party is staunch in its support for a new generation of nuclear power stations, despite continuing opposition from its own back benches, and aims to produce 20 per cent of Britain's electricity from renewable resources (wind, wave, tidal) by 2020.
When it comes to green taxes, Gordon Brown has already made a start with a doubling of air passenger tax duty which came into force in February of this year. Labour have previously considered the idea of personal carbon allowances which would have an impact on how people fly, drive and use energy around the home, although for now at least, the idea has yet to make it to policy stage. However, road pricing, along with the roll-out of congestion charging in other major cities, is very much on the cards.
In a speech made to the Green Alliance earlier this week, Gordon Brown revealed plans to provide incentives for energy-efficient homes. He also said that Chancellors of the Exchequer will now count the carbon as they currently count the pounds.
But, when you consider that Labour's progress in hitting its emissions targets will be measured every five years while, thanks to Gordon, the Chancellor's Budget currently rolls around twice a year, this statement loses some of its impact. Well actually all of it.
Verdict
Tosser
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-15 15:51:54
Over the next three days I will attempt to cut through the bullsh*t and tell you.
Up today is the finger nail biting jock with a something strange happening to his mouth when he talks (perhaps he his trying to discard a chewed finger nail).
Gordon Brown and the Labour Party
Personal
Following the furore caused by Prime Minister Tony Blair's refusal to curb his flights in January, PM-in-waiting Gordon Brown has sought to distance himself from Blair's comments.
Brown believes that politicians should be setting a personal example and he is a keen advocate of composting, energy efficiency and home insulation.
The Chancellor has made a point of keeping his overseas leisure flights to a minimum, and has spent the last three summers holidaying in Scotland. Unfortunately on all three occassions he has come to back work.
All flights taken on Treasury business are offset. Meaning what I haven't a clue but it sounds trendy and I am using it myself especially to debt collectors.
If Gordon Brown does eventually make it into Number Ten, he will be inheriting a property that comes fully equipped with energy-efficient light-bulbs and a thermostat that has been turned down 1 degree Celcius. With all the hot air that circulates around Number Ten I would have expected closer to 7 degrees.
Political
Labour's draft climate change bill signals a commitment to reduce carbon emissions 60 per cent by the year 2050.
Despite pressure from opposition politicians and environmental groups, Labour have refused to review targets annually, preferring instead a series of five-year reviews.
Labour have also approved plans for new runways at Heathrow and Stansted, a decision which will inevitably impact on their or any party's ability to hit those all important 2050 targets.
The party is staunch in its support for a new generation of nuclear power stations, despite continuing opposition from its own back benches, and aims to produce 20 per cent of Britain's electricity from renewable resources (wind, wave, tidal) by 2020.
When it comes to green taxes, Gordon Brown has already made a start with a doubling of air passenger tax duty which came into force in February of this year. Labour have previously considered the idea of personal carbon allowances which would have an impact on how people fly, drive and use energy around the home, although for now at least, the idea has yet to make it to policy stage. However, road pricing, along with the roll-out of congestion charging in other major cities, is very much on the cards.
In a speech made to the Green Alliance earlier this week, Gordon Brown revealed plans to provide incentives for energy-efficient homes. He also said that Chancellors of the Exchequer will now count the carbon as they currently count the pounds.
But, when you consider that Labour's progress in hitting its emissions targets will be measured every five years while, thanks to Gordon, the Chancellor's Budget currently rolls around twice a year, this statement loses some of its impact. Well actually all of it.
Verdict
Tosser
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-15 15:51:54
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Brown will bankrupt the Country
When he first took on the job as chancellor the Tories had left £50 million in the bank. Now 10 years on the chancellor has lifted the tax burden to breaking point and the country is dangerously in the red according to the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF announced this warning after the level of taxes reached its highest since the mid-1980s and have urged the Chancellor to cut spending and to make "disciplined choices" in this summer's Comprehensive Spending Review.
Unfortunately, Brown is so arrogant that he will probably ignore the warning and carry on with his misguided policies. But further increases in taxes will drive businesses away and put more pressure on households.
The IMF warnings come less than two weeks after a YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph showed that Mr Brown was losing his reputation for economic competence and failing to convince voters that he would make a better prime minister than David Cameron. This is not good news only a fortnight before what is expected to be his final Budget as Chancellor.
The IMF also said there is a significant chance of a fall in house prices. And in a blow to hard-pressed households, it said interest rates may soon have to rise to 5.5 per cent.
The institution's annual survey of the British economy saved its biggest criticism for Mr Brown's tax-and-spend policies. It warned that Britain had witnessed the "most aggressive fiscal expansion of any G7 country".
It calculated that the tax-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio - a key measure of the tax burden - was now, at almost 38 per cent, the level it hit in the mid-1980s.
But critically, the report's authors warned that, with Mr Brown having raised taxes on North Sea producers and on air tickets over the past year, it could be damaging to the economy if he raised the burden further. They concluded that the only solution was for spending to be cut.
Without dramatic cuts Brown risks breaking IMF rules that limit the amount he can borrow. So no more to tax and spend, Brown's philosophy of the last decade.
If that wasn't bad enough the CBI said tax levels were now so high that Britain was losing its competitiveness.
A Treasury spokesman said: "As the IMF highlight in their statement, macro-economic performance in the UK remains impressive, while our openness and flexibility continue to position the United Kingdom to benefit from the opportunities of globalisation and absorb shocks.
"The economy has seen continuing economic growth, for a record 58 consecutive quarters, with low inflation and macro-economic stability, even in the face of high energy and commodity prices.
"The UK is meeting both its strict fiscal rules and will continue to do so, while allowing the automatic stabilisers to operate fully."
Would someone please translate that treasury statement and Gordon stop biting your finger nails.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-06 11:01:24
The IMF announced this warning after the level of taxes reached its highest since the mid-1980s and have urged the Chancellor to cut spending and to make "disciplined choices" in this summer's Comprehensive Spending Review.
Unfortunately, Brown is so arrogant that he will probably ignore the warning and carry on with his misguided policies. But further increases in taxes will drive businesses away and put more pressure on households.
The IMF warnings come less than two weeks after a YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph showed that Mr Brown was losing his reputation for economic competence and failing to convince voters that he would make a better prime minister than David Cameron. This is not good news only a fortnight before what is expected to be his final Budget as Chancellor.
The IMF also said there is a significant chance of a fall in house prices. And in a blow to hard-pressed households, it said interest rates may soon have to rise to 5.5 per cent.
The institution's annual survey of the British economy saved its biggest criticism for Mr Brown's tax-and-spend policies. It warned that Britain had witnessed the "most aggressive fiscal expansion of any G7 country".
It calculated that the tax-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio - a key measure of the tax burden - was now, at almost 38 per cent, the level it hit in the mid-1980s.
But critically, the report's authors warned that, with Mr Brown having raised taxes on North Sea producers and on air tickets over the past year, it could be damaging to the economy if he raised the burden further. They concluded that the only solution was for spending to be cut.
Without dramatic cuts Brown risks breaking IMF rules that limit the amount he can borrow. So no more to tax and spend, Brown's philosophy of the last decade.
If that wasn't bad enough the CBI said tax levels were now so high that Britain was losing its competitiveness.
A Treasury spokesman said: "As the IMF highlight in their statement, macro-economic performance in the UK remains impressive, while our openness and flexibility continue to position the United Kingdom to benefit from the opportunities of globalisation and absorb shocks.
"The economy has seen continuing economic growth, for a record 58 consecutive quarters, with low inflation and macro-economic stability, even in the face of high energy and commodity prices.
"The UK is meeting both its strict fiscal rules and will continue to do so, while allowing the automatic stabilisers to operate fully."
Would someone please translate that treasury statement and Gordon stop biting your finger nails.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-06 11:01:24
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