Can you really blame them ?

[oldbluefox]

If you hammer the rich too much they have the funds and the wherewithal to up sticks and move abroad, taking their money and their taxes with them. It's a balancing act to keep them in this country, paying taxes. I am no financial expert but it is reckoned that by lowering their tax liability the government actually gets more revenue. Surely that is good. They are also closing many loopholes (which should have been plugged long ago!) such as offshore accounts whichhave been used by many to hide their assets.

On the issue of benefits to the disabled it seems a bit of a paradox that although we have experienced huge strides in medical science and can cure many diseases which were previously considered untreatable we now have more 'disabled' than ever before. I am all in favour of caring for the genuinely sick and vulnerable. However there are now so many malingerers who are swinging the 'disabled' lead the system is unsustainable. An example - my friend had a 3 pce suite to give away and offered it to somebody he knew who was 'hard up'. The husband, a giant of a man, could not work because he had a bad back. He arrived at my friend's house, lifted the 3 seater settee on his head and marched off almost half a mile to take it home. Registered disabled and couldn't work!!! They are an insult to those who are genuinely disabled.

BTW how refreshing to be able to have this kind of debate without getting personal. Thanks.

PS I'm no Tory either. I suppose you could call me a floating voter but I know who I wouldn't trust my dog with, let alone the country.

[Silver_Shiney]

With you all the way, OBF

[Kendhni]

OBF, I have never been 100% convinced of the argument that the rich would move abroad. In many respects many of them (personal and corporate) already do this with various actions to avoid tax in this country. I am also not convinced that some of the people we have at the top warrant the salaries they are receiving (especially in the celebrity and sports arenas). However there has to be a happy medium somewhere in between.

I believe the main concern is that if we tax or over regulate business too much then they will move overseas which takes the jobs and revenue away from the country .. ordinary working people. In many ways we only have ourselves to blame ... price is usually the one key factor when it comes to buying goods and therefore many companies have to manufacture abroad to supply product at the price the consumer will pay. One very controversial area of over regulation has been the abhorrent use of animals in product testing .. when Europe regulated against this it did not stop animal testing it simply moved many of the labs to countries that did not have such regulation.

I have always been in favour of closing many tax loopholes, but we have to be careful not to make silly claims about tax avoidance. Our tax allowance, ISAs, pensions and many other things are forms of tax avoidance and very much desirable for all, but the blatant manipulation of the system using various contribution schemes paying dividends should be stamped out.

The second thing I have often suggested is that boardroom payrises and benefits should not be allowed unless they are rippled throughout the company. If a director has earned his bonus then by definition so must the staff since the director could not have done it without the staff behind them. I also think that in these days of austerity there should be a cap on bonuses that they can not be more than 10% of basic salary (although there are commission based roles that should be excluded from this).

I agree with you about some/many claiming disability. I recently helped an uncle lay a patio .. he can not work because of a bad back... i was in a worse state at the end of the day than he was. Fortunately we do have access to the best medical cure for bad backs .. it is called an MRI scanner which can, in many cases, tell who is making it up and who isn't. The downside is that the MRI scanner caused an explosion in those claiming for less detectable ailments such as stress, depression, bi-polar, mental illness etc. (which is a disgrace to those that genuinely do suffer these sometimes crippling diseases).

Sadly, as you point out it is those people, and the gullible do-gooders that protect them, that deprive those in genuine need from a decent standard of living. There is only so much in the pot and once the malingerers have got their share there is less to go around. We should be embarrassed at the stat that 1-in-20 in this country claim some sort of disability benefit, that is not what it is for. I personally would love to see more money being found to allow people to become full-time carers for a period of time .. maybe one day we can aspire to that ... maybe that would be a good use of those on benefits, to help out more.


I also agree with you about the use of 'Tory', I think some people hurl it around in an attempt to be insulting which is somewhat of an infantile argument ... especially given the alternatives. Tory values seem to stem around 'personal responsibility' which to me is correct, it is your life, take control of it and stop whining and blaming everybody else (which seems to be Labour policy). What I can say is that I have never voted Conservative and it is unlikely I ever will.

[paultheeagle]

Oh dear....it appears that the Tories on here have taken offence at me calling them Tories.....I can assure you that I never meant to cause an upset and would like to apologise if you have been offended.

By the way...I have never voted Labour....In case you were wondering.

[Boris+]

Hi Graham,

I don't really know if the young couple should have been named in the national press - but when people are able to work then that is precisely what they should do - that's my opinion, but then I could be wrong I suppose.

Em (still shaking those boots and kippers!)