I do hope that this is just some sort of 'spin double bluff'. You know the tactic. Politicians will leak that something bad is going to happen but then don't actually carry it out, in the devious attempt to render the minions so relieved that they won't notice all the other cluster fucks that are flying around.
BTW, still waiting for my cast iron EU Referendum, Dave.
Anyhow, as Calling England rightly points out, "under EU rules the government can raise VAT as much as it likes and when it likes but to reduce it again it must have permission". Hmmm, I guess we shall soon see what the outcome will be but I can't help thinking I need to check if I have any vaseline to hand .... just in case I feel like I've been shafted.
Apologies if you were kind of expecting to see a Live Blog on the Budget today, I just haven't been able to get around to organising it. So please feel free to use this post as an open thread for all things budgety bollocks where you can rant and rave to your heart's wallet's content. Or sing it's praises perhaps ;-)
++UPDATE++ 17:40
So there you have it.
Budget over, no pain, no gain blah blah blah, no surprises.
One thing bothering the fuck out of me though.
Am I almost alone in the fact that we've been lied to about the VAT increase? Don't get me wrong, it's not the actual increase that's boiling my piss tonight, it's the U-fucking-turn by Cleggeron. I've only seen one other blogger, so far, that is fucking furious about it.
Why is that?
I can only assume that being lied to sits pretty comfortably with those that agree with the end result. So what the fucketty fuck happened to principles then? Fucked if I know.
10 comments:
Well, at least he's left booze and fags alone then - so that 's me happy, those
being the only pleasures i have in life!
Gildas the Monk
20% VAT might have one beefit initially, people may decide to save their money rather than spend it which, in turn, will mean less UK sales for manufacturers, which in turn will drive them to export. Exports help a companies growth.
He should have frozen ALL benefits for five years. Then when people on benefits see everyone with a pay rise it might encourage them to work rather than give all these tens of thousands of jobs to Eastern Europeans.
So if you're rich, young & healthy, with no dependent, it's not too-bad a budget.
I was really pissed off >:o when the VAT increase was first leaked, Gotty, but that was the whole point, methinks - it was leaked so long ago that we were conditioned to expect the inevitable rise - we even knew from the leaks that it was going to rise to 20% - so just this once people will swallow it as part of the cure for shitty Brownfinger's thirteen years of incompetence and profligacy. :(
Slurp! Puff! aahhhh! Slurp,. puff....aaaah!
Things in the cell better than they might have been....
Whatever horrid tortures come our way (and there will be many) at least I can have a fag and a couple of pints (of altar wine).
Matins will be hell, though.
Gildas the Monk
They lie like flatfish!, GOT, naturally!
"<span><span>Ampers</span> </span>
<span><span>20% VAT might have one beefit initially, people may decide to save their money rather than spend it which, in turn, will mean less UK sales for manufacturers, which in turn will drive them to export. Exports help a companies growth. </span></span>"
...I think that's the idea. To try and get people out of the habit of spending and into the habit of saving.
To my mind, high VAT and low (or no) income tax is appealing, because the public have some control over how much tax they want to pay. This only works when you've got variability in VAT rates (via duty for example).
I can't see any other reason why they would do it. They know it will get headlines, because it's easy for thicky tabloid trollpapers to digest; so the suggestion that it's drawing fire from some other tricky policies seems credible.
Interesting, isn't it?
Via various leaks about the levels of taxation and cuts we can all expect, the "real" budget then sounds like a toned-down version.
You might even think the powers-that-be used the leak system to soften up the electorate.
If you were a cynic....
As I'm a cynic, it's where I'm coming from.
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Just a reminder that, because the mono eyed fuckwit sold our souls to the EU, the government can raise VAT as much as it likes and whenever it likes BUT to reduce it again it must have permission from the EU.
That’s why I’m so fucking irate that the LibCons have gone back on their pre-election statements, about not raising VAT.
That’s why my piss is boiling.
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Frankly I didn't really notice when VAT went down to 15% for a while last year and don't suppose I will when it goes up t0 20% in January. Probably the result of my formatve years experiencing 15-25% annual inflation.
25% cost reduction across Ministries over 4 years? I don't think so.
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