Hello again and welcome to The Week, a little weekly write up about issues that have taken place last week, sprinkled with an opinion on events from me, because without opinions we are not much better than cattle. So, welcome. This week I’ve been reading about the tax dodging and the huge mudslinging from benefits to billionaires – so saddle up for a jog down to view where all the money is going.
As an average citizen of the United Kingdom, I am fairly versed in the unfairness and social stratification that so besets our great nation. Social levels exist in other countries I know, but they are not as stifling as you find in the UK. Unfortunately, hard work, sweat and graft don’t always lead to the millions and happy endings that we all secretly dream about. But at least you would think that as a developed country, everyone contributes to the best of their ability – it seems not! There is a huge difference between us – some from the top and the bottom of our society take what isn’t theirs, so let’s begin.
If you been following the national news of the United Kingdom you will know that this last week there was quite a heated debate in the House of Commons, where Miliband called out a known Tory Lord for tax dodging. He was using the old Swiss bank accounts trick and the fact that he doesn’t have a wage; it’s all profit which doesn’t flow through the W.K., yardie yarda. What was interesting about this was Lord (name withheld for possible legal reasons, cough Lord Fink, it’s Lord Fink, sorry throat still bad) so the lord in question, knowing full well that anything said in the commons is safe guarded from the law, as it is a place of true free speech, calls out Ed Miliband, the chap who possibly may be the country’s next prime minister, to demand an apology or he will sue him! This is a man who has already been tarnished with the corruption brush calling out a free citizen, and Member of Parliament. My point being here is where lies the power? If some jumped up banker thinks he has the right to sue an M.P. for speaking his mind then what is going on! What particularly amused me about this was that the next day Fink made a formal apology to Miliband because apparently a reporter pointed out to the Lord that there was evidence that he had dodged the system so Miliband was simply reporting fact, to which Fink comes out with “Well we all dodge the tax man a little!!!!” No Sir, we do not! The 64 million people in the country who are just hard working ordinary folk do not have the means to do so, the luxury of dodging the tax man and it is obscene that he assumes we ‘all do’.
This event got me thinking about money and why some do evade their responsibilities – greed is the obvious answer but there has to be more to it. I mean I know for a fact there are unfair discrepancies – a couple, each earning 25K each pay 20% tax although the family income is 50K yet one person earning 50K pays 40% tax., So how is that fair? The system is odd. I am not condoning footballers, CEO’s and doctors who earn over a 100,000 grand a year – losing 40K means they still have 60K in their pocket, that’s fair enough. If you are worth millions and millions then you will pay a lot of tax, but if you’re giving the tax man £240,000 a year in tax then you are earning around £600,000 a year so £360,000 in your pocket is perfectly lovely – hardly starving! The top echelons of earners earn so much that realistically that can live their good lives even if they pay all they should in tax, but instead they believe they can dodge and hide when there are people earning a quarter of what they give away in tax. People like Lord Fink should be put in jail for their greed and selfishness.
Saying that, I’m not going to only bash on the super rich, I also have some qualms with the bottom end of the income ladder – people on benefits, my own age, for no reason, I know there are lads and girls the same age as me or younger who are bringing in more money than me for doing nothing. They have free housing and, in their eyes, free money with which enables them to have a better social life than someone like me who is working! It makes no sense for these to have more for doing nothing than those who work, the worlds gone mad. If they are fit and able then they should be working, if not in employment then made to work where society needs tasks doing in return, it’s as simple as that. If they say they can’t work because they have babies to care for then I say we reintroduce ration books, just like we had after the war. Don’t give money, which in a lot of cases doesn’t get spent on the children anyway – give ration books so food and clothing can be obtained and a list of shops where they can use them. This way is fair; people don’t starve and they have sufficient clothes provided, they same would go for heating and lighting – they have everything they need to survive and live but no cash – so they wouldn’t be able to buy playstations and cars, the latest mobile phone – the benefits system was designed as a safety net because we are civilised society but it was never meant to be a way of life. I know I have described it in simplistic terms but that is the essence of how to solve our problems. Just so you all know, this is my idea so politicians’ best check with me on copyright and give me a bell if thinking of pinching it!
Anyhow – that it for this week, just a brief look at taxes and how the system in the United Kingdom is pretty broken but can ultimately be restored. I’m not too familiar with the other countries polices but I expect it would work in most developed nations that have a welfare system. I’ll say goodbye then, have a good week and see you next Sunday