The UK Budget

[tonyp]

I thinks its time we had a vote, messrs McBrown, McDarling, McBrowne, McGorbals Mick et al please.

[Guest Steve L]

My suggestion is sell the cars you own and Contract Hire them in future. Then the Leasing companies take the hit.

Kimbers

Surely the leasing companies just put up their prices ?

[Jonathan]

Don't you start matey!

I tell you what, this country would be a lot happier without all those people

that bang on about "I'm getting out, I'm moving to another country, this one

is sh1t now, etc, etc, etc...".

DO IT PLEASE! Then the rest of us won't be made as miserable as you are by

having to listen to this crap for years and years with no action. 'Oh, when the

kids are older i mean', absolute bollox. The people that actually mean that stuff

just up and go, the people that don't just bang on about it so much they believe

that they can hold it up like some trump card 'i don't care, i'm going', over and

over again, for years. Just go, or shut up, people like this are two a penny, we

all know a few, family already over 'there', you know 'my brother in law can get

me a job soon as we get there' etc, etc. PLEASE. PLEASE. LEAVE FFS, Rather that

pop up every budget with the same song.

It's like scottish/welsh folk. Love their country but spend a lifetime living in england

complaining they are not in scotland or wales and how much better it is. Why?

Haha, just about right.

[red vtec]

Don't you start matey!

I tell you what, this country would be a lot happier without all those people

that bang on about "I'm getting out, I'm moving to another country, this one

is sh1t now, etc, etc, etc...".

DO IT PLEASE! Then the rest of us won't be made as miserable as you are by

having to listen to this crap for years and years with no action. 'Oh, when the

kids are older i mean', absolute bollox. The people that actually mean that stuff

just up and go, the people that don't just bang on about it so much they believe

that they can hold it up like some trump card 'i don't care, i'm going', over and

over again, for years. Just go, or shut up, people like this are two a penny, we

all know a few, family already over 'there', you know 'my brother in law can get

me a job soon as we get there' etc, etc. PLEASE. PLEASE. LEAVE FFS, Rather that

pop up every budget with the same song.

It's like scottish/welsh folk. Love their country but spend a lifetime living in england

complaining they are not in scotland or wales and how much better it is. Why?

Yawn...

yes but why should I have to leave the country I was born in?

[Paul C]

yes but why should I have to leave the country I was born in?

I don't know mate, why do you want to leave? Do what makes you happy.

[Fred Basset]

Guys, re the VED you might like to sign up to this.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/UNFAIR-VED/

I can only agree with the many comments here, my take on it is that this government is buying votes. It is Scotland and Wales which largely keep them in power so more and more things are free there and cost money in England. The immigration problem is caused because it is in Labours interest to have many people in the country on or near the breadline. There is a healthy benefits system to ensure there are plenty of needy people willing to vote them in.

So many things are going on which are not acceptable in this country but how about this, one of our neighbours is a nurse, as we know they are poorly paid. She is forced though to pay

[Funkyyellowgibbon]

No one pays list price for the sort of cars this govt are attacking (apart from very limited exotica), so no doubt the dealers will reduce the forecourt price by the cost of the tax anyway, even before the haggling and negotiations begin. Incidentally, if I cover 5k per annum in my car and a Prius does 20 odd thousand , isn't the latter more polluting. If thats the case, the tax should be based on mileage!

[Bibs]

Nice to know where some of our hard earned goes!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7295066.stm

[mayevora]

Nice to know where some of our hard earned goes!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7295066.stm

I'm doing it again! Why am I reading this! Getting more anoyed the more I read.

Edited March 13, 2008 by mayesprit

[Tentenths]

Yet more bad news hidden away in the Budget small print. Additional

[Jonathan]

Nice to know where some of our hard earned goes!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7295066.stm

That is great news, just seen it on the TV tonight.

Cleggy has the right idea as well, good egg.

They've got away with this rubbish for too long, looking into our business for too long, telling us what to do for too long - now the shoe is on the other foot they're crapping it.

EVERYONE else has to be accountable so should MP's esp. in this world of tight purse strings eh ?

[Bibs]

An MP I know sent his son to Wales to pick up a letter some time ago, via first class train.

[Phil_B]

A certain level of waste can be good.

Let me explain.

I work (hypothetically - just in case) at a place where, in years gone by,

Edited March 14, 2008 by Phil_B

[arbell9]

Kimbers:

Who decides car residuals? Car dealers or the customers who buy off forecourts/privately?

If the car industry publicises residuals will fall it becomes a self fulfilling policy? Or am I missing something?

Oh and on the budget. my mum and dad have two low income pensions less than 17K combined, they dont qualify for any tax credits and the loss of the 10p tax rate has just made them worse off, add the insult of more expensive booze( one of their few luxuries), above inflation hikes in gas , elec, fuel , water, council tax and they are really down on their disposable income. Their car is ready for renewing soon and to buy and run one will cost more. Between them they have paid over 70 years worth of tax and NI and they get right royally screwed by this lot.

Anybody who believes this budget is helping the poorer in our society is off their rocker.

This current crop off politicians in power stink.

[Kimbers]

Car residual values are set by the guides. Mainly CAP, but occasionally Glasses.

CAP is put together with information from the Auctions and in consultation with Market Groups (AA etc), Glasses is set from Dealer values.

We use CAP because it's more realistic (Glasses is always more expensive).

The issue here is that they do drive the market. If CAP says residuals will drop 8% because of the new tax and Co2 Legislation then you can guarantee that it will happen. There are some instances where it doesn't happen when they say it will and then they adjust the values the following month. Classic Case is the outgoing Accord. They marked it for a substantial drop when the new one was announced. Now it's here, and the new one is substantially more expensive, people still want the old one for value for money so the realistic drop in residuals was actually only about half of what they thought, residuals went up this month.

In relation to my "Sell your cars and Contract Hire" comment. Yes, Contract Hire will eventually go up. But not till next year when the showroom tax is enforced. So sell now, Contract for 2 years and then buy new/secondhand after that. Sell at 8% above next years value, buy back in 2 years time at 8% under this years value, benefit from todays Contract Hire rates.

[Mario]

So it's 10% raise on alcohol, then 2% over inflation for the next 4 years. Increase in Road tax on any car over 130g/km Co2...thats 97% of cars at present. A Huge increase in car tax for over 200g/km Co2, Road pricing IS coming in by 2012, Cigerettes up 20%.......

So where's the decrease on our tax burden?

Sorry am so angry I'm speechless for the first time in years.

Luckily you in Britain don't have the communists at home

[Autocross7]

What is interesting to me as an oustider (not from the UK) is how similar the issues and problems are in the UK compared to the USA. It is almost as if there IS a conspiracy somehow... trouble is that a conspiracy takes a high level of "smarts", and I have not really been impressed with the level of "smarts" displayed by the politicians or business leaders as a whole in either country...

Cameron

[USAndretti42]

Regarding the plastic bags thing, I was reading an article in the USA Today newspaper this evening. It says that Ireland started taxing plastic bags in 2002 and China is introducing a ban on plastic bags in June 1st. A Massachusetts senator is introducing a bill that would charge consumers 240% cents per bag increasing to 15 cents over 7 years. Connecticutt is pushing to introduce fines for retailers who do not use recyclable bags. Maryland is working on a ban on plastic bags in all grocery stores. Reno, Nevada is also looking to ban them as San Francisco already has.

BUT the American Chemistry Council says that plastic bags require at least 40% les energy to make than paper and produce less than half the greenhouse gases while they can be recycled inot construction materials, decking or more bags.

Not a simple subject. More sensible is to take New York and California' leads to require the recycling of the bags.

Seems that paper bags should be discouraged to me.

[stephenbirdsall]

What is interesting to me as an oustider (not from the UK) is how similar the issues and problems are in the UK compared to the USA. It is almost as if there IS a conspiracy somehow... trouble is that a conspiracy takes a high level of "smarts", and I have not really been impressed with the level of "smarts" displayed by the politicians or business leaders as a whole in either country...

Cameron

Conspiracy theory contends that the people behind our leaders (the real leaders if you like) are smart enough to stay out of the public view and to allow our elected MPs to 'run' the country on our behalf.

They feed our elected leaders just enough information to get them to jump in the right direction which allows them to stay nicely in the background.

Of course, I don't actually believe of this, but....

[ajheath]

Regarding the plastic bags thing, I was reading an article in the USA Today newspaper this evening. It says that Ireland started taxing plastic bags in 2002 and China is introducing a ban on plastic bags in June 1st. A Massachusetts senator is introducing a bill that would charge consumers 240% cents per bag increasing to 15 cents over 7 years. Connecticutt is pushing to introduce fines for retailers who do not use recyclable bags. Maryland is working on a ban on plastic bags in all grocery stores. Reno, Nevada is also looking to ban them as San Francisco already has.

BUT the American Chemistry Council says that plastic bags require at least 40% les energy to make than paper and produce less than half the greenhouse gases while they can be recycled inot construction materials, decking or more bags.

Not a simple subject. More sensible is to take New York and California' leads to require the recycling of the bags.

Seems that paper bags should be discouraged to me.

Not to mention they are made from trees, and I'm sure it's not far off for cutting them down to be a capitol offence

I have the answer. All supermarkets should have cookers, so when you have purchased your food you cook it and eat it in store, so no bags required, and also no fridges at home so another enviromental saving. Right thats the planet saved what shall I do next, Oh I know world peace. Everybody calm down. This is easy I don't know what all the fuss is about.