Latest VAT proposals

[Kizzy]

The latest suggestion for amending VAT is to reduce it to 15%... But have it on everything, including fresh foods and childrens clothing.
Do you think this is a good idea?
(sorry can't post links)

[Cherie]

:shocked: No it is not a good idea, people have to eat and children grow so there is no choice in whether or not to buy, whose insane idea is this. In all the debate about rising fuel costs never once has it been suggested that VAT be taken off bills, and now they want to add it to food as well, maybe it would be better if we just handed over all our salaries to them so they can award themselves even bigger pay rises, I think that would be best.:nono:

[Vicky.]

IMO we should only pay VAT on luxury items

[Kizzy]

It's 42 MPs including ministers called the 'free enterprise group, the proposal was made at the Institute of economic affairs. (IEA)
It would be political suicide... great! do it! :laugh:

[Nedusa]

Rich people decide more ways to take more money off poor people, and all the people just say how bad it is and then pay the extra tax.

Anybody see a pattern here ??

[arista]

Yes but its not going to happen

[Livia]

Just because it's being discussed doesn't mean it's going to happen.

[Kizzy]

The pasty tax was discussed and that didn't happen, I'm only posting what's being reported in the news...

[Cherie]

Just because it's being discussed doesn't mean it's going to happen.


The bedroom tax, Universal Credit, cuts to social care, cuts to Child Benefit were all discussed, dismissed as bonkers, and all happened..

[Cherie]

Yes but its not going to happen

Why waste taxpayers money even discussing it :shrug:

[Kizzy]

Other proposals were made, get this.. Raising the threshold for the highest rate of tax, freezing business rates for 3yrs, abolishing stamp duty on homes up to £500,000.
Getting rid of the ministry for justice and other government bodies as well as cutting education and health budgets by £7 billion.

[joeysteele]

This would be a really wrong move for me,no way would I support anyone who said they wanted to do this.

In fact I would be removing VAT from energy bills,I think it is near obscene that for things you 'need' like energy that any VAT is in place anyway.

[Kizzy]

Totally agree joey, god only knows what will happen next. They seem to be getting increasingly kamikaze as the election nears :(

[the truth]

VAT is pure evil. It is a tax to keep the poor poor. It stops ordinary joe growing his business beyond the VAT limits.....But The mega rich claim it all back so it doesn't affect them. the 50 million or so on normal incomes all pay vat on zillions of goods including fuel etc

It is the single worst thing that a government has ever done in this country....forget the poll tax march, we should all be marching to abolish vat permanently.

[joeysteele]

Totally agree joey, god only knows what will happen next. They seem to be getting increasingly kamikaze as the election nears :(

They know the next election is lost really.
These proposals will likely end up in the 'there are absolutely no plans to do them' box but like so many others surface if by some backward miracle they were to win the next or a future election, 'outright' that is.
Like the no plans to a full reform of the NHS for instance.

[the truth]

They know the next election is lost really.
These proposals will likely end up in the 'there are absolutely no plans to do them' box but like so many others surface if by some backward miracle they were to win the next or a future election, 'outright' that is.
Like the no plans to a full reform of the NHS for instance.

If they start sacking chief execs , scaling back middle management, rewarding troubleshooters and imprisoning the odd sick nurse, then the next election could possible be pulled from the fire

[Kizzy]

The latest proposal is to charge everyone £10 to see a doctor.

[the truth]

The latest proposal is to charge everyone £10 to see a doctor.

wheres that stated?

[Nedusa]

The latest proposal is to charge everyone £10 to see a doctor.

I heard about this proposal, a sort of medical congestion charge designed to make serial visitors to their GP think again.

It is estimated that over 25,000 GP appointments every year are unecessary and are made for non health reasons by people who are lonely or have other social problems.

The £10 charge per visit is thought may reduce the number of unnecessary appointments and reduce the burden on the NHS...!!!

[thesheriff443]

I heard about this proposal, a sort of medical congestion charge designed to make serial visitors to their GP think again.

It is estimated that over 25,000 GP appointments every year are unecessary and are made for non health reasons by people who are lonely or have other social problems.

The £10 charge per visit is thought may reduce the number of unnecessary appointments and reduce the burden on the NHS...!!!

or it may cost a genuine poor person who is ill their life because they cant afford it.

[user104658]

I heard about this proposal, a sort of medical congestion charge designed to make serial visitors to their GP think again.

It is estimated that over 25,000 GP appointments every year are unecessary and are made for non health reasons by people who are lonely or have other social problems.

The £10 charge per visit is thought may reduce the number of unnecessary appointments and reduce the burden on the NHS...!!!

Personally I'm not entirely againt discouraging visits to the GP and educating people on minor health issues instead, but it should only apply if the visit is deemed "unnecessary". People get a GP appointment for all sorts of things. Little skin irritation? To the GP! Little Timmy has a cough? Quick, he must need antibiotics, call the doctor!

... Most of the time these minor things can be cleared up by visiting a pharmacy and asking for advice (e.g. skin irritations and minor things like that) and also, people NEED to start being better educated on whether or not any treatment is required at all. I know people who cart their kids off to the doctor for every single sniffle. 99% of the time, it's just not necessary, let them veg out for a couple of days and it'll clear itself up!

However, applying it to chronically ill people and the elderly seems barbaric, as they genuinely NEED to see a medical professional often, sometimes weekly or more. Applying it there ... No.

Then again, I have no idea how it could be implemented "fairly" at all, so maybe best to just not implement any sort of charge and stick with basic health education for people. Most people are completely ignorant to how their own body works, and how to nurse minor ailments... Which is ridiculous, if you think about it.

[Kizzy]

I agree basic first aid should be taught, there are organisations like St Johns ambulance that run courses, it's encouraging people to go.
The loneliness issue is the most upsetting, these proposals will leave a lot of elderly people stranded, I hope there's a safety net for them?
There is the very valid poin sheriff made that some may just not have £10, and put off going ultimately costing the NHS more when they're rushed into A&E? Another downside is it puts doctors in a vulnerable position, if someone pays £10 they may feel they need something to show for it, being told their problem is a virus requiring no treatment may lead to aggressive behaviour?

[joeysteele]

If they start sacking chief execs , scaling back middle management, rewarding troubleshooters and imprisoning the odd sick nurse, then the next election could possible be pulled from the fire

They won't start sacking them, I have family who work in the NHS and they are mad at the almost untouched level there is as to such people.

No way will the Conservative party at the next election for sure, be seen as being able to be trusted with the NHS.
Also since the Lib Dems were against any further reforms of the NHS and had none in their manifesto but then supported around 75% of the reforms Cameron put forward, no way can they be trusted with it either.

It was the reason I couldn't support the Conservatives at the last election because I was concerned at what they would do with the NHS.
It is even moreso now, after David Cameron and Lansley lying about doing any full reforms of the NHS,one of a number now of 'certain' reasons why I would never put my vote alongside the Conservative candidates name.

[user104658]

I agree basic first aid should be taught, there are organisations like St Johns ambulance that run courses, it's encouraging people to go.
The loneliness issue is the most upsetting, these proposals will leave a lot of elderly people stranded, I hope there's a safety net for them?
There is the very valid poin sheriff made that some may just not have £10, and put off going ultimately costing the NHS more when they're rushed into A&E? Another downside is it puts doctors in a vulnerable position, if someone pays £10 they may feel they need something to show for it, being told their problem is a virus requiring no treatment may lead to aggressive behaviour?

To be fair, the fact that people feel the need to go to their GP just to have someone to talk to is completely tragic in itself. It's not concerning that it might be taken away as an option... it's concerning that there aren't better options available for people to begin with!

[the truth]

They won't start sacking them, I have family who work in the NHS and they are mad at the almost untouched level there is as to such people.

No way will the Conservative party at the next election for sure, be seen as being able to be trusted with the NHS.
Also since the Lib Dems were against any further reforms of the NHS and had none in their manifesto but then supported around 75% of the reforms Cameron put forward, no way can they be trusted with it either.

It was the reason I couldn't support the Conservatives at the last election because I was concerned at what they would do with the NHS.
It is even moreso now, after David Cameron and Lansley lying about doing any full reforms of the NHS,one of a number now of 'certain' reasons why I would never put my vote alongside the Conservative candidates name.

But labour brought in all this middle management and endless cover ups and labour left the NHS less trusted than ever

[joeysteele]

But labour brought in all this middle management and endless cover ups and labour left the NHS less trusted than ever

I enjoy reading your views and agree with and respect them a lot of the time the truth,on this though I don't really see it that way.
I was only 5 when Labour was elected in 1997 but I recall being told of an elderly relative and an elderly neighbour,(once I was in my teens), both of who were waiting for operations,one a knee operation and the other a cataract operation before 1997.
The knee operation had been needed for over a year and the cataract one for over 9 months.

I recall all my family who were involved with the NHS saying that in 1997 the NHS was on its knees and wards were closed because there were not enough Nurses to man them.

Despite all its faults and errors,(which unfortunately, while being unacceptable are very likely to occur because of the size of the NHS), that was not the case for the NHS by 2010, a lot needed to be done and will always need to be done as it is an evolving institution that needs to keep up with modern treatments and technology.

Now I see it in confusion, a disheartened workforce in the main and once more longer waiting times creeping in as to things like Knee operations and cataracts, things that usually affect the elderly,those being described as 'minor' conditions.

I personally don't accept that Labour left the NHS worse than when they took over in 1997, however already after less than 4 years of this Govt, it is far worse than it was in 2010 again now.

The full reforms,causing so many problems for Staff and Patients alike are a disaster and no one voted for the reforms either, both Cameron and Lansley stated there would be no full reform of the NHS.
The Lib Dems too had hardly any plans for the NHS really, they were in talks with Labour as to what new measures would be needed for the NHS before the 2010 election.

In 1997, the NHS was almost ready for a very cheap privatisation programme that was halted by the election of a Labour Govt.
Now we are almost there again and I for one,( and I know a great many others), will not listen to, or again believe, Cameron saying the NHS is safe in his hands after doing those reforms.
It is starting to look as if once again, the NHS is being set up for a cheap privatisation programme.

Everytime I hear Andy Burnham speak as to the NHS,I agree with everything he says so Labour gets my vote.
They will get that vote despite their failings too as to the NHS,however I can easily and more readily accept that they will do far more to nurture the NHS not bring it down like this Govt is doing.