Where some of our tax money goes

[DemolitionRed]

Why is so much of our tax money going to Iran, India, China and Zimbabwe?
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/626700/UK-foreign-aid-India-China-Zimbabwe-foreign-dictators-Tory-Government-cuts-Cameron

[kirklancaster]

I was aware of most of these 'donations' Demo Red, but not all, and not of this excellent article - Thank you for posting this link.

It is infuriating and wholly indefensible that for years, our 'government' has been quietly handing over hundreds of millions of pounds of the tax money of - often hard-pressed and struggling - UK citizens to these countries, at a time when this same government has made the most inhumane draconian cuts to the most basic of services in this country, and I am amazed and disappointed that this excellent post has hitherto received not one response on here?????

I would welcome some honourable MP - if such a creature does exist - to actually pose the same question in the Commons which you are asking on here.

[Cherie]

Austerity should begin with foreign aid cuts :clap2:

[arista]

Austerity should begin with foreign aid cuts :clap2:



Yes Cut them back
is the only way

[Kizzy]

There is no austerity, it's important to remember that when considering where our 0.7% of GDP is spent we were and continue to be a very wealthy nation.

'The Department for International Development's priorities for 2015 included helping nine million children into primary school, immunising more than 55 million children against preventable diseases, saving the lives of at least 250,000 newborn babies and encouraging global action on climate change. One recent example of spending was a grant of £724,500 to Medical Aid for Palestinians to deliver trauma support and plastic reconstructive surgery for many of those injured in the recent Gaza conflict. Another example was the £230m, thought to have risen higher in recent months, provided to help control the spread of Ebola.

Last year, the government said it had spent £900m from its foreign aid budget on helping some of the four million refugees who have fled Syria since the war began. The vast majority of them are in refugee camps in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and the need for humanitarian aid is constant. The funds have been spent on basic supplies such as water, food, medicine and shelter.'

http://www.theweek.co.uk/63394/how-big-is-britains-foreign-aid-budget-and-how-is-it-spent

[Cherie]

There is no austerity, it's important to remember that when considering where our 0.7% of GDP is spent we were and continue to be a very wealthy nation.

'The Department for International Development's priorities for 2015 included helping nine million children into primary school, immunising more than 55 million children against preventable diseases, saving the lives of at least 250,000 newborn babies and encouraging global action on climate change. One recent example of spending was a grant of £724,500 to Medical Aid for Palestinians to deliver trauma support and plastic reconstructive surgery for many of those injured in the recent Gaza conflict. Another example was the £230m, thought to have risen higher in recent months, provided to help control the spread of Ebola.

Last year, the government said it had spent £900m from its foreign aid budget on helping some of the four million refugees who have fled Syria since the war began. The vast majority of them are in refugee camps in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and the need for humanitarian aid is constant. The funds have been spent on basic supplies such as water, food, medicine and shelter.'

http://www.theweek.co.uk/63394/how-big-is-britains-foreign-aid-budget-and-how-is-it-spent

So the list of countries including China in the first article is incorrect?

[bots]

So we should for example, let children just die in other countries when giving aid to them can prevent it?

People in this country don't know the meaning of poverty and helplessness compared to those facing plight in other countries

[Cherie]

So we should for example, let children just die in other countries when giving aid to them can prevent it?

People in this country don't know the meaning of poverty and helplessness compared to those facing plight in other countries

Not saying that at all, the problem seems to be the money doesn't end up in the right hands, as an example why do we still need Comic Relief to raise money for malaria nets year on year on year in addition to foreign aid?

[Crimson Dynamo]

So we should for example, let children just die in other countries when giving aid to them can prevent it?

People in this country don't know the meaning of poverty and helplessness compared to those facing plight in other countries

Foreign aid is not to help poor people its to grease the wheels of commerce and industry

Its like sending a potential client or an existing client a Logo pen and pen holder

[DemolitionRed]

Glad you picked it up Kirk.

“It is very telling that the Indian government is spending quarter of a billion pounds on its space programme, almost the exact same figure that the UK gave India in 2014. Wasn't it Pranab Mukherjee the Indian PM who recently suggested Britain's foreign aid to India amounted to peanuts?
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/624087/Fury-British-aid-wealthy-India-279million

No wonder, even with all these cuts on the British people our deficit is still rising.

[DemolitionRed]

There is no austerity, it's important to remember that when considering where our 0.7% of GDP is spent we were and continue to be a very wealthy nation.

'The Department for International Development's priorities for 2015 included helping nine million children into primary school, immunising more than 55 million children against preventable diseases, saving the lives of at least 250,000 newborn babies and encouraging global action on climate change. One recent example of spending was a grant of £724,500 to Medical Aid for Palestinians to deliver trauma support and plastic reconstructive surgery for many of those injured in the recent Gaza conflict. Another example was the £230m, thought to have risen higher in recent months, provided to help control the spread of Ebola.

Last year, the government said it had spent £900m from its foreign aid budget on helping some of the four million refugees who have fled Syria since the war began. The vast majority of them are in refugee camps in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and the need for humanitarian aid is constant. The funds have been spent on basic supplies such as water, food, medicine and shelter.'

http://www.theweek.co.uk/63394/how-big-is-britains-foreign-aid-budget-and-how-is-it-spent

But then why are we giving India and China Billions ?

[DemolitionRed]

I am all for helping countries in need but of the huge amount of tax money leaving our shores, very little of it goes to Africa and Gaza. The largest chunks of that money are going to rising and buoyant economies.

[Crimson Dynamo]

I am all for helping countries in need but of the huge amount of tax money leaving our shores, very little of it goes to Africa and Gaza. The largest chunks of that money are going to rising and buoyant economies.

yes red because its to help trade not poor people

get contracts for UK business


The UK is not some benevolent charity who wants to help other countries, we want to get busines

[DemolitionRed]

yes red because its to help trade not poor people

get contracts for UK business


The UK is not some benevolent charity who wants to help other countries, we want to get busines

Yes exactly...you stroke my back and I'll stroke yours.
Now if that works all well and good but lets not allow our government to put a cloak over this 'gift aid' and have us all believe its just going to build wells in Sudan or jabs against measles in far away Africa. Few of us begrudge real aid, in fact a lot of us contribute to the foreign aid charities who constantly advertise for help, but when I hear my tax money has gone to build a wind farm for a chemical company in India, I want to know and understand why.

[kirklancaster]

So we should for example, let children just die in other countries when giving aid to them can prevent it?

People in this country don't know the meaning of poverty and helplessness compared to those facing plight in other countries

I did not interpret Demo Red's or Cherie's posts as meaning that though BOTS?

No one is advocating that we stop Foreign Aid, period, just that we ensure that not only is such aid specifically going to countries in GENUINE need, but also that it is GENUINELY used for the purposes it was intended for and NOT 'diverted' to sinister non-humanitarian projects once received.

I agree that the plight of the 'poor and needy' in a lot of other countries eclipses that of our own, but that fact does not mitigate nor lessen the very REAL hardship and suffering of our own poor, and to see hundreds of millions of pounds of UK taxpayers money being 'donated' to the countries which Demo Red SPECIFICALLY highlights, when it could be spent alleviating the suffering of our own poor and needy, enrages me, quite frankly.

[kirklancaster]

Yes exactly...you stroke my back and I'll stroke yours.
Now if that works all well and good but lets not allow our government to put a cloak over this 'gift aid' and have us all believe its just going to build wells in Sudan or jabs against measles in far away Africa. Few of us begrudge real aid, in fact a lot of us contribute to the foreign aid charities who constantly advertise for help, but when I hear my tax money has gone to build a wind farm for a chemical company in India, I want to know and understand why.

Totally agree.

[Cherie]

It's just the same with benefits isn't it, if you dare question why someone can have 8 kids at the tax payers expense you are shouted down as being some heartless human being, and the point that you are making about the woman with 8 kids diverting resources away from those who genuinely find themselves in need and not made a conscious life style choice is lost in the shouting. :joker:

[billy123]

These people who make decisions about who aid is sent to need to be held accountable to who receives it and why.
Im not against spending 0.7% on aid for those that need it but the people making these decisions are the same people that throw around bombs in the middle east costing £1 million pounds each like they are confetti.

Im so bored of the faux outrage whipped up by people who believe everything they see on the idiot box and in the papers when the real crimes are the murderers profiting from war,arms deals,Tax dodging and selling off of publicly owned services to their buddies who donate.
Benefit fraud is not even a drop in the ocean compared to the mass fraud being carried out in plain sight and yet its all we hear about.

[bots]

Not saying that at all, the problem seems to be the money doesn't end up in the right hands, as an example why do we still need Comic Relief to raise money for malaria nets year on year on year in addition to foreign aid?

Most charities are a scam. Those that are genuine face the difficulties that live aid did in the 80's. Great intentions, but corruption at every step so that the aid has disappeared to nothing by the time it gets to those that really need it.

If a countries government is responsible for its peoples plight, I don't think we should be providing aid because we are helping perpetuate that government, not help its people. But then, we still end up with starving/dying people, so its really hard to say no to providing aid when its desperately and urgently needed

[DemolitionRed]

Most charities are a scam. Those that are genuine face the difficulties that live aid did in the 80's. Great intentions, but corruption at every step so that the aid has disappeared to nothing by the time it gets to those that really need it.

If a countries government is responsible for its peoples plight, I don't think we should be providing aid because we are helping perpetuate that government, not help its people. But then, we still end up with starving/dying people, so its really hard to say no to providing aid when its desperately and urgently needed

The road of misery for millions of Ethiopians is being paved with the good intentions but misguided or ill-planned or just plain irresponsible execution — of Live Aid and its spin-offs. Anyone who donates to Live Aid should read this http://www.spin.com/featured/live-aid-the-terrible-truth-ethiopia-bob-geldof-feature/

[Kizzy]

This isn't charity, it's business. Maybe it's recompense for our colonial past who knows. If you aid countries there is more trade, it can't be us and them forevermore.

[Cherie]

This isn't charity, it's business. Maybe it's recompense for our colonial past who knows. If you aid countries there is more trade, it can't be us and them forevermore.

I don't see any aid going to a Ireland, if any country deserves recompense for past misdemeanours if we are going down that route :fan:

I know it's not charity but if the money was spent properly the charities could shut up shop!

[Marsh.]

I don't see any aid going to a Ireland, if any country deserves recompense for past misdemeanours if we are going down that route :fan:

I know it's not charity but if the money was spent properly the charities could shut up shop!

Niamh deserves nothing from us. :suspect:

[Cherie]

Niamh deserves nothing from us. :suspect:

True

[Vicky.]

Everyone should stop sending cash tbh, and build wells and such or set up some foodbanks for the normal people.

[Kizzy]

I don't see any aid going to a Ireland, if any country deserves recompense for past misdemeanours if we are going down that route :fan:

I know it's not charity but if the money was spent properly the charities could shut up shop!

Hey, we've got Graham Norton...We're quits! ;)

[Marsh.]

Everyone should stop sending cash tbh, and build wells and such or set up some foodbanks for the normal people.

Dig your own bloody well. :fist:

[JoshBB]

Reading through some of this, you have to remember that the Daily Express is outspokenly UKIP, so let's not pretend this is a completely unbiased story. Nonetheless, I think that some of the foreign aid budget should be diverted to places who actually need it - for example countries that can afford space programs before feeding their citizens need to be sat down in a room and talked to. It's not fair that we pick up the pieces, however having said that we cannot just let the poor children starve. The money should be diverted, if possible, to helping out the syrian refugees & homeless in the UK too.

It may also be worth noting that we don't have to choose between Syrians and Brits. By raising taxes, you could easily raise the funds to help both. Or even just cracking down on tax avoidance would do the trick.