Monday 2 July 2012

Gently Tax Havens & EU Debt Adverts


The Channel Islands are saying they may want to go it alone and break completely from the UK (not that they're actually part of the UK anyway). 

It's a bit much really when the UK government facilitates off-shore tax havens, arguing that they bring much-needed liquidity to the economy (the banks in particular), and then bleats when British people actually use them to legitimately avoid having to pay tax. Kind of smacks of hypocrisy. Either you have tax havens and accept the consequences, or you don't. You can't have it both ways.

I was amused the other day by an advert on TV for instant loans. Buggered if I can remember the name of the outfit, but they specialise in giving loans to those who have been turned down by traditional lenders. One voice-over said: "Everyone else had turned me down." The reason for that is because the daft cow can't afford a loan in the first place and is probably up to her eyes in debt already.

If I wash my hair in Head & Shoulders Active Sport, will I become an Olympic athlete? Give me strength - these advertisers must think we're as gullible as insolvent people who want a loan, or Eurocrats.

Actor Stephen Mangan has admitted he is "bitterly upset" at the BBC's decision to drop the Dirk Gently series. The BBC said last month that the Douglas Adams-inspired show on BBC4 had not been recommissioned due to the freeze on the licence fee. I thought it wasn't recommissioned because it was shit, no-one watched it and it bore as much resemblance to the Douglas Adams stories as a James Joyce book bears to a good read.

Cameron has said there's a case for a vote on EU membership, but not until we knew where it was headed. I'd have thought that was patently obvious to anyone with half a brain; hell in an idealistic handcart - or rather, gravytrain!

In the meantime, what I want to know is where my Olympic bonus is?


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Payday loan places here in US are continually under attack mostly from ultra liberal folks who think that they're taking advantage of poor people by having these overly complicated things called "contracts". Which of course equates being poor with being stupid which is something they accuse the conservatives of saying all the time (that poor people are stupid). I figure that if anyone wants to sign a contract that charges 25-30% interest compounded daily until repaid, then they are within their right to do so. And people do it -those companies flourish here. But the liberal hippies keep telling us nobody would ever be that daft so they blame the companies for tricking people into signing the contract.

Chairman Bill said...

Anon - the companies are to blame, as when the debt can't be repaid, the government has to step in to prevent everyone's money going up the spout. Witness the global crunch which started in the US with bad mortgages that should never have been granted.

Never again, I say.

Paula RC said...

Years ago, I said Council House were for people who couldn't afford to buy their own home... so what does the government do but sell off the housing that were for the poor. Lots of people made lots of money from it then the market crashed, and lots people lost their homes and the council couldn't afford to build more housing for the poor. Now we have a shortage of affordable houses and lots of houses which are not affordable for most people. Everyone seems to expect to have rights to everything without having to work of it which is why this companies make money for payday loans etc. Throughout my life I have worked in low paying jobs, but I have paid my way through life by going without, or paying off one loan before starting the next. Yes, I guess I've been lucky, but I was a single parent at one time, but I worked and not took handouts or expected other to pay for me to stay at home. Yes, I feel I miss out on seeing my son everydaywhen he was small because I was working, but my son learn an important lesson if you want the good things from life you have to work for it and pay your way. I own my house and car and now at still a young age I can spent my time at home writing while my new husband and son support me while I hope to become a full-time writer who earns money from my books.

You should have see the look on the man face in the job centre when I went and ask how did I pay my taxes while I'm at home struggling to become a writer. He smiled and said, Well, I've never had someone ask me that question. I bet he'd had lots of people ask him 'How do I claim this and that benefit....' I found out in the end I had pay enough taxes of the years I had worked not to need to pay in anymore. Unless I start earn from my writing.

Chairman Bill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paula RC said...

Sorry about the typos in my comment, Bill. Like you I'm all for Welfare, but it should be what it was meant to be a hand up when times get tough, not a lifetime. Now the country is going through a tough time there isn't the money there to help out the people who have paid in. It makes me cross when those who haven't put in expect to get it and those who don't. Right I've stamped my foot now I'm off to finish my novel. All the very best Bill