[Politics] General Election 2024 - 4th July

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Just a heads-up that if anybody has election day free and fancies earning a bit of money on the side, the going rate is £180 for the day to volunteer at a polling station. Well at least it is in West Sussex, I have it on very good authority. It's a long day but pretty much a stress-free day. Bring a book

 

[Bodian]

VAT on school fees is an onerous tax which given how much the fees are already will lead to one thing, more children being sent to State School and private schools folding. I am struggling to see how this is a good idea.

We all have to pay VAT on almost all services we purchase.

This change is a good idea, as it brings private schools into line with the rest of the service industry.

 

[Since1982]

Just a heads-up that if anybody has election day free and fancies earning a bit of money on the side, the going rate is £180 for the day to volunteer at a polling station. Well at least it is in West Sussex, I have it on very good authority. It's a long day but pretty much an stress-free day. Bring a book

6am until polls close at 10pm and all paperwork completed. A long day. I’m doing the count at Burgess Hill. Start 9pm, finish somewhere around 5am - not sure I have made a good choice.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

the change is to VAT exempt status, not charity status. looking up, they droped changes to private school's charitable status last autumn.

Are you saying that state schools and private schools have equal VAT exempt status? If so....that is not 'fair'. One is a state provision paid for from tax, the other is a private business. Like any private business it should pay tax like a private business.

Think of it like sex. Many of us enjoy sex as part of a relationship. If we decide to go and buy extra sex from the free market, why should the transaction be exempt from tax? It hardly matters whether the transaction is presented as a charity or a service.

 

[Gwylan]

Let's not kid ourselves here. Labour is heading for a landslide despite Starmer not because of him.

Sunak has nothing to do with the way he has transformed the Labour party. To put it in context: Militant was proscribed as an organisation within an organisation in 1982, it wasn't until 1991 that the last of the members was expelled. Starmer took about three years to kick out the Corbynistas and deaden the effect of Momentum. That's not the sign of a weak leader, not by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[nwgull]

6am until polls close at 10pm and all paperwork completed. A long day. I’m doing the count at Burgess Hill. Start 9pm, finish somewhere around 5am - not sure I have made a good choice.

Must be a degree of satisfaction, I wouldn't miss this election night in front of the telly for the world though!

 

[Happy Exile]

VAT on school fees is an onerous tax which given how much the fees are already will lead to one thing, more children being sent to State School and private schools folding. I am struggling to see how this is a good idea.

It's a good idea because the country depends on the quality of education a child has not being reliant on the wealth of their parents. Mixing with people from different parts of society and your community is generally good too. Proper investment in state schools is needed first, perhaps funded by VAT and any other tax on private education as it's gradually wound down.

 

[Since1982]

Must be a degree of satisfaction, I wouldn't miss this election night in front of the telly for the world though!

That’s exactly what I am pondering….

 

[keaton]

I can only assume that you have never had private medical insurance or paid school fees. I am at a loss to understand the “charity” comments. You pay for private school fees and you pay for medical insurance what has any of that got to do with charities as far as the person paying the bills is concerned. It is the parents who will be charged 20% on top of what they already pay for school fees, unless I have misunderstood. It is NOT fair, just an extra tax on those that choose to do it.

Only half private schools are registered as charities btw and seeing as they provide spaces that would otherwise need to be filled by state schools it seems a punitive tax to me.

You mean the state schools that are reducing intake numbers and closing because of lack of children? I reckon they'll cope

 

[chip]

If these parents are so concerned the coul found a free school

 

[rippleman]

And they have, but I have paid for it! I have nothing but good things to say about the NHS, but if I needed a hip or knee op as an example I am not doing it via the NHS if I have paid for medical insurance. Why should I also be taxed on that?

Well one answer is that the majority of staff that will treat you at a private clinic have been trained by the NHS paid for by the taxpayer. Many are still employed by the NHS but bugger off to their private clinic a few days a week to line their own pockets. How quickly could the waiting lists be brought down if the doctors / surgeons / consultants trained by the NHS and with NHS contracts spent 100% of their time working in the NHS?

If 20% VAT was added to private medical you could look at it as a premium for being able to jump the queue but still get treatment from medical staff who have been trained by the NHS.

 

[BLOCK F]

Just a heads-up that if anybody has election day free and fancies earning a bit of money on the side, the going rate is £180 for the day to volunteer at a polling station. Well at least it is in West Sussex, I have it on very good authority. It's a long day but pretty much an stress-free day. Bring a book

With all the recent talk on this thread about whether to VAT or not, I was wondering when someone would pop up and say, ‘wot about VAT?’

 

[Chicken Run]

Just a heads-up that if anybody has election day free and fancies earning a bit of money on the side, the going rate is £180 for the day to volunteer at a polling station. Well at least it is in West Sussex, I have it on very good authority. It's a long day but pretty much an stress-free day. Bring a book

It seems in the B & H area they’ll only take applications after the election

 

[ROSM]

Thank you....but...............

Labour manifesto admits Covid corruption tsar may raise no money at all

After initially promising a Covid corruption tsar would raise billions, Labour appears to have admitted the figure may raise no money at all

www.independent.co.uk

Lord Lebvedev spin (johnson's mate). The manifesto doesn't say it may not raise anything. It also doesn't 'admit' anything like it.

They simply haven't estimated what may be found/clawed back in the income part of the balance sheet

 

[aolstudios]

And don't forget he accepted his knighthood from a Tory government.

Let's not kid ourselves here. Labour is heading for a landslide despite Starmer not because of him.

Larry the Cat at No.10 could defeat Sunak and his obnoxious, self-serving cartel they are so shit.

This is utter bollocks. For over a year Starmer lay traps in his questions to Johnson in pmqs & gradually fished him in. The partygate scandal being investigated as much as it was & it's keen focus on BJ was massively down to Starmer. Once he was removed the Tories were done. Only the nodding idiots he'd put in place were left in position of power & KS humiliated them one by one

 

[Flounce]

Fleeced = paying tax for something they choose to buy?

Anyway, I don't want to argue with you any more. You're someone I like to chat with on NSC.

I am definitely swimming against the tide on here, I’ll shut up as I’ve had my say

 

[golddene]

My

My thoughts too. If so then I was vehemently against leaving, but I did believe that the democratic will expressed should be respected. That alone made me vote for Boris at the last GE.

And just for context, there were not too many people on this forum who took a direct financial hit like I did because of Brexit.

You were not the only one to take a hit,
My wife being Irish wanted to return to her country of birth after spending her life here from age 4, worked and paid into our health service throughout her working life, after thinking about it for years we decided to take the plunge, after all what could go wrong ? we sold our home in Brighton and found what we planned as our forever home in county Wexford, then to my dismay discovered that Cameron whilst initiating his austerity measures had quietly taken away the reciprocated health service for those who wished to live in Ireland whereby up until 2012 anyone leaving these shores to reside in Ireland had the benefit of receiving health care free at the point of delivery just as if they lived here in the UK. This was one austerity measure not publicised but imposed which came as a shock to me, here I was heading for retirement with plenty of health problems which were no longer covered by the NHS so in effect would have to take out private health care after we both had paid into the system here all our lives. Then to top it all along came Brexit, would I still be able to receive my worked for state pension when it became due when I was no longer living in the state ? There were so many challenges being bandied around at the time and I found myself constantly worrying what would happen, how would we cope if either of us became ill and required hospital care, how would we survive etc, our dream became a nightmare and I suffered what I now know as a breakdown of sorts! we managed to sell our ‘forever’ home and scurried back to the UK very soon after the referendum vote when my worst tears had become reality.
The financial implications in reversing our decision to emigrate meant we were in the position to not be able to afford to buy in Brighton as property values had leapt ahead while we were away so had to settle for a much cheaper area than we had previously resided but the mental anguish I suffered due to our life plan being possibly crippled by Brexit, now reversed and being back home was worth taking the hit for.

 

[Bodian]

Electoral calculus

Tory predicted seats going up a bit. They were 66 ten days or so ago, 71-75 last week, now 80. And Labour majority coming down. Not enough to matter, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[Cotton Socks]

Hence him thinking it’s OK to charge VAT on private school fees on people who pay for their kid’s education rather than using the free system. Disgusting imo, much like making people who pay for private health care (already in place under the Conservatives) to have to pay for it again as a benefit in kind. Is it fair to penalise and tax people who are NOT using the free system?

Nope but taxing people who don’t use the system is disgusting imo, however you want to dress it up, they are already paying with National Insurance for things they will not be using and at inflated rates over most as they have money/high wages. They are already paying more than the vast majority.

But if you choose to have private healthcare you will be charged on it as a benefit in kind. It’s been like that under any party for years. Very unfair imo as you are not using the NHS which you are already paying for through NI.

That's a really bizarre argument. I haven't seen the Dr in years so should I ask for some of my NI back? I don't drive a car so should I ask for some CT back? That's not a bad idea as then they may not have enough money to make road 'improvements' like red routes and random traffic lights.

VAT is charged on non essential goods although I would consider gas and electricity essential but there is still 5% VAT on that.

You are trying to dress up private health care as a benefit for those who can't afford it, as you're cutting one person from the waiting list. You're not, you're jumping the queue. If you pay the £10k needed for a stent at the Montefiore (sp) you'll still be having the stent fitted at the Sussex County, you'll most likely be having the same surgeon. That operating theatre being used, means that someone who hasn't got £10k waits another day for the same op. Your (not you in particular but someone I know) £10k to stop you feeling slightly breathless has meant that someone else I know who can hardly walk 5 metres has had their stent op pushed back another day. For major op's the Montefiore use the Sussex County & once that operating theatre is in use by the private sector it cannot be quickly put back in use for urgent care.

There's nothing altruistic about helping out state schools by paying for private education for your children, as it's one less kid to teach. You just simply want a better education for your kid (nothing wrong with that) but it is a luxury. Most people want their kids to have an amazing education (obviously some don't give a s**t) but also house prices are more expensive in catchment areas where the school has been highly rated by Ofsted. Private schools have charitable status but lets face it they're not really in need of the charity. Brighton College isn't looking too shabby and like it's about to fall down and I don't suppose Roedean is either.

The simplest thing to do would be to make them change the school name! Brighton College Charity School, Roedean Charity School For Girls, Hurst Charity College, then see if they want to change their charitable status. Charity school doesn't have the same 'ring' as Private school. Wouldn't even have top worry about VAT then, as they'd all very swiftly stop being charities and no worse off for it.

 

[Motogull]

Michael Howard on R5 now claiming that we have record taxes under the Tories because we had to (Covid) but with labour we will have record taxes because this is what Labour wants.

OK, mate

Be fair. That is an outstanding revision of the 'good AIDS, bad AIDS' sketch.