buctootim

Old article but things havent changed a great deal. Paul Krugman - Nobel prize winning economist. "Above all, a large part of America's health care spending goes into paperwork. A 2003 study in The New England Journal of Medicine estimated that administrative costs took 31 cents out of every dollar the United States spent on health care, compared with only 17 cents in Canada. In my next column in this series, I'll explain why the most privatized health care system in the advanced world is also the most bloated and bureaucratic." http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/opinion/15krugman.html This the French system - good quality care but very expensive to the taxpayer and patient still has to pay a proportion. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7427313/NHS-investigated-the-French-health-service.html The NHS isnt perfect by any means but it is quite good and cheap compared to most systems.

Quite. Dune also forgets that the internal market in the NHS, which has increased beauracracy was brought in under John Major. Even so the NHS employs nothing like the number of people that private healthcare systems have to in order to process payments, chase bills and deal with insurance companies. The NHS only seems like a luxury when you are healthy.

Not really true though is it. US taxation only appears low because they load the burden of paying for healthcare and a decent education off the government balance sheet and on to the employer or individual. For the people we employ in NYC it costs $2,400 per month for healthcare for a family of four - thats an additional $28,800pa tax on employing someone. Also unless you live in a very affluent area you wouldnt want to send your kids to the local state school - proabably another $300,000 to educate one child during their lifetime. I know of one working couple in DC who currently bring in $120,000pa between them but she is pregnant, they live in a 1 bed apartment and they have no idea how they are going to either live on one salary or pay for childcare so she can go back to work - both are unaffordable. They really are hidden taxes in the US.

Its because the total tax burden includes everything - corporate, personal, property, VAT, capital gains everything. This table from a different source breaks it down. http://www.photius.com/rankings/tax_burden_country_ranks_2009.html

What about an Alfa Spider - can get a two year old one with v low miles for about £18,000. Fast good to drive. http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car/alfa-romeo/spider/exp_101761_101761_600851538.aspx

Total tax burden http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tax_tot_tax_as_of_gdp-taxation-total-as-of-gdp Rank Countries Amount # 1 Sweden:54.2 % of GDP # 2 Denmark:48.8 % of GDP # 3 Finland:46.9 % of GDP # 4 Belgium:45.6 % of GDP # 5 France:45.3 % of GDP # 6 Austria:43.7 % of GDP # 7 Italy:42 % of GDP # 8 Netherlands:41.4 % of GDP # 9 Norway:40.3 % of GDP # 10 Germany:37.9 % of GDP # 11 United Kingdom:37.4 % of GDP # 12 Canada:35.8 % of GDP # 13 Switzerland:35.7 % of GDP # 14 New Zealand:35.1 % of GDP # 15 Australia:31.5 % of GDP # 16 Ireland:31.1 % of GDP # 17 United States:29.6 % of GDP # 18 Japan:27.1 % of GDP Weighted average:39.4 % of GDP

I remember him. Jewish bloke with a beard.

Taxman lacking sympathy as Portsmouth lose points Revenue dropped a winding-up petition against Portsmouth in the High Court this week, having challenged Balram Chainrai’s right to take the club into administration, but the taxman is determined to play hardball over their debt — which is understood to be higher than the widely publicised figure of £12.1 million — having run out of patience with the football industry over its financial excesses. Despite its acquiescence in the High Court, Revenue has warned Portsmouth in the starkest possible terms that their debt must be repaid in full. No offer to the taxman will be made until the club is under new ownership — with Andrew Andronikou, the administrator, admitting yesterday that “there is a long way to go to find the appropriate people to take the club forward” — but Andronikou has been warned that Revenue, in aggressive mood, will not accept anything less than 100 pence in the pound. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article7066198.ece

Seattle

county

Thats the thing with reliable sources -they are usually ********. She got a bad reaction to one tab, drank to much water to flush it which caused her brain to swell. A broadsheet report of coroners inquest is more reliable. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/leahs-ecstasy-death-like-horror-film-1316650.html

This quote from AA made it for me "I would also say that in the last few months that I believe he has exercised his judgement to try to save the club at all costs". I reckon you could well read that to mean "he has acted dodgily /illegally to get out of the mess he has helped create".

Agree with a lot of that, except the charge should be around £10 - high enough to deter people from doing it all day everyday but not so much you create an underground market.

thread

Actually from that distance it looks like a half decent stadium in a wasteland. Its only when you get close up you realise its a ****hole in a wasteland!

I hope you guys are right. Too many twists and turns to come to be sure of anything yet IMO.

Wings

Worst outcome would be if the creditors agree some pence in the pound agreement this Summer and pompey start off next season debt free and with guaranteed £11m parachute payments for three years in the CCC. That would just perpetuate the unfair advantage they've already had.

My ex girlfriends brother (Swedish) loved the beer but could never remember the name properly. Regularly used to ask at the bar for pints of 'Spotty Chicken'.

Really dumb. When the Russians invaded 18 months ago I just caught the end of a news item on the radio and genuinely thought for a couple of minutes that Russia had landed in Georgia, the southern US state, and that WW3 was about to kick off.

As it happens I suppose I am a tree hugger -if that means I think its foolish to treat the planet as though nothing that an ever growing population does will ever exhaust the natural resources we take for granted. Left wing - no. I think Brown is probably marginally better than Cameron, but thought Thatcher was a necessary evil, much preferable to Michael Foot. Yes I think Brown has taxed too much and spent too much without getting good value for money - but that doesnt change my main point that most people are better off than 10, 20 or 30 years ago (even though some individuals arent) and that Britain is not a particulalry high tax country. Compared to other developed nations both US and Europe we are pretty much in the middle of the pack - being charged overall average taxes for middle of the pack average services. Were neither hard done by nor especially lucky.

I cant be arsed because you are either being obtuse or are just exceptionally dim

Because I source my facts. You just slough off opinion without any relationship to facts. 1980. UK enters recession before the rest of world. Interest rates at 17% inflation reaches 21%. Winter of Discontent - 29m working days lost through strikes (largest annual total since general strike). Government pays large public sector pay increases as recommended by Clegg Commission. Introduction of Tax & Price Index in Aug.'79. Power cuts. 3 million unemployed. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/26/newsid_2506000/2506335.stm Poor spend twice as much of their income on fuel and food as in 2008.

Oil and derivatives are in priced in US$. If sterling falls in value the price goes up. HTH

Police stop and search innocent people to balance race figures, terror watchdog says