General Election 2015

[CB Saint]

That's the thing, I have worked for it. I have spent the last year and a half working every weekend to improve and convert my house, as well as spending £90k in the process doing it. What you are proposing would end up costing me nearly £100k. How is that fair?

 

The current CGT rules allow for an increase in base cost where money have been spent to improve the asset - so if you spent £50k on an extension that would work - the key is though that it has to be an improvement not a repair ie redecoration / replacing the boiler etc. and to be fair this is where it would get messy

 

With regards to the tax rate - maybe there is a lower rate for primary residences as opposed to full CGT.

 

As an alternative how about the seller pays the stamp duty instead - similar to the above but infinitely easier to collect

[Unbelievable Jeff]

The current CGT rules allow for an increase in base cost where money have been spent to improve the asset - so if you spent £50k on an extension that would work - the key is though that it has to be an improvement not a repair ie redecoration / replacing the boiler etc. and to be fair this is where it would get messy

 

With regards to the tax rate - maybe there is a lower rate for primary residences as opposed to full CGT.

 

As an alternative how about the seller pays the stamp duty instead - similar to the above but infinitely easier to collect

 

That makes more sense.

 

Stamp Duty is a ridiculously outdated tax anyway - it would have gone years ago if it weren't for the amount it brings in.

[Lord Duckhunter]

If you're going to tax property the fairest way to do it is via a transaction tax, rather than a wealth tax. This could be when you buy or when you sell, but surely that makes more sense than this ridiculous mansion tax idea. How's is stamp duty any more outdated than any other sales tax?

[bpsaint]

Currently in the process of buying a property, contracts have been exchanged for a completion date next Wednesday, so luckily for me I've benefitted from the stamp duty reform by the skin of my ********.

 

a weeks difference would have cost me £1100,

[Orange]

The Tories seem to have completely lost their identity as a party. They took their core vote for granted for years and it's now come back to bite them in the arse. The modernisers and europhiles (Ken Clarke etc), have driven swathes of the their traditional vote away, people finally saying they've had enough. Most of my family are traditionally Tories but are abandoning the ship over the last 4 years, bar a few who have blue blood in their veins forever.

 

So considering they didn't even win a majority in 2010, no way can i see them getting one now. Then Labour with Milliband and Ed Balls at the helm, I just can't see it either. A depressing thought is despite the Lib Dem vote inevitably collapsing they could still be in a position to hold the balance of power.

 

Can't even begin to predict how many MP's UKIP could get. Just depends whether they can create a sense of momentum in carefully picked seats and really get people thinking UKIP are the second runner. What's interesting is in a lot of the north UKIP are the only threat to Labour really.

[trousers]

The Tories seem to have completely lost their identity as a party. They took their core vote for granted for years and it's now come back to bite them in the arse. The modernisers and europhiles (Ken Clarke etc), have driven swathes of the their traditional vote away, people finally saying they've had enough. Most of my family are traditionally Tories but are abandoning the ship over the last 4 years, bar a few who have blue blood in their veins forever.

 

So considering they didn't even win a majority in 2010, no way can i see them getting one now. Then Labour with Milliband and Ed Balls at the helm, I just can't see it either. A depressing thought is despite the Lib Dem vote inevitably collapsing they could still be in a position to hold the balance of power.

 

Can't even begin to predict how many MP's UKIP could get. Just depends whether they can create a sense of momentum in carefully picked seats and really get people thinking UKIP are the second runner. What's interesting is in a lot of the north UKIP are the only threat to Labour really.

I reckon the SNP will end up holding the balance of power....

[The Cat]

I reckon the SNP will end up holding the balance of power....

 

SNP, Plaid Cymru and, if they win any seats, the Greens will join together. Maybe we'll get a Belgian style rainbow coalition.

[CB Saint]

With the SNP potentially becoming Kingmakers - I am beginning to wish the Scots had seized their opportunity to feck off. As an aside, I wonder how their budget looks with the oil price at $70/barrel

[pap]

I'm not sure that anyone save pensioners can be happy with the coalition.

 

Parents and students got jipped through tuition fees. The poor have been jipped by the cuts, the proliferation of zero hours contracts, the millions of hours of free labour gifted to corporates. What else? How's about all the money Cameron and co have spunked on their anti-EU platform? I particularly like the cash spent on ensuring those hard-done-by bankers have no limit to their bonuses. Wasted money, as it turns out. Due to EU rules, bonuses will be capped at 100% of salary.

 

We've spent more, got less and look to be heading toward a society which mirrors the one without a National Health Service.

 

Bandit government, and if you believe any different, you probably think poor people and immigrants have been stealing all your cash.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

I'm not sure that anyone save pensioners can be happy with the coalition.

 

Parents and students got jipped through tuition fees. The poor have been jipped by the cuts, the proliferation of zero hours contracts, the millions of hours of free labour gifted to corporates. What else? How's about all the money Cameron and co have spunked on their anti-EU platform? I particularly like the cash spent on ensuring those hard-done-by bankers have no limit to their bonuses. Wasted money, as it turns out. Due to EU rules, bonuses will be capped at 100% of salary.

 

We've spent more, got less and look to be heading toward a society which mirrors the one without a National Health Service.

 

Bandit government, and if you believe any different, you probably think poor people and immigrants have been stealing all your cash.

 

The problem is I don't think any other party would have done much different. The economy has improved, there is no denying that, even though it has grown disproportionately throughout the country. That at least gives a better basis to start to look at the social aspects of it all.

[bridge too far]

Here's the plan to get us out debt apparently - incur substantially more personal debt!

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/george-osbornes-deficit-reduction-plan-requires-unprecedented-binge-in-personal-borrowing-9904499.html

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Here's the plan to get us out debt apparently - incur substantially more personal debt!

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/george-osbornes-deficit-reduction-plan-requires-unprecedented-binge-in-personal-borrowing-9904499.html

 

I honestly don't know what the solution is. Higher tax rate should be increased back to 50%, but that won't happen under a Tory government and wouldn't cover what's needed.

[pap]

The problem is I don't think any other party would have done much different. The economy has improved, there is no denying that, even though it has grown disproportionately throughout the country. That at least gives a better basis to start to look at the social aspects of it all.

 

Yeah, and I don't blame you. Everyone has been conditioned to believe that politics means more neo-liberalism, when it doesn't really need to be. Let's not forget that a mere century ago, people were debating concepts such as whether money should exist, or who, what and why certain groups should have the means of production. Today, everything is about the banking system, which limps along only because huge wads of public money were funnelled into it to stop it from collapsing.

 

Soz, but that's just not good enough. The pattern seems to be repeating. Huge depresssions, followed by the governments du jour propagandising against the f**king poor, and not the greedy c**ts that got us into this ****.

 

Putting it simply, the banking industry is a cabal of professional gamblers that needs to be significantly reformed. The only difference between them and real gamblers is that real gamblers don't have their losses covered by the tax-payer.

 

We could be spending billions on improving the lives of our citizens. Instead, it's going back to pay the speculative debts of private industry. I'd say there are more options on the table than that.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Yeah, and I don't blame you. Everyone has been conditioned to believe that politics means more neo-liberalism, when it doesn't really need to be. Let's not forget that a mere century ago, people were debating concepts such as whether money should exist, or who, what and why certain groups should have the means of production. Today, everything is about the banking system, which limps along only because huge wads of public money were funnelled into it to stop it from collapsing.

 

Soz, but that's just not good enough. The pattern seems to be repeating. Huge depresssions, followed by the governments du jour propagandising against the f**king poor, and not the greedy c**ts that got us into this ****.

 

Putting it simply, the banking industry is a cabal of professional gamblers that needs to be significantly reformed. The only difference between them and real gamblers is that real gamblers don't have their losses covered by the tax-payer.

 

We could be spending billions on improving the lives of our citizens. Instead, it's going back to pay the speculative debts of private industry. I'd say there are more options on the table than that.

 

But our political parties aren't forward thinking enough to do this, and the smaller parties who want to implement these ideas don't, and will not have the support to ever be able to act on them.

 

So what is the realistic solution going forward, or is it a situation where nothing will change ad infinitum?

[pap]

But our political parties aren't forward thinking enough to do this, and the smaller parties who want to implement these ideas don't, and will not have the support to ever be able to act on them.

 

So what is the realistic solution going forward, or is it a situation where nothing will change ad infinitum?

 

We had a small opportunity to make Parliament more representative, which might have eventually meant that smaller concerns would have a say, as has happened in countries that have a more proportional electoral system. Don't get me wrong. AV was never PR, but if the parties-that-be were going to nix such a simple change with scare stories of dead babies and soldiers, then PR was never realistic anyway.

 

I wonder how many incubators and how much soldiering equipment could have been bought with the tax-payer cash that Cameron spent on trying to ensure his banker chums could have unlimited bonuses.

 

Anyway, in direct answer to your question, change won't be delivered by the ballot box alone. The only way a radical party gets to set the agenda is if things get so fúcked that even FPTP can't save the self-interested banker's acolytes. And if things get that fúcked, revolution is probably more likely anyway.

 

Otherwise, it's business as usual.

 

[Lord Duckhunter]

Good to see Red Ed getting into the Xmas spirit with his Xmas card. Personally I don't think a picture of him working on the manifesto has much to do with Xmas, but at least no non Christians will be offended. Seasons greetings Ed.

 

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Good to see Red Ed getting into the Xmas spirit with his Xmas card. Personally I don't think a picture of him working on the manifesto has much to do with Xmas, but at least no non Christians will be offended. Seasons greetings Ed.

 

 

That's very funny, fairplay

[CB Saint]

I know they all do it, but it strikes me as a very self obsessed thing to do, to send a picture of yourself as a christmas card.

[Wade Garrett]

Best Christmas present Ed could give would be his letter of resignation.

 

Absolutely useless.

[whelk]

[Whitey Grandad]

 

That wasn't a transfer of money, was it? Just an underwritten guarantee.

[whelk]

That wasn't a transfer of money, was it? Just an underwritten guarantee.

 

Not sure of its validity although amuses me how extravagant public sector spending suits so many to be cause of global crisis. I just assume they are too thick to understand economics rather than deliberately ignoring to champion their ideology.

[The Cat]

If they taxed multinational corporations properly rather than letting them channel funds through random cupbords in Luxembourg there would be more to spend on public services.

 

Labour let it happen, and despite what Osborne claims the Tories have done nothing to stop it.

[Dangermouth]

Yeah, and I don't blame you. Everyone has been conditioned to believe that politics means more neo-liberalism, when it doesn't really need to be. Let's not forget that a mere century ago, people were debating concepts such as whether money should exist, or who, what and why certain groups should have the means of production. Today, everything is about the banking system, which limps along only because huge wads of public money were funnelled into it to stop it from collapsing.

 

Soz, but that's just not good enough. The pattern seems to be repeating. Huge depresssions, followed by the governments du jour propagandising against the f**king poor, and not the greedy c**ts that got us into this ****.

 

 

 

 

Putting it simply, the banking industry is a cabal of professional gamblers that needs to be significantly reformed. The only difference between them and real gamblers is that real gamblers don't have their losses covered by the tax-payer.

 

We could be spending billions on improving the lives of our citizens. Instead, it's going back to pay the speculative debts of private industry. I'd say there are more options on the table than that.

 

Shoulda voted for Karl then :/ ...

[Lord Duckhunter]

Not sure of its validity although amuses me how extravagant public sector spending suits so many to be cause of global crisis. I just assume they are too thick to understand economics rather than deliberately ignoring to champion their ideology.

 

 

Extravagant public spending left us in a poor state to deal with the global crisis when it came. You should tighten fiscal policy in the boom years and loosen it in any down turn . How on earth could it ever be acceptable for people earning 60k to be able to claim welfare via tax credits and why were we paying millionaires child benefit, to name just 2 crazy public spending choices. Brown spent money like it was going out of fashion and left us I'll prepared for the downturn . The Tories under Cameron and his stupid " modernisation " program , also seemed bewitched by this " no more boom and bust" nonsense and promised to match this incompetent rubbish . A proper Conservative party would have been calling for us to be running a surplus to protect us from future events , not going along with this lunacy .

 

There are only 3 ways we're ever going to get the public finances back under control. One is to default on our debts, two is a radical rethink of what we want the state to do in relation to what taxes we want to pay or 3 is to leave the mess for our children and their children to sort out. Unfortunately the established parties all agree that 3 is the best option. They are just arguing around the edges , but make no mistake about it , none of them have the will or the balls to actually sort it out .

[Viking Warrior]

What a ***** and hypocrite salmond is standing for the Westminster parliament .

 

What a total dickhead. The krankies just will not disappear .

 

Come on the people of Ellon anyone but salmond

[KelvinsRightGlove]

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-mp-nigel-mills-caught-4766665

[Batman]

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-mp-nigel-mills-caught-4766665

 

when I was at the House of Lords. In the Public Gallery. Some of those directly below us were on twitter/amazon during debates

[buctootim]

Almost sad to see how out of touch the Labour Paarty is with large swathes of the working people of this country.

 

But a bit harsh her having to resign for that, just her opinion.

 

There was an interview with her brother in the Sunday Times. He is a lorry driver, talked about how they were both brought up in council flat and he cant think of any one less snobby. Looks like social media claims another easy target but misses the real villains.

[Lord Duckhunter]

There was an interview with her brother in the Sunday Times. He is a lorry driver, talked about how they were both brought up in council flat and he cant think of any one less snobby. Looks like social media claims another easy target but misses the real villains.

 

You wonder why political parties use spin, its because mugs like you fall for it.They take a semblance of truth and twist it favourable.

 

She was not bought up in a council " flat" . Maybe social housing, but her dad was assistant secretary general of the united nations, it was hardly a working class battle out of poverty. Her brother is a free lance photographer who did some work for a charity that got poor people into construction. Hardly the jobbing builder she tried to spin to the press. Guido Fawkes had her number good and proper over that bit of spin.

 

She also sent her kid to a selective school out of her constituency, despite opposition to selective education. What a surprise.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

You wonder why political parties use spin, its because mugs like you fall for it.They take a semblance of truth and twist it favourable.

 

She was not bought up in a council " flat" . Maybe social housing, but her dad was assistant secretary general of the united nations, it was hardly a working class battle out of poverty. Her brother is a free lance photographer who did some work for a charity that got poor people into construction. Hardly the jobbing builder she tried to spin to the press. Guido Fawkes had her number good and proper over that bit of spin.

 

She also sent her kid to a selective school out of her constituency, despite opposition to selective education. What a surprise.

 

 

Says Nigel's sockpuppet.

[Sour Mash]

There was an interview with her brother in the Sunday Times. He is a lorry driver, talked about how they were both brought up in council flat and he cant think of any one less snobby. Looks like social media claims another easy target but misses the real villains.

I'm not even going to check up on her background, it doesn't change the point.

[whelk]

Nice to see the penny has finally dropped

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11311912/George-Osborne-planning-wilful-destruction-of-public-services-says-Danny-Alexander.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Saintandy666]

Nice to see the penny has finally dropped

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11311912/George-Osborne-planning-wilful-destruction-of-public-services-says-Danny-Alexander.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

Makes it all the more crucial that there has been a coalition these past few years; to temper the tory's worst instincts.

[trousers]

Coalition partner in pre-election scaremongering shocker....

[badgerx16]

Coalition partner in pre-election scaremongering shocker....

 

Or "Politician speaking the blindingly obvious".

[Batman]

Or "Politician speaking the blindingly obvious".

 

It's obvious if you agree.

 

Would you say the same if an MP says immigration is ruining the country?

 

I suspect not

[View From The Top]

It's obvious if you agree.

 

Would you say the same if an MP says immigration is ruining the country?

 

I suspect not

 

I'd respond saying the workshy, benefit dependent indigenous underclass has done more to ruin this country that an influx of Eastern Europeans ever have.

 

Saying that, why we opened the doors to the peasant classes from the Indian sub-continent I'll never understand.

[trousers]

Or "Politician speaking the blindingly obvious".

I agree. The bloated state does indeed need cutting back.

[aintforever]

I agree. The bloated state does indeed need cutting back.

 

Surely the amount of immigration means more should be spent on services not less?

[badgerx16]

I agree. The bloated state does indeed need cutting back.

 

Which part of the 'bloated' state would you cut back, and how far ?

Public Pensions £150 billion

National Health Care + £133 billion

State Education + £90 billion

Defence + £46 billion

Social Security + £110 billion

State Protection + £30 billion

Transport + £20 billion

General Government + £14 billion

Other Public Services + £86 billion

Public Sector Interest + £52 billion

Total Spending = £731 billion

[Batman]

Which part of the 'bloated' state would you cut back, and how far ?

Public Pensions £150 billion

National Health Care + £133 billion

State Education + £90 billion

Defence + £46 billion

Social Security + £110 billion

State Protection + £30 billion

Transport + £20 billion

General Government + £14 billion

Other Public Services + £86 billion

Public Sector Interest + £52 billion

Total Spending = £731 billion

 

That sorted the question out

[Wes Tender]

Makes it all the more crucial that there has been a coalition these past few years; to temper the tory's worst instincts.

 

What a pity that the party in coalition with the Tories is the bearded sandal-wearing woolly-minded Lib Dems, whose worst instincts are luckily tempered by the Tories.

[whelk]

I agree. The bloated state does indeed need cutting back.

 

No doubt you'll have the same opinion when your grandma can't have her hip op or any sort of quality care in her old age, or your child in a class of 40 taught by a disillusioned non-qualified teacher, or your precious car hits a pothole that there are no plans to repair. Oh and probably expect to be able to rely on a doctor should you need one and would hope we had and education system that supported them.

And probably would hope that police might be able to respond to yobbos vandalising your fence.

But hey you want to pay less tax I get it.

[Whitey Grandad]

No doubt you'll have the same opinion when your grandma can't have her hip op or any sort of quality care in her old age, or your child in a class of 40 taught by a disillusioned non-qualified teacher, or your precious car hits a pothole that there are no plans to repair. Oh and probably expect to be able to rely on a doctor should you need one and would hope we had and education system that supported them.

And probably would hope that police might be able to respond to yobbos vandalising your fence.

But hey you want to pay less tax I get it.

 

More tax is not the answer. There is a natural limit to what you can extract, hence the enormous borrowing.

[CB Saint]

Ah, the silly season is upon us, where no one can appreciate another's point of view if it doesn't align with your political leaning

[badgerx16]

More tax is not the answer. There is a natural limit to what you can extract, hence the enormous borrowing.

 

There is when so many jobs are part time or minimum wage, and therefore continue to place demand on the welfare systems without contributing to the Revenue. Whoever heads up the Exchequer after May needs to find a way of building up the receipting side to balance cuts to the debiting ledger.

[Sour Mash]

An £11.3 billion saving per year right there http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/11200800/Britains-net-payments-to-EU-soar-by-a-third-in-a-year-ONS-figures-show.html

[Whitey Grandad]

An £11.3 billion saving per year right there http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/11200800/Britains-net-payments-to-EU-soar-by-a-third-in-a-year-ONS-figures-show.html

 

Just think of it as foreign aid

[pap]

Just think of it as foreign aid

 

Nah, it's tribute.