VAT at 18.5%? Yet another VAT thread

[SiM]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3c6ade26-b...0779fd18c.html

The government considered raising value added tax to a record 18.5 per cent, it emerged last night, prompting the Conservatives to claim they had unearthed a “secret Labour tax bombshell”.

The inadvertent publication of an early version of the pre-Budget report documents revealed Alistair Darling, the chancellor, only decided at the last minute to abandon plans for the VAT hike in 2011-12.

At the next election we can say Goodbye Labour... No chance they will win now

EDIT: haven't read the other thread fully, hope this ain't a repost!

[MadduckUK]

if he decided not to then i dont see a problem? not that im sticking up for him OH GOD I AM

[SiM]

You don't think it is political suicide? If I hold a gun to your head but don't shoot there is no problem?

[MadduckUK]

as long as they have decided not to shoot and the gun has gone by the time i notice it was ever there

[Saracen]

Nonetheless, Madduck, do you feel comfortable wandering about knowing there's an armed, gun-wielding homicidal maniac running around, and that next time, he might not be able to restrain himself?

Personally, I'd rather he was locked up .... or at least, disarmed.


If this was just any old scenario, I'd say it was just contingency planning. But I've read the OPSI memo and, as it;s signed by a Treasury Minister, it looks more like a serious intention that got pulled at the last moment.

And it's at time like this that you have to read VERY carefully into what Ministers say. For instance, "we have no plans to ...." means they don't have a plan, but does NOT mean they don't have an intention to do it. It doesn't necessarily mean that they do, either.

But when you hear mealy-mouthed denials, treat them with the scepticism they deserve because they're merely a form of word-play designed to defer and deflect the issue.

[Barrichello]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3c6ade26-b...0779fd18c.html



At the next election we can say Goodbye Labour... No chance they will win now

I really hope so.

Tbh i would of preferred they increased VAT, than increase our National Insurance like they did.

Worked out ill pay £500 more in national insurance increases next year. Don't think many people will see benefits of this pre budget, unless you are elderly, a small business, or a single parent, on the dole or earn under 20k. Back to shafting the middle to high working class as usual.