How much do we pay?

[Jay]

the war on people going on forums asking about tax?

[Saracen]

1600 billion has been spent on he war.

This thread is not about what's been spent on war or anything else, but about the tax system and how it hits people. Please keep in at least vaguely on topic, and if you want to discuss war spending, do it in your own thread, not trashing neon's.

[malfunction]

1600 billion has been spent on he war.

Not sure what you've been reading / told / smoking but:

"Budget is set to increase from a baseline of £32.6Bn in 2007/08 to £36.9Bn in 2010/11 in Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (Total DEL)."

and:

"The additional net costs incurred on operations (for example in Afghanistan and Iraq) are not paid for from the Defence Budget, but rather by the Treasury Reserve. Since 2001, the Reserve has provided an additional £9.5Bn on top of the Defence Budget to cover operational costs."

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Ab...ceSpending.htm

More details on government spending for 2008 / 2009:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/i...-larry-elliott

(interesting if you have time to listen to it)

[TheAnimus]

malfunction its not worth it.

Numbers exist only to be made up to prove your point, maths is nothing more than voodoo in petercook7's world, just look at his recent posts for my attempts, i even gave up with numbers and tried pictures.

My guess is he likes these kind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mnVWJpMhuE

[TheAnimus]

That's a lotta if's.

Very true, and perhaps my trival example might have made a mockery of my own point, but it is effectively aritifically shifting the price curve higher, now its very unlikely it will move instanty, some products will get 'left behind' for want of a phrase and cost more because their competitors which would be forcing innovation etc (see communist farming practices vs capitalist freemarket) being more expensive.

In my mind, these kind of issues are still a 'tax' because whilst the money isn't going directly to the government, it is coming out of your pocket because of the government intervention.

Also why are tampons subject to VAT!

[Saracen]

....

Also why are tampons subject to VAT!

As I understand it, and I'll explain because I'm sure this is a topic that ahas been at the forefront on many HEXUS users minds for ages () ... because of a quirk of EU law on VAT. When VAT was introduced, they were charged at standard rate, and because of that quirk, items that have been charged at standard rate cannot then be charged at zero rate, only at reduced rate. At least, that's the explanation I found in one article on it. It's news to me, though. I know Gordon Brown reduced the rate from 17.5% to 5% in about 2001 (I just knew he did something useful as Chancellor ), but I didn't know he was constrained to a minimum for that reason (if indeed, it's correct).

So now, it's 5% .... as of 2001/2002 (see HMRC Guidance - Reference Notice 701/18).
But that's the kind of thing I meant about quirky rulings on VAT, and if you read that Notice (because it's SO illuminating ) you'll get a hint of just how quirky, because it doesn't quite apply to all such products, especially where they are hybrid products, where either fashion or perhaps incontinence is the primary purpose, because though incontinence products don't qualify for this relief, they may (subject to the usual arcane rules) be exempt under another rule. Or may not.


ARGHHHH!



PS. Neon, I'll bet when you started this, you didn't foresee where it would end up. Isn't life just choc-full of interesting surprises.