I am no slouch when it comes to maths but there is one thing that I fail to understand about Budgets – they just don’t add up. Not so much the sums as the pretense of what they are about.
It was Budget day here in the UK yesterday. The Chancellor Of The Exchequer Alistair Darling made his first budget speech.
There is something in common with all Chancellors over the years from all political parties that has fascinated me. We all know that they have to raise money for the things that we want – our schools, hospitals, defence, pensions, roads whatever. Whenever there is a situation where the government coffers are short and the budget has to clearly increase taxes the speech is always full of justification for the taxes they choose to raise.
An honest approach would have been for Darling to have just said we need this amount of money and here is where we have decided to get it from.
However apparently
- we are going to have alcohol duty raised to cut out anti-social binge drinking – my last wine has already passed my lips
- we are going to have cigarette tax raised well naturally to stop us smoking – now I say cheers to that
- we are going to have tax increased on gas guzzling cars – very worthy green approach
What I don’t get is this. The figures are then presented about how much money this will raise in order that the measures such as give pensioners higher winter fuel charges, and child benefit increases can be done.
Hang on.
If the tax increase to say cigarettes is really supposed to stop more people smoking – how come there will be increased revenue. And 4p on a pint of beer is going to stop a ‘Lager Lout’ getting smashed on a Friday night.
Pah and humbug. We will just fork out more for our pleasures.
Even as the Chancellor was speaking it was ironic that the post arrived with my local tax demands for the coming year. Oh there’s a surprise they have increased again.
How deep are your pockets?
I can’t help hearing the name Darling without thinking about ‘Black Adder’ . I love the relationship between Capt.
Darling and Blackadder and their insidious but uncontrollable hatred of one
another – ah just thinking about that has cheered me up.
This proves there is a bright side to anything if you search hard enough – even darling Chancellors.
Technorati Tags: budget, Chancellor, Darling, Health, tax
About Keith Watson
Hi - I am Keith Watson.
This blog is dedicated to Banger - a teacher from my teenage years who - at least once a week - insisted upon cracking the hilarious - and I have to say - never heard before line "What's on Watson?".
I would smile demurely - the rest of the class would fall about with sides aching - and life would go on for another week.
'Wats-on My Mind' I have decided will assist me personally as well as be of interest to others (I hope) who share my challenges. It will help keep me organised and document my activities so that I know what I did yesterday.
You think I am joking!!
I have been in the website development game since 1993 and have been involved with over 2000 website builds (with the help of my fantastic team of freelance programmers)
It was only in the last two years though that I have moved over to making money for myself on line and in particular linking up with an amazing talent called Adam Eason to produce and distribute self help and hypnotherapy products.
As a result of looking to promote these products I have downloaded hundreds of internet marketing articles and e-books, studied countless reports, tested list building tactics, butterflied, boot-camped, buzzed, adsensed, affiliated, met a jerk, jv'ed, plr given-awayed, and generally suffered from information overload.
My computer - presumably in a fit of pique or simply demanding a holiday has given up the ghost on at least two occassions - causing me even more stress.
Oh this simple business of making money online.
BUT the great news is that it is all working and our list has grown - I have found some gurus I have complete faith in - and Adam and I are actually making money from our endeavours.
Some way to go but I am more relaxed and can spot a phoney over hyped, sexed up, must have latest product which you must either buy or if not, simply fade into oblivion. There’s not room on this Internet for the two of us.
This ramble of an introduction is really to set the scene for I am sure an interesting journey which I invite you to join. In fact I want you to help me find the right tools, scripts, plugins etc. etc, that will catapult me into the stratosphere of success. I hope you will be there with me.
I don't just consider success in a monetary sense. I so want to help some friends of mine who are involved in Christian missionary work in some pretty harrowing parts of this world. If I can bring any help to their missions that will give me more satisfaction than anything else.
I really, really do love this web stuff and the people you meet. I am convinced that this powerful technology can be harnessed to do some good.
