The UKBF Budget

[DuaneJackson]

OK, we've got a budget not far off.

I have it from a reliable source that Gordon often frequents these forums, so lets list some 'wants' for the new budget. Be as serious or sensible as you like.

I'd like to have our £10k tax-free band on corporation tax given back

Tax cigarettes even more.

 

[Kent Accountant]

I would like him to second to small accountancy practices the people who make up all the daft legislation, so that they can see how difficult it is to comply in practice. The bee in my bonnet at the moment is the requirement for construction industry contractors to file a monthly return within 14 days of the filing date every month with an automatic £100 late filing penalty .. oh and a monthly £3,000 penalty for getting employment status wrong

 

[Coding Monkey]

No employers tax on your first 2-3 employees. Truly horrible tax.

 

[Alpha]

To commit to reviewing and removing Inheritance Tax....after all it was originally meant to be a temporary tax!!...............however I doubt that it will happen in this governments lifetime.

To simplify the tax system to really ensure that small and medium sized businesses are given a fair opportunity to flourish and grow. (Oh and ensure that all business accounts and tax affairs must be completed and submitted by a suitably qualified practitioner)

To commit to long term improvement in transport infrastructure before they go around hitting everyone with congestion charges.

To rationalise properly the NHS and ensure that all the freeloaders who currently get there easy payments by sitting on committees for one day a week (mainly local councillors) and make sure that the correct focus is upon the provision of services to the patients.
Stop wasting millions of £'s every year by continually changing the names of the units!

To look into a fairer system of charging for road use. As we import a large proportion of GDP then foreign haulliers should be made to pay tax based upon their usage of our roads (perhaps it may be a simple as issuing a 'ticket when they enter the country and the mileage is then checked(and charged for) as they leave).

 

[stugster]

Ditch the Dole!

Create a new system for paying the unemployed. Don't just give them a good wage for doing nothing. Look into a way in which they can work for the money they're getting - even if it's just odd jobs around their local community.

My new dole would work like this:

For the first 6 months you would be on the normal dole, without any additional requirements.

After the 6 months pass, you have to be seen to be actively looking for a job. If after 3 months you do not have a job, you are required by law to sign-up to some sort of community scheme that has you working 10 or 12 hours a week.

By all means I don't mind paying for people who are unemployed, but I dislike paying for lazy arrogant druggies who are wasting my money on crack and heroin.

I wouldn't have a problem with someone in that situation helping me do the garden!

 

[Mark Bateman]

Please spenD some money on staff at local tax offices - if they do they will probablY collect more tax instead of just sending £100 penalties to tax payers who delieverd their tax return by hand into the tax office - but they are so unhelpful they canT give a receipt

How many orginisations in the world refuse to give a receipt for anything

 

[leemason]

Scrap the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). It's already cost Billions and is mortgaging our future to a few large corporations! It doesn't even de-risk public projects as it seem that the Government (we, really) meet any and all overspends anyway and contracts are so badly negotiated that companies can keep coming back asking for more.

 

[Mark Bateman]

Ditch the Dole!

Create a new system for paying the unemployed. Don't just give them a good wage for doing nothing. Look into a way in which they can work for the money they're getting - even if it's just odd jobs around their local community.

My new dole would work like this:

For the first 6 months you would be on the normal dole, without any additional requirements.

After the 6 months pass, you have to be seen to be actively looking for a job. If after 3 months you do not have a job, you are required by law to sign-up to some sort of community scheme that has you working 10 or 12 hours a week.

By all means I don't mind paying for people who are unemployed, but I dislike paying for lazy arrogant druggies who are wasting my money on crack and heroin.

I wouldn't have a problem with someone in that situation helping me do the garden!

At our local job centre if you cant get a job they make you work in a care home nearby

 

[leemason]

"Green Taxes" were supposed to go up and be offset by other taxes going down (revenue neutral). I see air transport passenger duty going up, but what went down to compensate?

 

At our local job centre if you cant get a job they make you work in a care home nearby

No one can make you do anything you don't want too.

 

[Hayles]

Increase the VAT threshold significantly or allow the first £60k of turnover to be VAT free if you do have to register

H

 

[Mark Bateman]

No one can make you do anything you don't want too.

They can withhold your benefits though

 

[Kent Accountant]

Increase the VAT threshold significantly or allow the first £60k of turnover to be VAT free if you do have to register

H

Reduce the VAT threshold to £1 so everyone in business has to register and therefore everyone is on a level playing field

 

[Rhyl Lightworks]

Reduce the VAT threshold to £1 so everyone in business has to register and therefore everyone is on a level playing field

Agree entirely. In fact I would go much further.

Abolish Income tax and National Insurance. They mitigate against taking on employees, which is one area where you can increase economic activity with very little effect on the environment.
Make up the shortfall in revenue by a huge increase in VAT on everything (including food) and further selective excise duties on environmently unfriendly products (such as fuel, many luxury goods, etc.).

This would have the effect of making labour comparatively cheap, and goods comparatively expensive, so consumers would be more inclined to preserve what they have, rather than go out and buy new - an end to the throw-away society.

We should remember that the present tax systems date back to many decades ago, when things were very different. If we were constructing a taxation system from scratch, would we start from where we are now? I think not.

(I know these opinions are radical and for many heretical, and have a snowflake in hell's chance of ever being adopted!)

Barrie

 

[Gillie]

I like your vat idea Bob, perhaps then it wouldnt be quite the issue it gets to be now and everyone would understand it better!

 

[cjd]

Scrap every single 'aid' to business that national and local goverment provide - all the advisory people and networks and all the grants and funding every single quango and government department that has anything to do with 'helping us'.

Then create a single small business investment fund that works as a commercial business angel scheme.

We don't need all the crap; we just need access to good value finance. Then you'd see the UK economy fly.

 

[An Oasis]

Reinstate VAT in it’s original form, as a tax on luxury goods not as a back door tax for all.

 

[Richard]

How many orginisations in the world refuse to give a receipt for anything

If you file you're tax return online you DO get a receipt.

The receipt for my 2005-06 IR tax return is date stamped at 11:00pm on 31st January 2007.

I also received an unsuccessful submission receipt at 11:04pm on that day because I never did get a confirmation screen and tried to submit again.

Presumably, the IR server was under a heavy load.

Online filing of tax returns is the way to go. No doubt about it!

 

[Mark Bateman]

If you file you're tax return online you DO get a receipt.

The receipt for my 2005-06 IR tax return is date stamped at 11:00pm on 31st January 2007.

I also received an unsuccessful submission receipt at 11:04pm on that day because I never did get a confirmation screen and tried to submit again.

Presumably, the IR server was under a heavy load.

Online filing of tax returns is the way to go. No doubt about it!

I totally agree - I would like to know how to file a tax return on line when your client turns up the day before with his tsuff - there are times whenyou need a tadx office open - it is company policy at HMRC now not to give receipts - they do if in the end if you make a nuisance of yourself and I did because my clkient had a bankcrupcy hearing the next day

 

[dev99]

On a very serious note, employ a private company to work on success only basis, to weed out all the people claiming benefits and at the same time working for cash. The effect it has is as follows:

You and I pay tax and vat, the scammers take this from the revenue.

They work for cash, so some employers do not pay vat. paye and NI.

If you just take the hospitality and the service sector this amounts to £billions, pay a % to the private company and the rest to the treasury

 

I would remove the tax that hedgehogs have to pay on toys