Government Increase Car Tax
July 11, 2008
Some poor buggers are going to have to pay up to £245 more for their car tax according to reports I heard on the radio today - £245!!
Vehicle excise duty is due to rise for approximately 43 per cent of all vehicles manufactured in the last 7 years. Only around 18 per cent will fall. The worst offenders in terms of pollution will find themselves out of pocket by around £245.
Downing Street has said that the tax is not in an attempt to cut carbon emissions. Though, Friends of the Earth have called for the revenue to put into better and greener public transport services.
On the opposite side of the fence the AA has said that this has confirmed
“our worst fears”.
I’m personally not that bothered; I drive a relic and it has about the same amount of power as a lawn mower. I wish I could believe that the increase in revenue would go towards better public services as we pretty much have the worst and most expensive trains in Europe, though I doubt that very much!
In the end, I think that the most of Britain will find it difficult to be too sympathetic with those who come under the new legislation and therefore car tax increases. If they wished to, they could always get a banger like the rest of us!
Businesses and the Economic Squeeze
July 10, 2008
What with the economic slowdown and increased costs, businesses are really starting to feel the financial sting. We consumers have begun to tighten our purse strings and now companies are failing to turn over what they used to.
Many small businesses are downsizing where possible and the revolution of virtual offices has become widely used by people who don’t necessarily need office space. A virtual office is where you can make use of the services offered, such as telephone answering or message taking, or the address, so you can have a prestigious address without the overheads of a complete office.
It seems sooner or later we are going to feel the effects of the credit crunch and the media this week have been predicting a recession within the next three months.
Church Backs Female Bishops
July 8, 2008
Yesterday the Church of England’s Synod voted in favour of Women becoming Bishops.
Though many in the Church of England (over 1,300) signed a letter of petition to the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and York; many of these were retired rather than practicing clergy.
Any compromise of there being a two tiered bishop hierarchy, as traditionalists have asked for would have caused institutional division and made women second class clergy.
Monday saw six hours of debate by the Synod, where both the proposal of super bishops and a preferred option of new dioceses were denied.
The Fellowship of Confessions (FoCA) a new break away sector of the Church of England, for those who are against homosexuality in the church, will soon set up their own bishop council too. The conservative sector set up and officially established in Jerusalem last week has caused concern that the church may become further divided in the future.
Reverend John Broadhurst who is The Bishop of Fulham concurred with the traditionalists saying;
“I think a lot of us have made it quite clear if there isn’t proper provision for us to live in dignity, inevitably we’re driven out and it’s not a case of walking away.”
Though, there are many liberals that are happy with the reforms. Robert Key, Tory and Synod member was in favour of women Bishops and said;
“It is a good day for the Church of England, and it is a good day for the country because our national church, the church by law established, is actually now in step with most of the country and what people feel.”
The Church has moved into the same century as the rest of us and I think it is about time.
In very few organisations employees can vote on their own pay increments. Yet, a number of ministers have tried to vote in a 66 percent pay rise, bringing their annual salary up to £100,000 per annum (not including expenses for let’s face it everything), well above that of average national salaries.
Over the last few years we have seen firemen, policemen, nurses, teachers, I could go on, denied pay rises to give them a realistic and just above inflation increase denied. Never have ministers done a day’s work in these essential roles of society and yet seem to think that their role is far more significant compared to many hard working public sector employees.
So, the vote came out against the 66% rise, but let’s faces it; it has been spun to make the government look good. They already have a massive salary but want to be known as holier than now because they missed out on a massive 66% pay increase.
Those in the public sector I think may struggle to be very sympathetic. With the cost of petrol, food and energy increasing at an unbelievable rate, there will be a close eye kept on what ministers give themselves for doing such a good job of keeping our country in order?!?
Yet, they have voted to keep their second home expense at a whopping £24,000 per year, which is far above and beyond a massive proportion of the UK’s salary earners. On top of this they have made a decision to only be audited internally rather than by a commission.
That just bodes the questions; who is governing our government?
House Prices Continue to Fall
July 2, 2008
The last eight months have seen a continuation in the fall of house prices, with nearly a 1% drop in the last month alone. Compared to this time last year, the decrease has now reached 6.3%. Though this is a bitter pill to swallow for those already on the housing ladder, particularly those who have only recently dared to jump on, it does give some hope to those first time buyers that have slowly bided their time.
There is much speculation by experts and it has been said that we could experience another 20% fall before the next twelve months are out. Fionnuala Earley, the Nationwide’s chief economist has said
“The tightening of credit conditions, along with changing expectations of house price growth and a general weakening in consumer confidence in the economy have led to a severe slowing in housing market activity. With house purchase transactions so far below their long-term trend, it seems unlikely that there will be any rapid turnaround in housing market fortunes in the coming months. However, as prices continue to fall, affordability measures become more favourable for those in a well-financed position to be able to buy.”
So then, there is a sector of the population that will do well from the current credit crunch. But let’s face it, with the highest ever debt to credit ratio, the benefiting minority, really is an insignificant proportion of Britain. How the main bulk of Britons (including our very own government) are going to sort their financing issues is still unclear.
With hints that interest rates will increase, the future looks slightly bleak. Another figure to think about is that the number of repossessions increased by 17% in the first quarter of 2008. So basically, if you have a home you may lose it and if you don’t you are unlikely to anytime in the near future!