AIBU TO WONDER HOW IN GOD'S NAME PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE INRESE IN ENERGY PRICES

[Diamondsareforever123]

OK this obviously won't affect those who are lucky enough to have money - but - how are those on low incomes/benefit, poor pensioners, etc. ever going to possibly be able to afford the energy price increases? Also the increases will have a knock-on price increase effect on everything we buy - food, clothes ...... I am concerned.

A U turn re net zero carbon emissions is required together with utilising North Sea Gas.

@RosesAndHellebores global warming also comes with a pretty hefty price tag- and not one you can opt out of because poverty.

Yanbu, and also given we are currently at the mercy of a pandemic, the last thing we need is an unhealthy living environment, people need to be strong and healthy to avoid getting sicker from a bug, if people are not eating properly they will be iller and therefore impacts nhs to a great degree.

@Lolamento

Details please because the taxes in France are insane.

We’ve never found them “insane” so I’d appreciate a citation or further evidence to back up your claim.

Due to personal circumstances for many years we’ve paid tax (income tax, NI in the Uk and income/social charges in France) in both the Uk and France and certainly never found French income tax or social charges on income that high, especially when we had young children at home.

@SweetPetrichor

I think we have to relearn how to make do with less. The sad faces in the Sun and the Mail where they’re like ‘we have to wrap up in dressing gowns and blankets to keep warm’…no shit, it’s winter. My living room thermometer currently reads 16 deg, but it’s fine, cause I have layers on. I could afford to heat it more and shed layers but that’s wasting money.

I am sure Johnson and chums will be taking the same measures.

It is not as simple as putting on an extra layer for some people due to disability or illness.

There are other potential issues connected with not being able to heat a house adequately too, such as an increase in condensation and mould.

I agree @Porcupineintherough but just thought I'd put it out there as there are consequences to all choices made and that is the quick fix. Especially as the problem arises from the speed of the implementation of net zero (which most of us support) compounded by lower than anticipates wind speeds.

I don’t know if I’d call French taxes insane but I’d be about £500 a month worse off earning the same amount in France. I’d actually be fine with it if the services and schools were better. I don’t actually know if they are.

Fridafever services and schools are imo better in France. We pay tax here but have a 2nd home there. We have some big decisions to make in light of Brexit, our retirement and where to be domiciled.

Well plenty of billionaires called for higher taxes didn't they? Why not do that? People over x amount eg top tax bracket, pay more tax on a sliding scale, so the very highest earners pay a bigger percentage, as well as a higher amount.

Of course, it's tricky that the Chancellor is a billionaire 😄

@Muminabun

For those lambasting the tories and their voters did you see labours manifesto of spending lots of magical money? Anyone remember the joke note of there being no money left. Where does this hilarious idea that Labour are fiscally competent come from?

Wasn't magical money. if I remember rightly it was through proper taxation of big businesses. Really not hard to understand.

@Fridafever

I don’t know if I’d call French taxes insane but I’d be about £500 a month worse off earning the same amount in France. I’d actually be fine with it if the services and schools were better. I don’t actually know if they are.

High earners with no dependents tend to pay more compared with the UK and there are some sizeable social charges on some investment type income but you’re still not at the sort of levels you hear about in some Scandinavian countries.

OTOH the income tax bands and then superimposed on that the parts system tends to work very much in favour of anybody with dependents at home and most especially those lower earners with family - as a result many of those pay zero income tax.

FWIW quality of schooling can be variable TBH (but going private is rare and certainly not guaranteed to be an improvement on the local state product) and services such as healthcare, transport tend to be G/VG compared with comparable in UK.

Of course if we return to the debate and compare energy charges……

So is anyone going to protest?? Or do we just sit here and moan on MN?

@PurpleThursdays

So is anyone going to protest?? Or do we just sit here and moan on MN?

Have a look at the Rishi's loan is really a sneaky tax thread.

People aren't protesting but are complaining through the official channels. I hope more people join them.

Do you have a link please? I'm game for a protest too. It's my right as a human.

For those lambasting the tories and their voters did you see labours manifesto of spending lots of magical money?

Not just the manifesto - John McDonnell tacked on an extra £58bn for Waspi pensions not included in his manifesto calculations;

inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-manifesto-waspi-pensions-pledge-policy-58-billion-ifs-warning-366897

Rishi's £200 loan is really a sneaky tax http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/4473943-Rishis-200-loan-is-really-a-sneaky-tax

@PurpleThursdays

We're the ' squeezed middle' both work (DH good income and me on minimum wage. We've already had to stop the heating going on over winter. We have hot water and that's it. Electric blankets for the family when it's freezing.
If things go up much more we literally will not be able to live in our council house anymore and no where else will house us, we took years to get this place but it's a fair rent scheme so your rent is in line with private rent and the council tax js £££.
It's frightening.

@PurpleThursdays

Do you have a link please? I'm game for a protest too. It's my right as a human.

Yes it is still your right to protest but provided you are not noisy in doing so:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56391988

I'm running out of fucks to give, the government have been more unlawful in the past 6 months than I've ever been in my life so they can fuck right off.

Why shouldn't the 'Waspi women' have their money back ?

I will write to my MP but I'd be prepared to go further if needs be. The NI increase at a time when everything is going up is just ridiculous. So many Tories people have profited off the back of the pandemic ti the tune of billions. This isn't fucking fair and I am through being polite. Fuck the fucking lot of them.

Even those I know who get by ok are going to really struggle but hey the government will lend the poorest £200, that will fix everything…

@DGRossetti

Feel free to pick this apart.

but did they have a cap ? That has now been removed?

These price increases are world wide NOT just in the UK

A better figure to make a point is compare per unit / per litre of oil what they are paying .

Other poster said the French are going to have a price increase of about £64 per month equivalent ? About the same as here ?

So someone is not telling the truth ?