Am I the only one who thinks scrimping and saving can go and get fucked for bare essentials

[Freedomfromunfairbills]

All the advice about cost of living seems to be ways you can scrimp and save to possible cobble together enough money to stay alive on bare necessities such as food, water, etc. Am I the only one thinking fuck this we just should not accept this when many of the companies jacking up their prices are making record profits. Even if it’s technically possible why on earth should I give up new clothes, gadgets, TV, holidays abroad, ect all to fund the obscene riches of the one percent. Instead of this advice on how to possibly meet these we actually need to say on mass no we are not surfs under the feudal system and we refuse to become a peasant class enough is enough. We should demand the government steps on and nationalises these companies and demand immediate taxes on the ultra rich to fund it all. I’ve always been fairly right wing and conservative but surely this is simply some kind of feudalism that will reduce many of us to little more than peasants and ruin the quality of life for many. Aibu?

It’s been falling in the UK in recent years, with GINI now 34%, about the same level as Germany.

The shareholders of large listed companies like bp are insurance companies and pension funds. Basically the dividends are funding pensions and life insurance. They are very large companies and actually the market is competitive so they don’t tend to make excessive profits over time. But it’s not owned by some “rich guy” rather by teachers pension funds, etc.

Two more years of abject misery and then we can get 5 years of Keir Starmer offering little alternative. What's the point?

Do you think that the bookmakers have this one wrong then?

I reckon that they are about right, with Conservatives being slight favourites. I think they are perhaps slightly underestimating the effect of the tories getting their act together and the likely Labour civil war that will inevitably be in full-swing as the election campaign gets under way.

I was a tax advisor for years. Any provision of a company car should be reported as a benefit in kind. Passing ownership of a car for under value is also a benefit in kind. Both are fully taxable if you are using them for personal use. What your ex employer was doing sounds like tax evasion (or perhaps you just misunderstood what they were paying in tax).

it’s actually not at all easy to legitimately avoid tax at all (lots of weird myths on mn but irl it really isn’t). Of course there are schemes set up by the government to avoid tax but promote other behavior (like pensions) but beyond that it’s pretty tough these days.

We get the leaders we deserve, we really do.

40 years of privatisation/neoliberal madness and Corbyn and Milliband who at least offered an alternative were demonised like fuck, all so the Tories could continue to fuck over the non-rich.

The next 2 years will be that shit that even the Teflon Tories will be kicked out. Starmer is a fence sitting centrist. An unradical version of Blair. Not what is needed given the mess the country is going to be.

I’m not a bit and I’m a gc feminist.

Yes, they really do have it in for the low-paid, with those inflation-busting minimum wage rises, big increases in the tax-free allowance and the pensions triple lock, paid for by (checks notes) oh yes, higher taxes on top earners and the loss of their tax allowances.

Still, let’s not let facts get in the way of good old-fashioned ignorance and prejudice, eh?

Do you also blame the government for your waistline and general feeling of lethargy?

New clothes/shoes need to be bought at some point (if you've got growing children they're essentials). Smart phones are basically essentials now for day-to-day life with apps and a paperless society. Holidays abroad are a luxury that people will need to give up but going on holiday, in itself, is hardly 'capitalism'

Tv also becomes more of a need if you're stuck at home all the time because you can't afford to go anywhere.

Capitalism creates all these so called luxuries that often become essentials and cost a lot of money. Having clothes on your back and shoes on your feet is not a luxury.

Privatising water, energy and rail is working out so well isn't it?

The country is falling apart at the seams ffs and a lot of chickens coming home to roost at once.

Totally agree. Im a lifelong Labour voter, I will continue to be. I cant vote anyone else, who else is there?

And I had high hopes for Starmer but unfortunately as someone else said on the thread, Labour have no shape or force about them. They are also playing the game of identity and culture wars and I think thats not only dangerous but utterly unhelpful to society. People want jobs, money in their pockets, they want affordable housing, affordable public transport, affordable utilities, good schools, good health care. I dont hear about this

We need a Blair. No one seems to like that sort of comment but its true.

@Proudboomer
If you want new clothes, gadgets, TV, holidays abroad, ect then you like capitalism but you think the rich should fund it for you?

Anyone working full time should be able to afford some luxuries, atm many are working 40hrs pw to be poor.

Many of the rich rely on the less well off spending money & paying VAT etc if they have none, we will all suffer.

I'm starting to think Labour doesn't actually WANT to win an election because they don't know what to do.

I dont like that sort of explanation

2.3 times is a proportion not a percentage

9% and 23% are percentages not proportion

The measurement needs to add up

And Im not sure whether indirect taxes is a good measure, are we talking VAT and duty?

Wow, that’s quite a swerve to completely avoid engaging with the facts that disproved your previous post.

Do you even realise that you were doing it, or did your cognitive dissonance take,over your higher executive functions for a minute?

Come on, have some integrity here; how can you square your claim that they only care for the rich with the fact that they have increased the minimum wage, pensions and and tax-free allowance so much, funded by increases in tax and NI for the highest earners and by removing their allowances?

You have missed the point and you know it. As they were highlighting to you, you’re wrong. High earners have never paid so much in tax as they have under the Tories to fund the reliefs given to those on lower wages.

Water and rail is nationalised in Wales both have the same problems as the private sector does in England. So it's a weak argument

@Itisasecret
Nah, that’s lazy and a lie. Plus troll hunting is against MN rules. I am a lifelong labour voter, previous paid up member of the party and in a unionised profession. Their “action” has been non existent. Where have they been when the Tories have been destroying the country? My posting history will show I’m no bot, I’ve got nothing but disdain for this government
Others I’ve seen posting are the same. However, being disappointed in a rubbish government and equally calling out Labour for being a rubbish opposition does not a troll make. Even if you don’t agree with it. That’s lazy, lacks critical thinking and is against mn rules. If people were so inclined they could report and get all the shill accusations removed so stop wasting your time. It’s a bad argument anyway

Sure some are genuine but anyone who says Labour and Tories are the same, clearly hasn't bothered to find out anything about the party or just wants to plant the seed in peoples minds that as they are all the same, might as well stick with what we've got i.e a Tory supporter.

See it all the time on here etc.

I think the only way of measuring that properly is to use people that are employed rather than people who dont pay tax at source otherwise its hard to calculate accurately. The figures are skewed

Yes, you are correct, It is possible that use of the car owned by the company was taxed as a benefit in kind to the employee. Rumour was that it wasn’t.

the cars were usually sold after 3 years and replaced, all in order there.

The company constantly hired tax advisors (might have had a different title) to help us reduce corporate taxes - they were paid on commission as a % of reduced taxes. So this is more what I mean by it is “easier to avoid taxes when you have more money” people who have more wealth can afford to find more and more ways to avoid taxation. I have seen it in small ways and I’m sure it happens amongst friends at the top 0.01% who hold an astonishing disproportionate % of wealth.

Or they have an opinion which they are entitled to have. People can be equally fed up with both parties. Calling people like that trolls or shills is pretty pathetic.

Wales isn't a separate country & has limited powers/spending.

Try looking at EU countries and how their utilities are managed.

@Itisasecret I haven't called anyone anything at all, thats against MN rules but if you want rid of the Tories, constantly criticising Labour/Starmer but rarely the Tories, seems an odd way to achieve it.

All that will get you is another 5 years of the Cons and a long list of posts saying how terrible tory voters are.

I sometimes think that many people are just happy being in opposition.

All those things should be bought second hand to be honest.

But I agree about the rhetoric about Milliband and Corbyn although never liked Corbyn myself

I remember the 'warning' given to the public by Cameron about Milliband, 'vote Labour and get chaos with Ed Milliband'

and look where we are now 'Dave'.