Autumn Statement 2013 - your thoughts

[RebeccaMumsnet]

The Autumn Statement is currently live on the BBC

Thought to be included are a potential faster rise in pension age, married couples tax allowance, growth forecasts to be revised up and a fuel duty freeze

Share your thoughts below.

I lost faith in lots of charities ages ago, and I'm not the only one. But you keep giving them your hard-earned money.

"Charity Commission 'not fit for purpose', says Margaret Hodge

Highly critical report warns commission's failure to investigate fraud and abuse was undermining public faith in good causes"

...

"Commenting on the report, Hodge, the chair of the public accounts committee, said the commission "risks undermining public trust" in charities."

The inquiry was prompted by MPs' concerns over a complex tax avoidance scheme operated by the Cup Trust, a registered charity. The charity gave £152,292 to good causes while attempting to claim £46m back from the tax authorities in Gift Aid on £177m income. In 2010 it attracted more donations than the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Heart Foundation or the Salvation Army.

George Osborne introduced a cap of £50,000 on charitable tax relief last year after identifying widespread abuse. But an outcry from philanthropists persuaded the government to change its mind."

www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/04/charity-commission-not-fit-for-purpose-says-hodge

Shame Osborne did not succeed with his plans, but lots of well-heeled "philanthropists" came out of the woodwork and howled him down.

"Gordon Brown’s secret army could defeat the Coalition’s welfare and education reforms

Britain’s charities and quangos are now stuffed to the gunwales with Labour placemen "

"Only now, long after the election, do we begin to realise how clever Gordon Brown really was. After the crash, in his last two years in office, he started preparing for a new kind of Opposition. Labour might be turfed out of government, but it could carry on the fight through charities, quangos and think tanks. At one stage, Brown had a team in Downing Street devoted to appointments in public bodies, carefully building what would become a kind of government-in-exile. And if the Tories tried anything radical – like welfare reform – then Labour’s new fifth columnists would strike."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9633379/Gordon-Browns-secret-army-could-defeat-the-Coalitions-welfare-and-education-reforms.html

And if all the landlords sold up there would be a housing crisis, because governments are not prepared to spend the money to build the necessary housing stock. That's why landlords are vital. It's cheaper than them starting from scratch and building lots of new homes.

"IT is a great shame that Ukip, which did spectacularly well in last week’s local elections, has ditched its long-standing commitment to a flat tax. It

...

But a flat tax, thought through properly and phased in carefully over a number of years, would hugely benefit the British economy."

www.cityam.com/article/ukip-wrong-ditch-flat-tax-farage-s-party-roll

There is lots of money wasted in charitable tax relief for "philanthropists" etc and in taxpayer money being used to promote and help the Spice Girls of Ethiopia etc. If all of that was cut, then more of the taxpayer's money could remain in people's pockets and that would fuel economic growth as it would be spent in the economy here rather than being wasted by progressives overseas and ending up in progressives' pockets.

"New research, released today, reveals the true extent of government funded lobbying by charities and pressure groups .

This report argues that, when government funds the lobbying of itself, it is subverting democracy and debasing the concept of charity. It is also an unnecessary and wasteful use of taxpayers’ money "

www.iea.org.uk/publications/research/sock-puppets-how-the-government-lobbies-itself-and-why

The above report is amazing. I've only skimmed it, but it is fascinating.

It explains how the EU, governments and elites fund some of the "climate change" groups etc that they want the public to believe in using public money. Spin, social engineering and sock puppetry to lead the public where they want them to go.

Jesus claig get a grip.

wondering, no wonder you're wondering. It is all out of newspapers and reports from the Institute of Economic Affairs. I'm not making it up.

'George Osborne introduced a cap of £50,000 on charitable tax relief last year after identifying widespread abuse'

It is a shame Osborne didn't win and the "philanthropists" won, but maybe if the Tories get in again, they may look at it again, which will mean that they can reduce taxation on ordinary people as they take more tax from the "philanthropists".

Read the IEA report and you will see how they fund "climate change" organisations with taxpayer money who lobby for green taxes to tax the public further and how they do not fund climate sceptic organisations which want to "cut the green crap".

Mental.

Yeah, the IEA report is mental, well worth a read.

claig have you got a link to the IEA report? I would like to have a read of it.

ironman, it is an amazing report. It explains all the politically correct spin at the taxpayer's expense. No wonder they don't want UKIP to win, because lots of this publicly funded spin would be scrapped. An end to the gravy train at the public's expense. Here it is.

www.iea.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/files/Sock%20Puppets.pdf

Osborne wanted to be rid of the much abused charitable tax relief, but many large donors who often fund political parties too stopped it.

Let people give to the poor because they want to not for the tax breaks.

Simple tax systems mean fewer abuses, less avoidance and people taking decisions based on how they think not how the state is telling them to think for the tax break concerned.

The Autumn Statement was an expected not very exciting and does not affect most people in a material way as there is no money to be had.

I am confused. The IEA says it is a charty but also that it receives no funding from the government.

wondering, not all charities receive government funding.