Buying from the little O'l USofA

[Moz]

Kinda wrote:

************TAX*****************

Income tax, council tax, VAT, excise duty, road tax, insurance tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, NATIONAL INSURANCE (another bloody tax), petrol tax, corporation tax, congestion charge, window tax (soon to be brought back, I am sure)........blah, blah, blah.

So basically it is because we are royally screwed to the wall by successive, beloved governments, whose measure of how well they do is determined by their self-perceived standing on the world stage regardless of the cost to their own people.

When we vote we vote only for the party that we would most like to be taxed by. If we have some vague sympathy with one parties 'smoke and mirrors' over anothers then the pain seems more bearable.


Cheers

Moz

There, that feels better!

 

[jonf]

Much as I sympathise with what you say, Moz, it's not just tax. Cost of land, labour and materials, as well as transport all add to costs here. Seen the cost of shop rental here?

Don't think that the American government doesn't hate it's own as much as the UK one. US health 'system'? It's a shambles. Inner city education? Makes our very worst look fabulous. Seen what happened in New Orleans? Downtown Detroit, forty years after the riots which wrecked the place? What happens to a US citizen unable to look after him/herself?

Our taxes are actually fairly low by European standards, and there are pretty good reasons why they are higher than in the US. I for one would rather pay more tax (although I don't like it, and moan about it all the time) than live in the States.

 

[Moz]

JonF wrote:
Much as I sympathise with what you say, Moz, it's not just tax. Cost of land, labour and materials, as well as transport all add to costs here. Seen the cost of shop rental here?

Don't think that the American government doesn't hate it's own as much as the UK one. US health 'system'? It's a shambles. Inner city education? Makes our very worst look fabulous. Seen what happened in New Orleans? Downtown Detroit, forty years after the riots which wrecked the place? What happens to a US citizen unable to look after him/herself?

Our taxes are actually fairly low by European standards, and there are pretty good reasons why they are higher than in the US. I for one would rather pay more tax (although I don't like it, and moan about it all the time) than live in the States.

Indeed, you are right in many ways...

...but isn't it good just to have a damned good rant and rail it about it all even though we all know it won't make the blindest bit of difference. Ah, democracy and the Western Way 😱

Now where is my Acme Home-Dictator Kit?

Cheers

Moz

 

[jonf]

Moz wrote:

...but isn't it good just to have a damned good rant and rail it about it all

Oh yes, I'm known for my ranting too. They all think I'm a nutter at work. And do I care? Not a bit