How is the autumn statement going to affect you?

[andy222]

I cant get my head round it at the moment. But I am sure I will be worse off.

[stevewool]

indeed andy we will have to pull the belt in further

[bigmarco]

There's only gloom Andy unless your one of the lucky millionaires to benefit from the Tax Cut.
But we've had a result because Starbucks have promised to pay an extra £20 million in tax.

[Terpe]

You've both got me thinking now.
I thought I might be the same or slightly better-off.

Silly really I guess where Osborne is concerned

Not that big Ed Balls fills me with confidence that he knows what he's talking about

I'm old enough to know that the working man will always be robbed.

[lastlid]

Relief over fuel duty but concerns over fracking - BBC headline.

If they can make a success with shale gas then we may be able to look forward to cheaper gas and electricity prices. This could be the thing to bail the UK out of this triple dip recession.

But too late to dig this government out of its hole.

[bigmarco]

Relief over fuel duty but concerns over fracking - BBC headline.

If they can make a success with shale gas then we may be able to look forward to cheaper gas and electricity prices. This could be the thing to bail the UK out of this triple dip recession.

But too late to dig this government out of hole.

Come off it! I'm old enough to remember all the promises over how better off we were going to be when they struck gold in the North Sea.
Privatised Utility companies have no intention of handing anything back to us other than a few crumbs.

[stevewool]

get use to it we are alone the humble worker , save enough and once you have enough say farewell to these shores and live happy doing what you have dreamed of

[grahamw48]

It's bringing homelessness ever closer.

[Arthur Little]

... one thing's for sure ... Osborne ain't "short of a bob or two"!

[rusty]

Depending on individual circumstances, you may be better off. It depends on any benefits claimed and how much you earn.

The personal allowance before you start paying tax has been raised to £9,440 so should mean paying less tax.

If you earn around £40,000 then you will pay more tax as the threshold to pay the higher rate tax has been lowered.

[lastlid]

Come off it! I'm old enough to remember all the promises over how better off we were going to be when they struck gold in the North Sea.
Privatised Utility companies have no intention of handing anything back to us other than a few crumbs.

I know what you are saying. But think how the country would have been if North Sea oil and gas wasn't there.

Also a trip to Aberdeen will demonstrate how oil and gas has had an impact - it enjoys the highest standard of living in the UK outside of London.

In a sense you are right, but we would have been far less well off without the oil. Take it away at the point of Scottish devolution and in England we will see a difference. Shale gas can bridge the void.

[andy222]

My philosophy might be wrong but it seems like we have been going round in circles for years with the two major parties. On one hand you have labour who will borrow money to get people back to work. Then you have the tories who cut borrowing and put people out of a job.

[lastlid]

My philosophy might be wrong but it seems like we have been going round in circles for years with the two major parties. On one hand you have labour who will borrow money to get people back to work. The you have the tories who cut borrowing and put people out of a job.

Yes and we are the piggies in the middle.

[RickyR]

Cost of living in the UK is reaching astronomical proportions, whilst quality of life is rapidly detiorating. Binge drinking and drugs seem to be the only affordable recreation for many, whilst the cost of clubs, gyms and leisure facilties increase and the cost of transport is unbearable.

At the moment I pay 18p a litre for fuel, I couldn't afford the 1.40 a litre in the UK. I actually think if I lived in the UK my quality of life would be close to zero.

Many of my friends who have qualified in Medicine, Law and Aeronautical Engineering have headed across to Australia, a country which is making concessions and doing everything it can to bring in people who want to work. The income tax is high, but quality of life is also high.

[andy222]

To make a impression on the manufacturing market here the cost of living needs to come down to be competitive. And we all know that wont happen.

[Trefor]

Well just remember that things are certainly not much rosier the other side of the channel. Since WW2 the West has prospered, and is now faltering. The East is the new growth/prosperous part of the planet. The pendulum swings.

I look at my P60 and see how much tax and NI I pay and get quite angry at people moaning about a few cuts. My tax is going up, but I'm OK paying to help others in need. People on lower wages love to gripe about those with higher incomes, but they often have no concept of how much tax they pay vs what they take out of the system. We can't scare off the higher rate taxpayers, if we do then there UK ltd will be bankrupt (OK, more bankrupt). Both Labour and the Conversatives know this and pander to top business (whether banks, drugs companies, oil companies) for this reason.

[Iani]

I know what Trefor means.

It's illustrated by that old post which does the rounds, and which I posted on here a while ago - the men drinking beer and splitting the cost according to their income etc etc yadda....

The higher income earners will always include those who put in the legwork to create the businesses and wealth in the first place. Frankly if they are taxed too heavily, they will all too easily move elsewhere where the tax regime is less strict - then the country loses all their tax income instead of some.

The "wealth creators" during their cheese and wine parties, might complain about the lower income people taking out of the income pot more than they do - whilst failing to comprehend that they only don't take as much out because they earn more, and can then pay for private education, pay for private healthcare, don't need welfare help because they never have to worry about putting on the gas fire - and of course, they never make the connection between the lower earners needing welfare payments to enable them to actually live............and the low pay they are given, which in turn boosts the profits of the employer, meaning that employer then can afford private education, can afford private healthcare..........and can complain about the employees taking HIS taxes in welfare payments..................

Point is, much as many through jealousy would like to tax the richer until the pips squeak, governments thankfully know this would be an insane idea. Notice how even Labour are pragmatic enough to leave the highest earners well alone. They know full well now that Eastern Europe is free, growing AND in the EU, the businesses would be straight off to Poland, and this has already happened in some cases.

[Iani]

Yes and we are the piggies in the middle.

Oh the tories have a brilliant idea, they want to let in tens of thousands of Romanians and Bulgarians, so that the labour market is even more saturated with people desperate enough to do any work, and keep down the labour costs so the fatcats can still afford that 8th holiday in Tuscany this year

[andy222]

We are a third world country in the making. You look how many british pop stars live abroad and millionaires for that matter. This has been going on for years. The main problem is getting jobs back into the country. And for our governments to invest our tax into companies here. But they wont. They would rather give millions in aid to other countries governments. And god only knows where that goes.

[Iani]

Oh I've little doubt this country is heading down the sewer. Every indication shows this, and every lesson from history. A country has it's day of glory, but then people (or the people in charge) get arrogant and complacent, and that nation falls.

One theory is that it comes down to economics and raw materials in particular. The european nations weren't doing so well, but many then went out and decided to make empires. Suddenly in came huge amounts of raw material and growth. Eventually the colonies decide they can do well for themselves and go their own way - the income stops.
Those colonies often find they couldn't run a bath never mind a country, the "mother country" still seems to feel they have a duty to pour aid in and let huge amounts of people come here.
Eventually the old country is bled dry, the new countries finally get their act together.............and I've even read in a financial report that the UK will eventually become the new India or Philippines - huge numbers of our young people forced to go work abroad in horrendous places to have a chance at earning anything.

This needs a government prepared to get a huge grip on many problems - but a lot of those problems are "elephant in the room" issues which no-one is brave enough to address

[lastlid]

Yes and we are the piggies in the middle.

Oh the tories have a brilliant idea, they want to let in tens of thousands of Romanians and Bulgarians, so that the labour market is even more saturated with people desperate enough to do any work, and keep down the labour costs so the fatcats can still afford that 8th holiday in Tuscany this year

What have piggies in the middle got to do with Romanians and Bulgarians? Cant see the direct connection.

[lastlid]

I know what Trefor means.

It's illustrated by that old post which does the rounds, and which I posted on here a while ago - the men drinking beer and splitting the cost according to their income etc etc yadda....

The higher income earners will always include those who put in the legwork to create the businesses and wealth in the first place. Frankly if they are taxed too heavily, they will all too easily move elsewhere where the tax regime is less strict - then the country loses all their tax income instead of some.

The "wealth creators" during their cheese and wine parties, might complain about the lower income people taking out of the income pot more than they do - whilst failing to comprehend that they only don't take as much out because they earn more, and can then pay for private education, pay for private healthcare, don't need welfare help because they never have to worry about putting on the gas fire - and of course, they never make the connection between the lower earners needing welfare payments to enable them to actually live............and the low pay they are given, which in turn boosts the profits of the employer, meaning that employer then can afford private education, can afford private healthcare..........and can complain about the employees taking HIS taxes in welfare payments..................

Point is, much as many through jealousy would like to tax the richer until the pips squeak, governments thankfully know this would be an insane idea. Notice how even Labour are pragmatic enough to leave the highest earners well alone. They know full well now that Eastern Europe is free, growing AND in the EU, the businesses would be straight off to Poland, and this has already happened in some cases.

Actually this is true and a point I had to make when being hounded by a certain forum member or two a few months back. We need the risk takers and wealth creators otherwise many of us wouldn't be in a job and that includes me.

[andy222]

But why the need for all foreign investors? Thats what I cant understand. Why dont the government invest. And another thing what gets me. If posh boy osborne gets the deficit down to zero. Will we as individuals benefit? I dont think so.

[Iani]

What have piggies in the middle got to do with Romanians and Bulgarians? Cant see the direct connection.

Me clicking the wrong quote button I meant more the Andy's quote about people being out of a job, which in turn was the piggies in the middle quote, which sort of led to the idea that there might be many more people coming here and chasing jobs when two economically disadvantaged countries earn full movement under EU rules, and............can I blame being hungover?

[lastlid]

Me clicking the wrong quote button I meant more the Andy's quote about people being out of a job, which in turn was the piggies in the middle quote, which sort of led to the idea that there might be many more people coming here and chasing jobs when two economically disadvantaged countries earn full movement under EU rules, and............can I blame being hungover?

I thought it might be something like that.

[lastlid]

Interesting article in the Daily Mail written by Nigel Lawson explaining the benefit of shale gas to the UK economy and why the UK government are announcing movement on it in the Autumn Statement. A game changer.

Interestingly quite a number of his facts are completely innacurate but the gist is okay. Anyhow hopefully the following will ring true....

"We are living in an era when good news is thin on the ground. The shale gas revolution is the exception: a game-changing piece of good news, both economically and geo-politically, both for this country and for the world."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/ar...#ixzz2EVMqpUb9
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[Arthur Little]

I had to laugh watching the BBC's Political Editor, Nick Robinson commentating on the Chancellor's [so-called] 'Autumn Statement' ... while standing outside No 10 in the steadily falling early winter snow.

[Arthur Little]

Interesting article in the Daily Mail written by Nigel Lawson explaining the benefit of shale gas to the UK economy

Hmm ... wonder what his famous, cooking guru daughter, Nigella thought of it?

[andy222]

Im just waiting to see what carrots osbourne will be dangling to us in the last 2 years or 18 months of their reign in power..

[Arthur Little]

Im just waiting to see what carrots osbourne will be dangling to us in the last 2 years or 18 months of their reign in power..

... raw carrots, most probably, Andy.