No
General, General Thread Page 2,151
Quote: Oldrocker @ April 9 2010, 12:35 AM BSTNo
haha and thanks for the tip, knew that already though, but he narrates rather than presents to be fair
Huh? 
Quote: Tim Walker @ April 9 2010, 1:07 AM BSTHuh?
I suggested David Attenborough on another thread as a presenter to watch. I've now suggested Fred Dibnah, pretty well unmatched for enthusiasm for his subject I feel.
Quote: Oldrocker @ April 9 2010, 1:11 AM BSTI've now suggested Fred Dibnah, pretty well unmatched for enthusiasm for his subject I feel.
Yep, when it came to destroying tall buildings, his enthusiasm was only really matched by Mohammed Atta.
Quote: DaButt @ April 8 2010, 7:30 PM BSTIt might be ok if they did away with the federal income tax, state income tax (Texas has none), sales tax, Medicare tax, Social Security tax and the other 8 zillion taxes we already pay. Somehow I think it will just be an additional tax for American consumers.
No chance!
Though I believe our VAT replaced Purchase Tax which was similar to your Sales Tax.
VAT requires ENORMOUS amounts of administration time, but it all has to be done by the businessmen/women so the Govment doesn't have to pay them.
I'm glad I de-registered for VAT on 1st Jan this year.
I gave up selling computer equipment some time ago, because the competition was fierce & it was only possible to get a 5% profit margin, but the Govment was happily taking a 17.5% profit as VAT without having to do ANY work for it at all.
The idea that take taxes away and we return to a nirvana of small business and personal responsibility. Is well naiev.
Small business's combine to form big business's and boy do they go to work. Choice between big government and big business? Not much in it. Except big business not only has no conciense it has not fear of being slung out after 4 years.
And thanks to globalisation and massive salary disparities between 3rd and 1st world. It is only big government that's preventing all out jobs going overseas. Whole cities depend on government work, cut taxes and the business jobs will still go to China.
Quote: billwill @ April 9 2010, 5:38 AM BSTNo chance!
Though I believe our VAT replaced Purchase Tax which was similar to your Sales Tax.
Our sales tax is determined and collected by the individual state. A VAT would be collected by the federal government.
So the only diference is the level it is collected at?
So what it's the same money?
Quote: DaButt @ April 9 2010, 11:43 AM BSTOur sales tax is determined and collected by the individual state. A VAT would be collected by the federal government.
No VAT is COLLECTED by each of the businesses down the line from production to final sales and is then handed over to the Govment on pain of mighty fines if it aint done right and on time.
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In the UK the VAT is/was handled by Customs & Excise a Govment department that was originally set up to handle smuggling and it was assigned mighty powers of search without warrant and impose fines and other beastly procedures. This they carried over into their VAT activities, so they have powers to do snap inspections of your accounts, without warning. The one thing you learned early in running a business was "Don't mess about with the VAT man" .
It used to be that if you were late paying Income Tax or Corporation Tax there was little in the way of fines; the "Inland Revenue" just charged you interest on the late amount.
But now, departments "Inland Revenue" and "Customs & Excise" have merged together, so the powers have effectively been added to Inland Revenue as well.
Anyone else spot this?? 
http://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2010/04/09/10811/snob_gags
Why are you in disguise in your pic Dan?? 
Quote: Tim Walker @ April 8 2010, 7:38 PM BSTI do think about a question posed by PJ O'Rourke - "Who do you trust most to spend your money? Yourself or the government?".
When you look at the burgeoning debts of government and the crippling personal debts of most, if not many, citizens, the answer is neither.
Quote: sootyj @ April 9 2010, 11:45 AM BSTSo the only diference is the level it is collected at?
So what it's the same money?
Taxes that wind up in the federal coffers are used to pay for defence, Social Security and other federal programs. Sales tax goes to the state and pays for state infrastructure and programs. They are two completely different things and my point was that a VAT would be nothing but an additional federal tax unless it replaced income tax.
I don't want Uncle Sam to take any more of my money, especially if it's used to continue his ridiculous habit of spending more money than he brings in. I want government to shrink, not grow.
I live in a state that is fairly sound, financially speaking. Our governor spends wisely. Free-spending states like California have the highest taxes in the nation yet have the worst infrastructure, schools and economies. Now there is talk of a federal bailout and I can't stand the thought of my federal tax dollars being used to reward other states for irresponsible spending.
Quote: billwill @ April 9 2010, 4:03 PM BSTNo VAT is COLLECTED by each of the businesses down the line from production to final sales and is then handed over to the Govment
I was referring to the entity that would be on the receiving end of a proposed VAT in the United States. The feds already take a healthy chunk of my paycheck via the taxes I mentioned previously and a VAT that was merely an extra tax would be most unwelcome.
I saw an advert for a finance company - Quick Quid or something.
Typical APR - 2356%
F**k me! Should they be allowed to get away with it or do the people who go to them deserve all they get?
Quote: Chappers @ April 9 2010, 6:04 PM BSTF**k me! Should they be allowed to get away with it or do the people who go to them deserve all they get?
They deserve it. I assume it's one of those "I need money on Wednesday and don't get paid until Friday" places, so the terms are short and the actual interest paid is a few percent.