1.5 million pensioners overpaid tax since 2004.

[Papaumau]

When looking about for pensioner's news-items I came on this little gem:

It appears that because of the complexities in and the mistakes made by HM Revenue & Customs on our tax payments, the British pensioner taxpayers paid £250 million too much tax since 2003. ( That's £171 each on average ).

Interestingly, because of a similar load of mistakes 500,000 of us also underpaid some £207 each - on average - of tax that we were due to pay.

I look at it like this:

Why do pensioners pay any tax at source at all as if we have money to spend we pay all of the other purchase and value-added taxes that everyone else pays.

Surely it is time that the pensioners of Britain were taken OUT of the income tax brackets for good as we have paid our whack of taxes all of our working lives ?

If we WERE to be taken out of the income-tax brackets they would not need to chase us for this tax and those figures above would not happen at all. Not to mention that if these taxes were not needed to be serviced by the tax-workers at HMR & C they could make a saving in administration costs.

HERE is the article mentioned : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8320234.stm

[Hells Granny]

I'll definitely get behind that!

Cheers, HG

[Papaumau]

Thanks once again HG !

It seems that nobody else on the Pensioners forum agrees with us !

Sometimes I think that some of us just get what we deserve. 

[John]

Gordon Brown and his Clowns.

Sorry - no-one should deserve this.

When Gordon abolished the 10 pence tax band - he took
food out of the mouths of most pensioners, at a stroke.

No feelings, No thought - just a smug grin.

Otherwise HMRC is under direct control of this Government
and by this example its shows how little they care...

[Papaumau]

Sadly, I have to agree with you on that one as that was one of old Gordo's serious mistakes in the last term of office. ( YES, he made a few ! ).

HMR&C  are in the charge of the incumbent government - this too is true - but who are you going to blame for such things being and going wrong once you have overseen his, ( Brown's ), demise ?

Government-slapping is certainly a favourite pastime of the masses but I think that you will find that if that is all you think about you are going to slap the next lot even more if I am right about what THEY are going to do in your name in the future.

[Hells Granny]

It may have escaped Gordo's notice that many pensioners have not benefited from low interest rates, but in fact the reverse is true, their savings have been hit by the loss of interest, making pensioners more than averagely vulnerable to price and tax hikes in every sphere of business.

He has made it plain that he's not going to help, he's firmly in the 'Blow you Jack, I'm All Right' camp.

Cheers, HG

[Papaumau]

There is no doubt that New-Labour under Blair and Brown seriously lost direction and they turned their backs on the working classes in some misplaced desire to curry favour with the Tory voters and the upper-middle classes.

Only when Labour gets back to it's roots and starts to do things that make the lives of the ordinary people at the bottom end a bit better will they get back the support that they once had from the proletariat.

[John]

Gordon Brown has had plenty of time to engage with Social Values.

His credit has run out.

In a democracy it is only right to look at the elected government
and not so much have a knock - but criticise them when they
fail to do a good job with the billions of pounds that they now
take off the masses.

In some Countries - they do not have to take so much interest because
the people are looked after and come first. This is not true of England
& Wales.

Scotland can play at it - small population large administration.

Northern Ireland is the same.

[Papaumau]

Yes but, I think you miss the vital point here: Whatever hue of government is in people like you will always either cherry pick the good points if you want to support a failed government or they will cherry pick the bad points if they want to criticise the government. It is difficult to see the big picture when one is bogged down with the details.

This pastime will go on and on ad-nauseam no matter who is in charge !

Maybe it is time for a change of direction eh ?

[John]

"It is difficult to see the big picture when one is bogged down with the details."

Without the details you never get the picture, not the full picture anyway.

See points, cherry picked or not as pixels. Most people know that without
a certain amount of pixels the picture will be blurry or jagged.

Don't reply if you don't want to be bogged down - its that simple.

As for a change of direction - get Brown out and we will get one...

[Papaumau]

Do you REALLY think that getting rid of Brown will give us any real "change of direction" ?

If you are planning to put the Tories and Cameron in in his place you are just going to fall out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.

About details:

There is famous saying that fits very well here: "If you spend too long looking at the trees you might miss seeing the wood" ( or words to that effect ).

In other words...we are not equipped to be able to see the details as details require a great lot of specialism and aquired skill. The proles just do not have those specialist skills !

[John]

But if the proles revolted they would establish a better World.

They just do not know that they have the skills to do this.

But using their vote wisely - Brown leader of the Inner Party will go
and this will lead to a better Britain at least.

[Papaumau]

In Engurland you only have TWO real choices and that is between the Labour-Tories and the Tory-Tories. I do not think that enough floating voters or even revolutionary voters in England are going to give the third choice - The Lib-Dems - enough seats to form a majority.

We may see a coalition developing and that would put paid to most of the pet projects that the big two have plans for.

If that happens I for one would be fairly satisfied !

[John]

What big project do the Liberal Democrats have?

Mansion Tax for the asset rich, cash poor?

Is Council Tax not enough?

It is for most of us.

The last article in the Mirror (a well known Rag) about Clegg
describing him as 'butter-wouldn't melt-in-his-mouth' Mr Clegg
and berating his leadership skills  is all true then.

I notice Vince is still keeping a low key as well even after
the holidays.

[Papaumau]

Even if you are not interested in what the Liberal Democrats stand for and want to do you will find it hard to avoid these subjects in the next few weeks and months - that is if your eyes and mind are not closed to such subjects of course.

If I know Vince Cable, he is not going to let his proposed EDM fall without a fight.

Keep watching this space !