What would YOU cut ?

[Ivanhoe]

/////Even if they made public transport FREE we would find that the people who can afford to travel by car will still do it. This would be bound to introduce a two-tier society whereby the poor are restricted and the rich are able to do what they want and go where they want.  ///////

Just as we have had since the 80's, a run down of our vital public transport systems for income tax cuitting purposes.

[Papaumau]

Another way we can learn from Europe I think !

For some unknown reason it appears that in Britain the cost of public transport keeps going up and up and of course this trend does nothing towards getting us out of our cars and into this public transport.

In most European states the public transport is either state owned and run or is heavily subsidised so as to make it attractive for commuters in particular to use rather than getting the car out.

All British governments of the past have promised to make public transport available and cheap for the ordinary working people and yet they STILL allow all of these privatised transport services to keep making massive profits at our expense.

[Ivanhoe]

Papaumau, EU railways have been heavily subsidised by the EU State for decades, hense fairs are cheaper.

But EU workers pay higher rates of income tax than British workers, and EU workers do not have our unjust local tax ( under any name ) to pay.   All of the EU's vital services are funded from general taxation.

Since the Thatcher era the British have been conned by the low income tax ethos, by the get rich quick attitude, by the "there is no such thing as society" attitude that spawned across this country from the mouth of that woman.

I could hope that Ed Milliband will take us fully into the EU, but is this wishfull thinking ?

[Papaumau]

Yes, even our privatised railway companies have been subsidised by the state, which allows them to make profits on non-profitable routes to a degree, BUT, we have never had the same amount of subsidisation as the German and the French railways have had from their governments.

Whether it is higher wages and pensions coupled with higher subsidisation that is doing it or not,  I think that we STILL have a lot to learn from Europe about how we should do it. Their public transport is used much more readily than ours is and as they are willing to put more trains on at peak times they are not as badly crushed during the rush hour either.

[Ivanhoe]

///////Yes, even our privatised railway companies have been subsidised by the state, which allows them to make profits on non-profitable routes to a degree, BUT, we have never had the same amount of subsidisation as the German and the French railways have had from their governments.

Whether it is higher wages and pensions coupled with higher subsidisation that is doing it or not,  I think that we STILL have a lot to learn from Europe about how we should do it. Their public transport is used much more readily than ours is and as they are willing to put more trains on at peak times they are not as badly crushed during the rush hour either.  ///////

We have, and are being conned into believing that our low income tax economy culture is the best way to keep the economy going, it is'nt.
 

[Papaumau]

I think that very few people in Britain now believe that as they know that just by keeping income tax low does not deal with all of our needs.

As my old grannie used to say: "There is a thousand ways to skin the proverbial cat".

One of these ways is to replace direct taxation with indirect taxation as these taxes are easier to hide. They include the many stealth taxes, the VAT, and the fuel taxes.

We caught on to that one a long time ago I think.

[Ivanhoe]

I think that very few people in Britain now believe that as they know that just by keeping income tax low does not deal with all of our needs.

As my old grannie used to say: "There is a thousand ways to skin the proverbial cat".

One of these ways is to replace direct taxation with indirect taxation as these taxes are easier to hide. They include the many stealth taxes, the VAT, and the fuel taxes.

We caught on to that one a long time ago I think.

The British catch onto everything too late methinks.