Yet another day and yet another Tory cock-up. This time, it's the bidding for the rail franchise to run the West Coast mainline. This was originally won to much public disgust by First Group.
It now transpires that there was a problem with the bidding process that has lead to the Transport Minister issuing a grovelling apology and the suspension of 3 civil servants.
How much has this farce cost the Taxpayer ?, around £40m. Now, the whole process has to start again, but not until after an enquiry has taken-place into the way that the process for bidding for rail franchises works has been held.
I say "why not simply let the franchise end, then place the line back under public ownership ?." By transferring the line and rolling-stock back to Government control, profits made from fares will reduce the UK's ever-increasing deficit rather than lining the pockets of private enterprise.
My opinion on life. From making money to bad service, I blog about it all. If my opinions offend, tough, It's my blog, not yours.
Showing posts with label David Cameron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Cameron. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Disaster budget for UK will sink economy.
Today, George Osbourne unleashed the most disastrous budget in 30 years as he failed to grasp basic economic principles.
His headline increase in the lower tax limit claims to make the average British lower Tax payer upt o £220 a year better-off. However, in order to reap the rewards, a person would have to be a non-smoker, non-drinker without any motorized transport and not claiming Working Tax Credit. That will be about 17% of the affected population.If you are a Working Tax Credit claimant, then whatever you gain in tax-free earnings, you will lose in a reduction of your WTC payments.
The Chancellor has announced that the planned 3p increase in fuel duty will still go ahead, but not until August. This just postpones the problem that this increase will cause.
Osbourne was quoted in the past as saying that a "1p reduction in fuel duty costs the UK economy £500m in Taxes". What he fails to understand is the massive effect on the economy that the 3p increase will have. The increase will force-up the pump-price and cause a drop in sales, this will in turn, lead to garages closing with the staff being laid-off and going-on to claim benefits.
Add to this the drop in income from fuel Tax and the closure of UK haulage companies unable to compete with foreign drivers running their trucks with extra tanks filled-up cheaply on the continent and you are talking of a potential loss to the UK economy far in excess of £1.5Bn. This is something that George Osborne has failed to add in to his calculations.
The final straw is the freezing of Personal Tax Allowances for pensioners. They already get a pittance to live on now, so when this kicks-in, all the pensioners will be condemed to a life of poverty. Shame on you George Osbourne.
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