neilh
OK it's a fair cop!! I'll withdraw the "in their eyes" assumption!!! Let's just ask the question direct. Do you believe in not giving the elderly preferential treatment? Do you believe in giving the wealthy preferential treatment? I'd be interested to hear your arguments about why the more/most needy in society shouldn't be given support whilst the least needy (i.e. the wealthy) should be ...
We've already seen from the "Child Benefit" thread that some people here are of the view "why give couples with children preferential treatment?". So I guess in thier eyes Osborne is at least being consistent - i.e "why give the elderly preferential treatment?" And for complete consistency we ought to ask the question about those least in need - "why give the wealthy preferential treatment?"
@burneside . you're right, i have ignored immigration but becuase it just introduces a whole host of other social issues not directly related to the child benefit thread. just so that i'm clear though, is what you're saying that we shouldn't support our own children but rely on increased immigration instead to bail the country out of its future social economic crisis? it's a valid solution but ...
I think I must have missed something in Osborne's doublespeak - how reducing the upper rate tax threshold from 50% to 45% means that the wealthiest in the country are paying more? can anyone explain?
I should say by the way that social economics is a minefield!!
@Nelson . agreed there are other benefits such as tax credit etc. however the figures i was playing with are conservative. Let's go to the extreme for example and assume that the state, not parents, looked after all children. The cost of raising a child in residential care is let's say £30,000 - £40,000 a year (I'm guessing because I don't know that particular stat but I do know that's approx ...
@Don - agreed @Lynne - issue of the retired/elderly is very similar and a separate thread would be interesting There'll always be opposing views on child benefit and similar such state "benefits" because people all have different underlying perceptions about "self" and "society". If we start from the premise that a couple who have children are actually providing a benefit to society then you ...
Not sure what the "reward" is for having kids. Estimated life-time cost of having a child is these days probably around the £80-100,000 mark once you take into account things like the need for larger house, car, food, clothing, holidays etc etc. So anyone having a kid is not undertaking that decision lightly. The relationship of tax to child benefit is a difficulkt one because the cost of a child ...
Gas has to be "transported". Electricity and water (to lesser extent) can both be produced/ processed locally. The national Electricity Grid was established to service old technologies - i.e. big carbon-fuel based power stations, when coal/oil/gas was especially plentiful and cheap . A grid is still a good idea to balance off production and demand but with modern techologies (and these are ...
@Lynne yes, disappointing that more councillors didn't turn up to give support
