Don't ask me why, but this mornings lastest exepenses scandal revalation really made me madder than most. It was the fact that MP's, apparently, are allowed to claim accountancy and legal fees for their own personal tax affairs.
The way that is works in the "real world" that I inhabit is that we pay an accounant to submit our company's tax returns and we occasionally have to pay for legal advice, both legitimate business expenses.
However, I pay an accountant to submit my own returns out of my own money. I do this for one reason. I don't use my company's money as my own personal money pit and if I did it would be treated as income and taxed. Are MP's being taxed? I doubt it.
But, there are some good things happening in the world. I liked the story of the old lady of 109 who complained to the Queen that in all the birthday cards she had received since she reached the ripe old age of 100 the Queen has been wearing the same yellow dress. So, Prince William stopped by to apologise for his granny and promised that in future she would change her outfit. Ah!
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21 comments:
Each day and each revelation of our ministers, makes me madder and madder. I shall blow a fuse soon!
I thought that was a really sweet story about the lady of 109 and her cards. One of the chuckles in an otherwise depressing newspaper.
Love Granny
Ah nothing like those personalised birthday cards from the queen.
I was out with a friend this morning & we had a real rant, both of us, about this very thing!
Why should other people have to pay for their own accountant and STILL pay for the blasted MPs as well! Oh don't start me off again.
Forget the "last final, final say", we need to your comments as it is what we'd like to say but can't put it into words the way you can. Flagmaker
Ahhh! Now that's sweet of the prince.
Imagine living to 109. I can't actually. I think my body will give out long before that. But the changes one would see......
As for your politicians? They are making the news even over here. That's bad.
Hows the hubby?
I also read the story about the Queen's dress on the birthday cards she sends and thought it was wonderful. As for our MPs - nothing surprises me anymore but like most other folk it infuriates me. A x
Alistair Darling can't fill in his own tax return - he has to employ an accountant to do it for him because the Chancellor's Budget laws are too difficult. But it's not from his own money - it's from our's, as you say. I am self employed. I have an accountant BUT I have to pay from my own hard earned cash, vastly dinishing in value because this bloody lot have got us into 30 years debt. (sorry about my language!)
Oh and Gordon Brown had Tony Blair over at Downing Street last week to give him some advice about the false claims. Tony said, "I shredded all my documents just before I moved out of No 10. I'm squeaky clean and grinning like a Cheshire Cat! I'm alright Gordon!"
Loved the story about the 107 year old - It almost makes us feel life is worth living! ~ Eddie
OK so if MPs can have that,free service, because that's what it is in reality, well free to them.
How about everyone who has of necessity to claim a state benefit , have an expert at filling in forms to help them get more money to add to their meagre pot of money!!!!
Me again RAC - I thought part of an accountant's job was to find ways of avoiding paying tax! A x
Keep on giving us your "Finals" - we like to see what sensible people think about the rascals who use our money!
The fault here seems to be the "Green Book" which apparently says it's OK to charge the taxpayer for accountancy advice. I can't entirely blame an MP for accepting it as legitimate. But surely someone like Mr Darling ought to know better!
Apart from this particular case, it seems to me that none of these scandals would have occurred but for the Parliamentary Fees Office; they appear to have been almost totally useless. And who was in overall charge of it? That nice Mr Martin - or is it Lord Martin of Bagpipershire by now?
I just can't stop ranting about the expenses scandal, I don't think we've heard anything like the last of it yet, and now the lid's coming of the can of worms that is MEP's allowances.
Where will it all end? At this rate they'll soon have to pay for all their personal expenses themselves, just like us ordinary people!
Good morning granny, at least the weather is good in the UK at the moment!
Don't you just love the Queen, momcat? She's must be feeling very disturbed about the way things are going in this Country.
And another rant of mine Maggie is that there used to be tax relief on mortgage interest payments for us ordinary mortals until this bunch of tossers decided this was giving hard working families an unfair advantage over benefit scroungers. Little did we realise that MP's were allowed to reclaim the entire interest payment on a "second home" as an "allowance".
Thank you flagmaker, you are too kind.
OG's not too good at the moment aims. He is having another brain scan on 8th June and this may give some answers.
And the MP's are just the tip of the iceberg Anne, what about the ridiculously overpaid PC appointments in local government. For instance Bradford is currently advertising for an "Enterprise Enabler (Primary & Secondary) for £41,000 pa. They need to get real!
Now Eddie, don't get me started on Tony Blair. There's a scary man! You only have to look at his choice of life partners to know his is seriously insane. For "life partners" read his wildly ugly wife Cherie, Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbell etc.
I liked what Nick Clegg said Doglover. The rules were set by MP's who then went on to break them and they should be prosecuted.
But which prison would we send them to Nick? They are all so overcrowded that police are being instructed not to prosecute anyone who commits a crime to feed a drug habit.
I know, lets stop the chirade. The criminals are already in charge of the asylam.
Oh no, VM, that would not work at all. The whole system would break down entirely if good citizens were encouraged or, god forbid, enabled to claim the obscure benefits this government hypes up as proof of their endless and enduring generosity.
I know that I do bang on a bit about how well Switzerland works Swearing Mother, but they have a model that works. Why don't we emulate them?
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