[Closed] Ok your PM for the day. What savings would you make?

spend a huge amount on building houses

I'd spend money on teaching the difference between you're and your.

You can't put a price on pedantry.

Hs2 & the carriers, I.e. build one not 2.

wwaswas - Member

I'd spend money on teaching the difference between you're and your.

You can't put a price on pedantry.

Beaten to the punch!

However rather than spending more money on it I would re-introduce the cane to enforce the correct use.

just to work the pedantic seam a little harder, the OP did say "Savings" not "spending". We all have wonderful ideas on how to spend other people's money, anyone got any on how not to?

just to work the pedantic seam a little harder, the OP did say "Savings" not "spending". We all have wonderful ideas on how to spend other people's money, anyone got any on how not to?

We should cut funding to the Department Of Pedantry.

[i]Department Of Pedantry.[/i]

I think the 'o' is lower case in 'of' when giving names of government departments?

igmc

They need to make them and there are a few liberals on here so let's hear them. Where woul you start with the whole deficit thing?

It's too late, they already started by giving all our money to the banks.

Remove tax relief on the mortgages for second homes?

Not quite a saving but as boosting income has the same net impact as savings then it is a place to start.

Personally I'd move a crap load more government/civil service departments out of London and the south east. There are very few that actually need to be in the capital

'Whose' my PM for the day?

Not a liberal here...

There is no 1 big ticket to solve everything so

Cut
Winter Fuel Payment to Pensioners above earning threshold of something decent
Child benefit to household income over £70k
Stop all final salary pensions schemes for new starters
Enforce IR35 rules

To get things going - remove VAT from fuel

I'd nationalise the personal banking sector, ditto water and power, I'd arrest the board of vodaphone and Sachs for tax evasion and any others that have done the same,
I'd honour the covenant with the armed forces, as while they fight for our country our government screw em over..
Things along those lines, till I wake up with a grump on..then the death squads are out....
Then I'd declare myself to be El Presidente glorious leader for life Khani...Yaaaaay!!!!

You wouldn't need to make any savings at all if you just made the rich, and corporations, pay the same rate of tax as us 'little people'

Department Of Pedantry.

I think the 'o' is lower case in 'of' when giving names of government departments?

igmc

I stand corrected. The DoP do vital work. Let's just cut tax breaks for orphanages, instead.

Immediate tax rise on Audi estates, pies, high end XC-oriented full suspension bikes and levies on IT sector salaries.

I'd ban all single occupancy car journeys under one mile made by able-bodied people without luggage. 😀

And I'd make all public transport free at point of use.

And ringfence 20% of the current transport budget to provide proper cycling facilities.

And I'd scrap Trident to pay for it all (in the short term. Long term the public health savings and extra carbon credits would cover it).

I've just re-typed my response about three times trying to fully express what I would do to make some savings. Unfortunately, I can't think of anything that we could do that would adequately undo the mess we are in. It would all just be pissing in the wind.

So basically just do a combination of what TJ and CFH say.

GrahamS - Member
I'd ban all single occupancy car journeys under one mile made by able-bodied people without luggage.

And I'd make all public transport free at point of use.

And ringfence 20% of the current transport budget to provide proper cycling facilities.

£2bn is a lot of signage and green paint.

Trident could go.

Radical overhaul of the tax and benefits system to make it simpler.
e.g. try and stop people paying tax and then recieving it back in benefits and vica versa.
I'd also try and look to see where means testing can be removed and simpler criteria or universal benefits given (with a back of an envelope calculation first to see if it would be cheaper).

I'd raise the pension age to 70 for absolutely everybody. If you want to retire early then start saving. If you cannot work until you are 70 then at the point where work becomes impossible you can calim incapacity benefit* or whatever it is called.

I'd raise fuel duty - sure people won't like it, but they'll pay it.

*This was actually put forward except the idea was the complete removal of the idea of a pension.

They need to make them and there are a few liberals on here so let's hear them

We do not need to make them and therefore I refuse Please dont buy into the TINAS [ ther eis no alternative argument] - given the double dip do you really think it is working/ Have the banks been lending? Has private enmterprise rushed into the void to save us all?

My personal bug bear is pensioners. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that there are some poor pensioners there are also some phenomenally rich ones.

I know a couple who bought a house for £42 k now worth £550k for example. retired income of circa 40 K + state pension. They get discounts everywhere they go for being penisoners and they get winter fuel allowance. A lot of money to be saved there by not giving to those who dont need it so means test the hell out of pensioner benefits *- sadly these people vote so it will never happen so we will target the poor who dont vote and thse under 25

Stop child benefit for those 2 SD above the average wage - we can argue about mean ,modal and household later Graham 😉

Stop trident

Punative taxation to those [ individuals and corporations] who use aggressive tax avoidance measure - yes we can argue what this means later.

Cut charitable status to private schools and make them pay proper rates of tax and the church as well.

I will think of some others I am sure.

* when they maoan just explain that the fact they rare living longer means they did not pay enough into thterir pension pots to cover what they will get back and they can **** off if they think I will pay for theirs and mine at the same time when they actually have a higher income than me and no mortgage.

£2bn is a lot of signage and green paint.

No, no, [i][u][b]proper[/b][/u][/i] cycling facilities.

[img] [/img]

[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3545/3654552685_7dcf64cc1b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3545/3654552685_7dcf64cc1b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasondcruz/3654552685/ ]Airport bike lane, Copenhagen[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/jasondcruz/ ]albanylife[/url], on Flickr

I'd default.

I'd tax stupidity.... it seems that there is a rich seam in the UK. Specifically your tax code would derived from you exhibiting certain behaviors, the folowing examples would all attract an aditional tax burden:
Wearing sportswear while shopping
Watching of reality TV shows
Not understanding/observing box junctions

Hopefully this would bring-about some sort of finacial natural selection.

Obviously, I would be in charge of the list.....

There's one perfect solution, 30 years old and you're out. Might stretch it to 40 if the savings are better than expected.

[img] [/img]

Stop all payments to anything child related including maternity hospitals. When are you going to learn, the young are here to replace us! They don't deserve it for one thing and they are going to get real mad when they find out we have borrowed a shit load of money and left them to pay it.

See what I mean with that Logans Run reference. That has got to be posted by a young waster.

I'd get the **** out of Afghanistan. That'd save us a lot of lives, as well as money. And not get involved in any more pointless imperialist posturing. How much have Iraq and Afghanistan cost us? And for what?

I'd tax stupidity.... it seems that there is a rich seam in the UK. Specifically your tax code would derived from you exhibiting certain behaviors, the folowing examples would all attract an aditional tax burden:
Wearing sportswear while shopping

Bugger, I regularly wear baggies as everyday clothing.

simple..
1.no one can take any pension until they are of state retirement age.
that would save the govt a boat load and the pension companies freeing up cash for investment ( as pension funds do)
2.sort out council tax so that the bands go on to infinity with bands spaced out every 50k and with properties reassigned to new bands when they are sold
cheaper homes would be cheaper expensive homes would pay a cracking share and as homes are bought and sold the tax would represent thier value.
3.introduce workfare.
after 2 years on the rock and roll. you HAVE to work for your benefits.
two choices..
either street maintenance, ( you 'd be given a street and held accountable for it..)
or domestic service.. helping little old ladies single mums etc 20hours per week
4. armed forces..cut the raf by half cut the navy by a quarter and make the army a flying cavalry enforce a rigous management structure so thier are no longer more leaders than those been led.

- Bit late now but we should never have bid for the Olympics -but seeing as we do have them we should have stuck to the budget, not gone ludicrously over.
- Scrap trident.
- Immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
- Give much better funding to the authorities investigating tax evasion/avoidance (as every penny spent earns itself back and more - the Tories cut the funding strangely enough).
- Get rid of winter fuel allowance and child benefit for the well off.
- Stop the massive bias/subsidy in public spending that London receives, eg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16235349
- Stop using UK taxpayers money via the ECGD/UKEF to fund buying weapons for dictators and awful human rights abusing projects by oil companies (don't care if this doesn't make a saving overall - it's a disgrace and needs to stop)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/17/arms-oil-bosses-corporate-responsibility

UK Export Finance claims it is owed £2.3 billion. This includes loans for General Mubarak's Egyptian army to buy British defence equipment, Argentina's 1970s military dictatorship to buy British warships, and Robert Mugabe's police to buy British Land Rovers.

1 Change the emphasis of the MOD to actually do what it is described as.
Pros
- save a fortune, every year
- cancel the aircraft carriers
- cancel Trident
Cons
- can't invade countries

2 Means test all benefits - including state pension/winter fuel etc

3 Change the law so that anyone who looses their job has their mortgage capped at 1% over BoE base rate, and only this is paid by benefits. Law will also include a clause to stop any claw-back once they get back into work.

4 Rent controls that slowly reduce the value of property.

anyone who looses their job

Another high profile case for the Department of Pedantry. 😀

armed forces..cut the raf by half cut the navy by a quarter and make the army a flying cavalry

I see what you're saying, genetically create a bread of highly aggressive soldiers with wings, who can fly in to battle.

When this country inevitably falls under Cougar Law, I pledge that:

I'll decrease income tax for lower earners and increase it for higher earners.

I'll implement remote working for MPs and then if they still want a second home they can pay for it themselves.

I'll round up every bank manager and credit company owner who's paid themselves a massive bonus in the last two years, and I'd have them publicly hanged.

I'll impose a tax on sugar and fat in preprepared foods.

I'll make human-powered land-based transport tax exempt.

Families with more than two children are no longer eligible for child benefit. If you can afford to breed a football team then you don't need help from the state.

Partners are legally equal. In the even of a separation, both are valued irrespective of gender. (This should save fortunes in legal expenditure)

Euthanasia will be legalised, making big savings in healthcare and allowing people to check out with some dignity.

Jobseeker's Allowance will require a number of hours community service per week.

My personal bug bear is pensioners. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that there are some poor pensioners there are also some phenomenally rich ones.

I suspect that in about 30 years you'll be seeing quite a different picture.

I see what you're saying, genetically create a bread of highly aggressive soldiers with wings, who can fly in to battle.

Wouldn't work, they'd just loaf about.

jon1973 - Member

I see what you're saying, genetically create a bread of highly aggressive soldiers with wings, who can fly in to battle.

It's worked well in the past...errr future...

I'm voting for cougar.

I see what you're saying, genetically create a bread of highly aggressive soldiers with wings, who can fly in to battle.

I'm imagining a drop zone in my mouth where these winged soldiers deposit their payload of runny egg yolk.

I'll decrease income tax for lower earners and increase it for higher earners.

So people that earn more should pay a larger percentage, and those that earn less should pay a smaller percentage, perhaps all the way to zero.

Like this?

[img] [/img]
Image: [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11733896 ]BBC[/url]

But preferably without the anomalous blip in the middle.

Put a stop to the empty, futile, expensive posturing of the War On Drugs.

Reclassify all drugs according to the societal harm they do - including tobacco and alcohol. Decriminalise, properly regulate the supply of and tax those which people are using anyway and are gaining access to by illegal means.

properly regulate the supply of and tax those which people are using anyway

Thus creating a black market of drugs, which you'll need a war on. 🙂

Hmmm

Well to start with I'd kick all of the MP's out of their London pads and move them into 1 London tower block with security and coaches to and from Parliament.

I'd abolish voting and instead select MP's at random from the electoral roll so that they will have a real interest in representing their constituency, and they aren't just conniving career politicians.

I'd introduce licensing before people can have kids.

everyone on more than 100k gets 90% tax.

I'm voting for Cougar too. We need to get a campaign going.....

[img] [/img]

everyone on more than 100k gets 90% tax.

Do some people really think this?!

Put a 20% tax on high fat, high salt convenience foods

like Cornish pasties and Subway Meatball Marinara sandwiches

Hope that helps 😀

I'm voting for Cougar too. We need to get a campaign going.....

Euthanasia will be legalised, making big savings in healthcare and allowing people to check out with some dignity.

Interesting, how many people are in this situation just now and want to check out?

Put a 20% tax on high fat, high salt convenience foods

Not really sure that's a cut. I like the sentiment though, not sure what effect that would have on our foods industry - they'd either change to healthy or just pack up and bugger off. Probably best either way lol.

Personally I think I'd cut the ability of the media to whip up a storm over the slightest thing even when they're wrong. I think a lot of societies ills are not caused by but exacerbated by the media whipping up a frenzy over it. "oh god we're going to go into recession if people panic and stop buying things because we're going to go into recession" .... "oh god we're in recession"...

And I think I'd cut the head off anyone who reads and takes seriously the comments by likes of the Mail.

In all seriousness

I'd change the local authority and government department budget rules, so that they were not penalised for 'unspent budget'

anyone with experience of govt departments has seen the annual splurge of money being spent on poorly thought out and inadequatley completed projects to get it in 'before year end' as if its not spent, they'll lose it and face reductions in next years budget.

in fact, I would go so far as to allow public sector employee's to share in a proportion of any unspent departmental budget as an annual bonus, as a reward for fiscal prudence through the year.

The issue with most of the suggestions is that it is all just pissing in the wind, just in the direction that suits the individual's circumstances. If we want to actually change things it needs to be something radical. So this:

I'd ban all single occupancy car journeys under one mile made by able-bodied people without luggage.

And I'd make all public transport free at point of use.

And ringfence 20% of the current transport budget to provide proper cycling facilities.

And I'd scrap Trident to pay for it all (in the short term. Long term the public health savings and extra carbon credits would cover it).

And I'd tax sugar in the same way we tax fags and booze and use the money to better fund the NHS (until the public health savings kick in) and then spend a the whole lot on scientific research in the UK. Creating suatinable growth via high tech industries/manufacturing (rather than the service and finance indistires which can currently hold us to ransom but can easily be exported).

Anything left over would go to fund universal free nursery education for children under school age and increase mat/paternity leave allowances.

Only problem is that I’d never get elected with that manifesto. Democracy sucks!

Edit: Oh and I'd follow this http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/jun/20/test-policies-randomised-controlled-trials so that my changes are properly tested for efficacy.

I would scrap Police pensions, and outsource all of them to the Private sector who could run the whole show without the massive amounts of waste and be fours times as effective, as its not as if the current lot do much more than beat up protestors and the disabled anymore anyway*

A private alternative would be much more cost effective.

* Some, if not all of this statement may not be true, however it doesn't stop Z11 from posting so I thought I would join in.

as its not as if the current lot do much more than beat up protestors and the disabled anymore anyway

you post that as if I think that's a bad thing 😉

properly regulate the supply of and tax those which people are using anyway

Thus creating a black market of drugs, which you'll need a war on.

We already have those. 100% of the revenue from which stays in the black market.

At least with the presently regulated and taxed fags and booze the state manages to cream off [i]some [/i]of the revenue.

everyone on more than 100k gets 90% tax.

Effectively crippling the entire country by forcing anyone with a highly paid job to become a tax exile. Genius.

Why not just go the whole hog and pay everyone exactly the same regardless of the the job they do. What could possibly go wrong with that? 😉

I'd un-scrap the harriers (well, it IS all fantasy), stop any future spend on the eurofighter, put electric catapults in the new carriers and buy F18s, and make the airforce the airborne arm of the army.

I'd do the legalise drugs thing too - they'd be regulated and available (and taxed) from pharmacies whilst the expensive war on drugs stops.

And I'd tax bicycle wheels ferociously for every inch over 26.

binners - Member
You wouldn't need to make any savings at all if you just made the rich, and corporations, pay the same rate of tax as us 'little people'

No more needs to be said...

We all have wonderful ideas on how to spend other people's money, anyone got any on how not to?

Financial transaction tax.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/24/financial-transaction-tax-rebalance-economy?newsfeed=true

Interesting, how many people are in this situation just now and want to check out?

I don't have figures, but I expect there's a few. I'd opt in to such a scheme personally for starters, and there's some high profile advocates like Terry Pratchett (diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's).

Like this?

Only with the red lines in different places. Off the top of my head and subject to change after I've given it some actual thought: 20% at 12k (rather than 6), 40% at about 50k, 60% at 100k without all that blipping afterwards (what's that all about anyway?) maybe.

Where I'm going with this is, a slight pinch at the top will pay for a massive difference at the bottom. I think.

Put a 20% tax on high fat, high salt convenience foods

That wasn't exactly where I was going with that. I was thinking of relatively taxing the ingredient itself.

Eg, 10p on every gram of sugar (or derivatives thereof, HFCS etc) in a product. So a can of diet Coke is now 60p and a can of four star Coke is £1.30. Then either consumers are forced to make a choice (pay a premium for the sugar) or manufacturers are (use less sugar). Similarly with take-away food, ready meals, packaged sanwiches etc. if unhealthy but convenient food is expensive, manufacturers will have to change what they offer and / or people will have to start making food for themselves again. Or, pay the extra and get some funds in the NHS coffers to pay for heart bypass surgeries.

Fire all politicians. Save a fortune. And if I'm El Presidenti then I'm not going to need them.
Rent out the HoP for raves/weddings/etc.
Implement a 'rude tax' to ensure Londoners pay more
Any military action limited to a max of five working days when the MoD issues a note "Sorry Britain has to come home and have his tea so can't stay out and play"
Let Scotland have independence, break it off and float towards arctic. Install Sweden in its place
Add 50% Tax all drinks that are not in The CAMRA yearbook
Swap School Children who have won a gold star in class with FTSE 100 chief execs. Can do any worse, and pay them only in sweets

I've got loads more ideas like this. It's amazing that - so far - no one has asked me for some kind of Policy Consultancy. Can only be a matter of time.

Similarly with take-away food, ready meals, packaged sanwiches etc.

Let Scotland have independence, break it off and float towards arctic. Install Sweden in its place

Genius.

You can be my Deputy PM.

Restaurants too? only fair really.

I was wondering about that. I think so theoretically, yes. Difficult to police accurately with "home-made" food though, and a headache for chefs who are cooking to taste. "How much oil is in that?" - "oh, a couple of lugs."

Franchise places like McD's with set menus nationwide are simpler. They'll either have to increase their prices or make healthier food, I'd be happy either way.

1. Cut or get rid of all social welfare benefits except for those with medical conditions.
2. Cut or get rid of all unemployment benefits and all benefits except for those with medical conditions.
3. Get rid of Human Rights shite because I have more rights than you maggots!
4. Cull the population by brining back hanging for the condemn ... hang, drawn and quartered would be better but then most people can a bit squeamish at seeing raw meat.
5. Use the prisoners as slave labour ... yes, hard labour and yes, they have no rights.
6. Prisoners body part should be recycled as a way to compensate the society.
7. No income tax until you earn £50K per annum and that should be 30% to start with.
7.1. Only the Queen/King and the future Queen/King gets pay while the rest of the royals can work like anyone else.

**shudder**

chewkw - Member
1. Cut or get rid of all social welfare benefits except for those with medical conditions.
2. Cut or get rid of all unemployment benefits and all benefits except for those with medical conditions.
3. Get rid of Human Rights shite because I have more rights than you maggots!
4. Cull the population by brining back hanging for the condemn ... hang, drawn and quartered would be better but then most people can a bit squeamish at seeing raw meat.
5. Use the prisoners as slave labour ... yes, hard labour and yes, they have no rights.
6. Prisoners body part should be recycled as a way to compensate the society.
7. No income tax until you earn £50K per annum and that should be 30% to start with.

Ohhh...you big softy...

So does anyone on here actually want the UK to maintain a permanent nuclear deterrent?

I realise that we're all a bunch of bleeding heart liberals and that BAE systems has some serious lobbying power but i'm yet to meet anyone that's in favour of the bloody thing!

How many jobs are in the supply chain? noe enough to justify £25Bn (and thats the estimated cost before the usual climbs in price)

scaled - Member

So does anyone on here actually want the UK to maintain a permanent nuclear deterrent?

Hello. Of course ... it's the only time you can use one for mass culling at given opportunity...

So does anyone on here actually want the UK to maintain a permanent nuclear deterrent?

We need to pay teachers more, invest heavily in STEM subjects, have leading scientists develop new metrics (in multiple teams, competing against each other to find the best) by which we measure performance, thereby getting rid of all middle-managers who do not understand the work of those they manage (especially in the education sector).
Universities are run in tandem by academics and MBAs, with no party having complete control.
Churn out thousands of top-quality engineers. Subsidise the development of spacebourne high-energy weapons.

Rule the world from my bunker.

That reminds me,

Personal Internet access would only be granted after successfully completing an intelligence test.

I don't see the point of having nukes unless we use them from time to time! Bit of a muscle-flexy show of strength type of thing. Not that often necessarily. Just maybe every ten years or so, when someone who's a bit unsavoury starts getting a bit uppity. If we'd have just flattened Iraq instead of invading it, there's no way I'm-a-dinner-jacket would be being so bloody cocky, is there?

* Scrap HS2.
* Scrap the carriers.
* Scrap Trident replacement* - publicly fund Rolls Royce engine development instead; take cut of profits.
* Keep all pensioner allowances, but give each allowance a taxable value. Over the basic threshold - they pay tax on the benefit.
* Actually, do the same for child benefit etc.
* Change some benefits to discounted voucher schemes that don't work on cigarettes / booze etc.
* Public representatives get a veto on significant spending.
* Public sector pay / benefits / pensions to be brought in line with the private sector.
* Enforce housing benefit cap. Sorry, but it has to be done. What's actually happening is that vast amounts of public money are going to subsidise massively inflated rent charged by private landlords.
* Quadruple the amount of money going to HMRC tax evasion / fraud office.
* Simplify tax rules at the same time - it must be possible to get rid of the lower tax bracket and lift millions of people out of paying tax if the well off pay their fair share.
* Pull out of Afghanistan.
* Cut foreign spending or give directly to reputable charities; not the governments. FFS, a few years ago we paid for India's space program.
* Increase fuel duty and road tax to pay for capacity improvements and ticket price cuts to rail networks. HS2 is not a capacity increase, it's a shining turd.
* Tax sales of incandescent light bulbs at £5 each. Money goes directly towards subsidising LED replacements.

I would 'save' the nation from the incessant whining and attention whoring of Louise Mensch, by directing MI5 to slot her.

Off the top of my head and subject to change after I've given it some actual thought: 20% at 12k (rather than 6)

But keep the personal allowance? That would mean someone paying 20% tax on 12k, with this years allowance of £7,475 - would only pay £905 per year (7%). Which is the current situation I think.

And you've pushed the 40% rate up to £50k (it currently starts at £35k).

Somehow I don't think this is going to save money 😀

Effectively crippling the entire country by forcing anyone with a highly paid job to become a tax exile. Genius.

how can it cripple the country, when less than 1% earn that? food, housing, transport, bikes are all priced for the majority. any more is greed.
and apparently, non of them pay tax anyway.

how can it cripple the country, when less than 1% earn that?

Going by the slightly old figures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_in_the_United_Kingdom#High_income

Top 1% = 421,000 people, most of whom will be executives, CEOs, business owners, entrepreneurs etc - the kind of people that are required to create jobs!

The IFS say the average income tax paid in that group is £49,477 (as of 2008) - so IF they did all decide to bugger off then we'd roughly £49,477 x 421,000 = £20,829,817,000 worse off. 😯

That sounds [i]fairly[/i] crippling to me.

I would extend my one day to life. No elections and also pass legislation that I would also be head of the Armed forces and designated a religion for everyone to follow.

Like any normal person, check my 'pay packet' properly each month… Better to worry about making savings once you know you're actually being paid properly.

Stupid question time;
Could we become a tax haven? Lure wealthy foreigners in and charge them a punitive (to them) amount of tax which adds up to a lot for us?
Take the millionaires from Monaco etc?