Peter Hil lBY
CONFIDENT that the Tories have no serious rivals, Chancellor George Osborne is mounting a tax frenzy against middle Britain with pensions and property his main targets. After a series of raids on pensions the Chancellor is now considering removing all tax allowances on this key area of saving and raising penalties against bigger pensions to punitive levels not seen since the evils of supertax.
He has declared war on property owners by ramping up stamp duty on purchases and hammering buy- to- let landlords. So the Treasury must be bursting with extra cash? No, quite the opposite. Stamp duty revenues will be £ 2billion down because fewer are buying or selling.
As for buy- to- let taxes helping the poor and first- time buyers to get on the property ladder, the result hasn’t benefited anyone and there are fewer homes available to rent.
Like Labour’s 50 per cent income tax, Osborne’s raids produce less rather than more revenue because they are excessive. They are political taxes designed to show the Tories’ egalitarian credentials. He is playing with fire. qTWELVE
police forces refuse to disclose the names of suspects on the run to protect their human right to privacy. They include those wanted for crimes against children, rape, kidnapping and even murder.
Police say releasing names would not be “in the public interest,” would breach data protection and European Convention rights and, wait for it, would go against “principles of fairness”. Not a word about the rights of the law- abiding and innocent to be protected from danger. This solicitous care for suspected criminals contrasts strangely with police rushing to accuse great, good and famous names of historic sex abuse before a shred of evidence has been established then refusing to apologise when the charges prove unfounded.
The police have managed to turn law and order upside down. qMARGARET
Thatcher had sensible Willie Whitelaw on hand to tell her when she was being unwise. Unfortunately David Cameron doesn’t have a Willie and he and his yesministers are making themselves look ridiculous with their constant warnings about the dangers of Britain leaving the EU.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is the latest doom monger. One of his warnings is that EU countries will refuse to trade with us if we quit the club. Well bring that one on. We have a massive trade deficit with the EU so we will be better off if trade stops.
The EU can’t afford to take revenge against Britain. Any whisper of penalties and we can shut out their cars, washing machines and cookers.
The Koreans do it all better anyway – and a lot cheaper. qMILLIONS
of pounds have been spent creating a network of cycle lanes in London and motor traffic has been squeezed to a standstill, massively increasing pollution as cars, vans and lorries queue for hours with their engines running and delays cost industry and commerce a fortune.
My wife and I walked next to one of the biggest new cycle tracks taking up an entire lane over a major bridge at 11am and not a single cyclist passed in either direction. Same on our way back. I love cycling and will enjoy the luxury of empty new lanes built just for me. But it’s madness. qHOUSE
of Commons Speaker John Bercow, whose gigantic ego is in inverse proportion to his size, has spent hundreds of thousands of our hard or easily earned pounds convincing himself of his importance: postcard photos of himself, lavish lunches and dinners for visiting speakers, official portraits, beeswax candles, regalia. Has it turned him into a loved and respected figure? Or a posing popinjay and butt of jokes? qYOU
have to think the EU must really want to be rid of us. Why else at this sensitive time would the European Commission instruct councils to impose a tax on refuse bins and charge for driving private cars in urban areas?
Yet that is exactly what its new guidelines prescribe, imposed without consultation with our government or right of appeal in a “clear economic signal to polluters” to cut vehicle emissions and enforce recycling. Every day there are more good reasons for voting Out. qONCE
embarrassed to draw attention to ourselves by the least quibble and apologising to the waiter if he tipped a bowl of soup into our lap, Britons are now more eager to protest about bad service. Complaints are up 37 per cent. Yet most of us don’t bother to follow up grievances, according to Ombudsman Services, which provides “dispute resolution”. A spokesman said: “We’re still seeing consumers ignore millions of problems because of the perceived hassle.”
Perhaps he should complain – to himself. qA
BUNCH (?) of Albanians have opened a local café serving nicely presented food at modest prices, all done with a warm smile. Instead of waiting for a tip they give a discount on the bill. Not surprisingly the café is full. Contrast with the bank I used last week: A big queue but only two indifferent cashiers on duty, not a smile in sight. The British have a lot to learn. qPARLIAMENT
is to continue recording its Acts on expensive vellum, spurning £ 80,000 a year in savings. Am I alone in thinking that lavatory paper is too good for most of the new laws it passes?