What is worst

[||AmAzeD||]

ok i am doing this to see what peeps think

[Ed]

I have to say paying taxes.  I've just got my projected tax bill from my accountant - it's huge.  Sure, I earned good money in the last tax year, but by the time I've paid the tax on it my bank account will look pretty sick.

For the thousands and thousands I have to pay, what do I get in return?  Public service cuts, crap roads, a failing National Health Service, rising crime and a share in a war that's got nothing to do with me.  WTF's that about?

What's worse is that I think next year is going to be slower, and I don't get the chance to save that money for the future, when I might need it.  I don't mind paying a bit of tax, but every time you open your wallet, go anywhere, do anything, you pay more tax - on top of Income Tax, National Insurance, Employer's Contributions and Capital Gains Tax, you've got Council Tax, VAT @17.5% on practically anything you buy, Fuel Duty, Road Tax, Local Authority fees for parking, and my BIGGEST HATE - speed cameras everywhere you turn.  They are the worst, because they will prosecute you for going one mph over the limit, which gets you a minimum £60 fine and at least three points on your license (twelve points and you get an automatic twelve month ban).  All it is is a veiled tax, in my opinion.

Grrr!

[kimbly]

Hmmmm. That blows, Blunt. Over here I'm getting the heebie jeebies watching our great leader here suck the life out of a once booming economy . 
.

Bank fees really kill me. These bastards make money from my money and then charge me money to do it. Is this wrong?

[Robert M. Blevins]

Blunt...I read your post there and my first thought was: Damn, you need the advice of a good tax accountant, if only to do some basic things that will lower your tax liability. I don't know how it is in England, here in the US taxes vary somewhat from state to state. Many people shove amounts of money into this or that thing and 'shelter' as much as they can from being taxed, in other words, they lower their taxable gross income.

Those speed cameras really bite. They tried a few here but it was declared unconstitutional. The reason the courts gave was because when people sell their cars, it got to be a big nightmare when the former owners were receiving tickets in the mail.

One thing to give you some comfort, maybe: Every one in the States knows Brits have National Health. We know sometimes it may not be the best care, but it exists for everyone. Millions of people here have no coverage at all. Sometimes families here have to sell everything they own, lose homes they worked to pay off all their lives, etc. because of one major accident or illness. At least that will not happen to you...remember, one big medical bill can absolutely ruin you and take everything you have. In this sense, Brits are lucky. Many Americans envy this.

Medicare and Medicaid only covers people over 65 years old, and you still have to pay some out of your own pocket...

[santhere]

1. Well I don't pay taxes, yet, so it isn't that
2. I have an account at a bank but I never use it, thus they send me advertising but that's all
3. I hate McDonalds, shun McDonalds like the plague or leprosy
4. I have no idea who Jesse McCarthy is.
5. I never use taxies, I have my parents

all in all, I must be leading a very protected life eh  

[SharonBell]

Taxes suck.  And, I hate the fact that they don't go to healthcare, but are going to warfare.  :cry:

[JoyceCarter]

I'm with Blunt on all the 'hidden' taxes, and especially the speed cameras.  I'm with the guys that were chopping them down!

(What SPECIALLY annoys me about them is if they're functioning in the middle of the night, and some poor driver gets zapped for exceeding a speed limit that's supposed to protect - say - pedestrians in a town centre.  Yeah, there are really a lot of those at 3 in the morning.  Or the speed camera is near a school, and it catches someone right in the middle of the summer holidays when the road is deserted.

I heard that in parts of Australia, they don't have specific numbers on speed limits, but it goes on common sense - you can get prosecuted for driving at a speed inappropriate for the place and conditions, i.e. too fast OR too slow.  I REALLY HATE this nanny stuff, but I would support that.  It gives the driver back the responsibility.  And if they foul up, take them off the road.)

No, of course I don't have any strong opinions about being a road-user in Britain... 

[JoyceCarter]

Beside that, bank charges really rile me, specially when coupled with more and more restrictions about what you're allowed to do, when it's OUR money in there.

[flickoty]

well, i can safely say that none of these things bug me. i dont even have a bank account! i have never heard of Jesse McCarthy. And I, like Santhere, avoid Mc Donalds at all costs, and use my parents as a taxi service.