Jurgen-Jm-Imports Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7808634.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceRocket Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 15% cut would have been effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steady_dave Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 15% cut would have been effective. truth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 15% cut would have been effective. yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branners Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 it was said that it would have been better to simply give each working person £500 to spend as they wish as that would have worked out the same overall cost. Not sure if thats true but it makes you think. JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pot Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 it was said that it would have been better to simply give each working person £500 to spend as they wish as that would have worked out the same overall cost. Not sure if thats true but it makes you think. JB Imagine the group buys we could have organised! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branners Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Imagine what it would have done to the economy... Small, medium and larges businesses wouldn't have had to invest thousands in changing prices on shelves, menus, tills, accounting system. Retail would have benefited most from it as people would just spend it in the shops and restaurants, and everybody would have been happy. If you went to the sales and they offered 2.5% off you would have laughed all the way out of the shop. Places are doing up to 70% off now, the 2.5% was a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Imagine what it would have done to the economy... Small, medium and larges businesses wouldn't have had to invest thousands in changing prices on shelves, menus, tills, accounting system. Retail would have benefited most from it as people would just spend it in the shops and restaurants, and everybody would have been happy. If you went to the sales and they offered 2.5% off you would have laughed all the way out of the shop. Places are doing up to 70% off now, the 2.5% was a waste of time. If we no all this why doesnt anyone seem to in government ? 2.5 % Off vat was just a joke and total waste of time imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Weren't we tied in to some kind of EU ruling stopping a reduction beyond 15% ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 labour get it wrong once again, what a suprise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 My concern is how high it is going to go to when we are perceived as straddling the line again ? I have seen figures of 22% which i hope is just alarmist headline grabbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 20% is the target I believe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy442 Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Oh to be able to afford a holiday home of under £175 grand so I didnt pay stamp duty on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Restorer Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Went down 2.5% for a year and will then go up by an extra 2.5 to 20% forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 It's about time all the MPs stopped this damn fighting and started pulling together to get us out of this mess instead of trying to score points for a possible future election! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pot Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I just wonder how hard it would be for a 'common sense' person to be elected... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_b Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 It *may* be point-scoring by Cameron, but if the VAT reduction doesn't work, I won't be surprised in the slightest. As Branners said, a VAT reduction of 2.5% (which equates to a price reduction of around 2.1%) is not going to tempt many people to spend spend spend. "70p off a DVD player. Roll up, Roll up!! Buy it while you can". Whoope-doo, I'm peeing my pants in excitement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogmaw Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 3 points: 1 - That statement on the BBC site was by the Tory leader. It is his job to oppose, so of course he is going to say the VAT reduction was a failure. Empty words! He will say ANY initiative by the Labour party is a failure. He is a politician - geddit?! 2 - the 2.5% off VAT is not meant to help consumer spending!!! Do you really think the intention of the reduction was to knock 2.5% off the prices on stuff we buy in the shops?!?! Duh!!! The point was to increase cash flow for businesses dealing in thousands of pounds, not pennies! Think of the bigger picture, not just your own private bubble. 3 - much of Europe has VAT rates of OVER 20%. The grass is NOT always greener! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 3 points: 2 - the 2.5% off VAT is not meant to help consumer spending!!! Do you really think the intention of the reduction was to knock 2.5% off the prices on stuff we buy in the shops?!?! Duh!!! The point was to increase cash flow for businesses dealing in thousands of pounds, not pennies! Think of the bigger picture, not just your own private bubble. Funny that as that's exactly what it was being marketed as, unless I misinterpereted all the press releases about it? Also, it probably harmed the cash flow of more businesses than helped them out. Doing a VAT change isn't a simple matter of just adjusting a figure and that's that, do you not think it costs money for business to change all their IT systems, reprint all their price lists and change their advertising. Way to go to help out the small businesses out there!!! The VAT drop is the typical knee jerk solution from the current establishment, they certainly haven't looked at the bigger picture with this so called solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Not surprising, if they had actually bothered to ask any of the businesses that would be effected about the costs involved in relabeling & reprogramming their systems for a temporary measly 2.5% that eventually would result in higher taxes anyway you know what the answer would be- ....however this Govt is all about spin (Labour party and NEW labour in general is a bloody disgrace), mindless spin and at the end of the day, they have the power and authority to play their games with our money and lives which they are more than happy to oblige to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Most places I've seen have labels around the store saying something along the lines of "VAT reductions applied at the till". So it's hardly a huge hassle for retailers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Most places I've seen have labels around the store saying something along the lines of "VAT reductions applied at the till". So it's hardly a huge hassle for retailers. just because you see a sign, how do you know how much work is involved behind to scenes to make it possible to pass a whopping 2.5% over to customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 just because you see a sign, how do you know how much work is involved behind to scenes to make it possible to pass a whopping 2.5% over to customers. Yes I do. Having previously worked in retail, and my wife who currently works for a large chain store in stock control adjusting stock levels, orders, and price changes etc., I do. Prices change on a daily basis, applying a blanket 2.5% VAT reduction is no more or less hassle... That is unless someone decided to hard code the VAT amount at 17.5% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Yes I do. Having previously worked in retail, and my wife who currently works for a large chain store in stock control adjusting stock levels, orders, and price changes etc., I do. Prices change on a daily basis, applying a blanket 2.5% VAT reduction is no more or less hassle... That is unless someone decided to hard code the VAT amount at 17.5% Someone needs to talk some sense in the major UK retailers (e.g: take the CEO of Sainsbury who was quoted on Questime Time saying that it was a wasteful costly exercise and that the govt at the very least should have consulted the giant retailers first). Perhaps he hasnt been working in retail long enough, you two obviously have.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazboy Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 They should have taken VAT off fuel during the summer when oil was $145 a barrel, it would have made a massive difference and may well have changed the outcome of 2008 and despite the Gov losing billions it could have worked out cheaper for the UK in the long run. As for "if it's so easy why don't you do it" - I'd quite like to keep all my skeletons in my various closets, plus politics is showbiz for ugly people - I'm gorgeous so it's a non starter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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