Another World

[cashman]

Originally Posted by West Ender

During my Revenue career I worked as a Tax Collector for 9 years. My "patch" was Widnes and Runcorn. I had to go into some of the roughest areas of both towns - one horrible high-rise, open walk-way block, in Runcorn, I was there in the morning and a dead body was discovered there in the afternoon (drug dealer - got his come-uppance) - chasing payments.

I have had to sit in rooms where I stuck to the sofa and my feet stuck to the carpets. I have climbed over piles of filth while compiling a list of what goods were suitable for destraint (there was almost always a huge telly).

The funny thing was, it was nearly always in the worst homes that I was offered a cup of tea, the better-off never bothered. Needless to say, I always declined.

yeh the same can be said fer xmas tips when i was a paperlad, always the hardest up folk were the best tippers, the posher houses in the main were real tight gits, learnt me a valuable lesson about folk.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by West Ender

During my Revenue career I worked as a Tax Collector for 9 years. My "patch" was Widnes and Runcorn. I had to go into some of the roughest areas of both towns - one horrible high-rise, open walk-way block, in Runcorn, I was there in the morning and a dead body was discovered there in the afternoon (drug dealer - got his come-uppance) - chasing payments.

I have had to sit in rooms where I stuck to the sofa and my feet stuck to the carpets. I have climbed over piles of filth while compiling a list of what goods were suitable for destraint (there was almost always a huge telly).

The funny thing was, it was nearly always in the worst homes that I was offered a cup of tea, the better-off never bothered. Needless to say, I always declined.

This is getting to be a variation on the Yorkshireman sketch
I once saw a naked small child crawling on a bare flagged floor clutching a jam butty and pushing away an alsation dog who liked jam
That was a memorable visit where I got several dog flea bites.

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by West Ender

During my Revenue career I worked as a Tax Collector for 9 years. My "patch" was Widnes and Runcorn. I had to go into some of the roughest areas of both towns - one horrible high-rise, open walk-way block, in Runcorn, I was there in the morning and a dead body was discovered there in the afternoon (drug dealer - got his come-uppance) - chasing payments.

I have had to sit in rooms where I stuck to the sofa and my feet stuck to the carpets. I have climbed over piles of filth while compiling a list of what goods were suitable for destraint (there was almost always a huge telly).

The funny thing was, it was nearly always in the worst homes that I was offered a cup of tea, the better-off never bothered. Needless to say, I always declined.

I think that you and many other chasers of revenue should have been directed at the bigger fish.
Publicans were the target of the VAT inspectors for a long time as were small grocers.
Breweries and other big businesses got away with murder.
Why chase someone who owes peanuts.....easy targets?

[West Ender]

They do go after the "Big Fish", believe me. I was only employed in a local office but - multiply £10,000 of small-fry non-payment by 500 defaulters - that's £5,000,000. Your tax pays for that deficit.

[jaysay]

I think that the people who go on these shows subscribe to the old saying that everybody craves their 15 minutes of fame. I can once remember watching Vanessa one afternoon and this guy was on with two women, the girl he lived with and the girl from the flat upstairs, let me tell you none of them were film stars if you get my drift. It appeared that this guy had been doing naughties with the lass upstairs, and after being questioned he said "well what red blooded man would refuse a gorgeous bit of stuff if it was offered". The audience were then invited to ask questions and one bloke stood up and said, its really a pity that that gorgeous bit of stuff from upstairs couldn't make it this afternoon