Tax and the Council

blazey · 15-12-2008, 08:22

Do people who work for the Council not pay tax? I see a lot of comments about people at the Council wasting tax payers money and not caring about what it is spent on and it has started to confuse me.

As a student I obviously don't pay council tax, so I don't tend to use that as an argument against something because it just makes me look like I haven't got a valid argument against something. However a lot of people on accyweb seem to use that as an argument against many things, so I just wondered if there is a tax exemption the moment you work for the council that I don't know about. I'm quite rusty with politics.

garinda · 15-12-2008, 09:16

People who work for the council do pay Council Tax, unless they qualify for an exemption, just the same as everyone else.

Just the same as members of the government pay taxes.

This doesn't mean they can't be criticised for wasting 'public' money.

It's like putting someone in charge of a holiday club, and instead of them carefully looking after the other people's money, and sharing it out when the holiday starts, they decide to spend it all on stupid designer sun hats for everyone.

If you don't want a daft hat, and would rather eat ice cream, and ride a donkey all day, you'd have every right to complain.

blazey · 15-12-2008, 09:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

People who work for the council do pay Council Tax, unless they qualify for an exemption, just the same as everyone else.

Just the same as members of the government pay taxes.

This doesn't mean they can't be criticised for wasting 'public' money.

It's like putting someone in charge of a holiday club, and instead of them carefully looking after the other people's money, and sharing it out when the holiday starts, they decide to spend it all on stupid designer sun hats for everyone.

If you don't want a daft hat, and would rather eat ice cream, and ride a donkey all day, you'd have every right to complain.

And what do you do if the majority in a group of, say 50 people, like the sun hats but you still think it is a waste, but because of economics, the others couldn't have a sun hat if you got your ice cream... say for example they could only afford a bulk buy of 50 and if you got an ice cream, there wouldn't be enough.

Would you compromise? Or would you stamp your feet and whine until you got your own way?

garinda · 15-12-2008, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

And what do you do if the majority in a group of, say 50 people, like the sun hats but you still think it is a waste, but because of economics, the others couldn't have a sun hat if you got your ice cream... say for example they could only afford a bulk buy of 50 and if you got an ice cream, there wouldn't be enough.

Would you compromise? Or would you stamp your feet and whine until you got your own way?

You get the sun hat whether you like it or not, irrespective of it's value, either monetary or for some other perceived usefullness.

You are entitled to complain about whoever was in charge of the holiday fund, and to campaign for them not to be given the job next year, because that is democracy.

cashman · 15-12-2008, 10:20

they certainly do pay tax n you certainly know that. when they waste taxpayers money, they waste every tax payers not just there own. that is the case, that is why people slag em. simple.

blazey · 15-12-2008, 10:43

And how are you so sure that something is a waste of money if there are people who support it?

My friends are about to start a petition against a local council in cumbria who are agreeing to allow their land to be used as burial ground for nuclear waste in return for money from the government to improve roads, schools etc. They want the local council to pull out and in their ideal would they would also have Sellafield shut down. Thousands of jobs would be lost and there would obviously be a decrease in energy production.

I could argue strongly for both sides, though on two very different points. When it comes down to it though, I side with the local council and put ethics to one side.

If everyone but you likes the sun hat, you will probably be a minority when it comes to campaigning against them in elections as well. What makes you so sure you are the one who is right if nobody else agrees with you?

I'm not saying you are wrong, I just wonder if you can put into words what makes you right. After all, if I am wrong then you should be able to convince me of that, I'm an intelligent enough human being and I've crossed the party line so I'm obviously open to change

Neil · 15-12-2008, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

I just wonder if you can put into words what makes you right

Because I am a man

blazey · 15-12-2008, 11:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Because I am a man

That in itself is questionable.

garinda · 15-12-2008, 11:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

If everyone but you likes the sun hat, you will probably be a minority when it comes to campaigning against them in elections as well. What makes you so sure you are the one who is right if nobody else agrees with you?

Using the holiday club analogy, you can point out to other members in the collective that it wasn't the job of person in charge to purchase anything with the money. Their job was to invest it, and then distribute the money fairly when the holiday came.

As for nobody else agreeing with me...I'm unlikely to go on holiday with such stupid idiots, who didn't understand that it was wrong for someone to spend all their money on daft, expensive hats, when how their money should have been spent should have been their decision alone.

BERNADETTE · 15-12-2008, 11:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Because I am a man

So you can never be right

blazey · 15-12-2008, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Using the holiday club analogy, you can point out to other members in the collective that it wasn't the job of person in charge to purchase anything with the money. Their job was to invest it, and then distribute the money fairly when the holiday came.

As for nobody else agreeing with me...I'm unlikely to go on holiday with such stupid idiots, who didn't understand that it was wrong for someone to spend all their money on daft, expensive hats, when how their money should have been spent should have been their decision alone.

Well same here, but if they wouldn't have been able to afford the sun hats individually and feel they have got a bargain, you may struggle with that one!

And let's face it, most people don't know what they are voting for anyway and most people don't bother exercising their right to vote. As long as they are happy they don't care, and they wont care whether you wanted an ice cream!

garinda · 15-12-2008, 11:33

We'll never be going away together.

End of.

blazey · 15-12-2008, 12:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

We'll never be going away together.

End of.

I would have bought you an ice cream AND a sun hat. I'm generous like that

I still don't think we should just complain for the sake of exercising our right to. Perhaps the people who feel the need to complain so much should stand as councillors in the future and we'll see things done properly. After all, if they are always right then they should be able to make a really successful career out of it, perhaps even become prime minister.

beechy · 15-12-2008, 12:13

So far it looks like if i work for the council
and join a holiday club, i will be going to cumbria
in a field that is to be used for nuclear waste
however i will have an ice cream and a sun hat
so thats why i pay my council tax, etc

accyman · 15-12-2008, 15:35

call me a cynic but the way i see councils is that they are a bunch of people who decide what they want is right and not what the majority think is right,i also think what they think is right can be influenced by back handers and back scratching as in you vote for my idea and i will vote for yours

i still cant for the life of me understand why multi million pound budgets are put in the hands of people with no experience of handling money,i for one would at least expect somone in control of a multi million pound budget to have a degree in buisness management instead of joe blogs been given millions and wished the best of luck in spending it

mind you accringtons very own one way system was designed by a man who didnt even have a driving licence which one would expect the bare minmum for somone to have when designing a road network

councils shoud be scrapped and everything ran from central govenment , that way every district would follow teh same guidelines and rules