Rachel Reeves

[HKOwen]

The double standards and naked political grandstanding from several posters on here is giving me a migraine.

You're the expert so I am sure all will be well in the the next two quarters, I shouldn't be so doubtful of your skillset

Shall not look at this topic until September

There will be a lot of commentators like Liam Halligan and Andrew Neil with egg on their face when you are proved right.

 

[ASCPFC]

It doesn't appear that a change of government makes much difference, it is a continuation of a failed economic model, with built-in austerity.

Why do governments still believe that inequality benefits the economy, when all the evidence since 2008 says that it does not.


😎

Would have been nice to have had a wealth fund like Norway wouldn't it? As far as I'm concerned it's not too late to do it. But we'll have to use our own resources ourselves.

 

[HKOwen]

Would have been nice to have had a wealth fund like Norway wouldn't it? As far as I'm concerned it's not too late to do it. But we'll have to use our own resources ourselves.

Exactly this, every time I meet a Norwegian they are super happy

 

[CPFCSaturn]

Exactly this, every time I meet a Norwegian they are super happy

A social democracy with a large public sector, high taxes, a generous welfare system and a wealth tax…

Makes you think.

 

[ASCPFC]

A social democracy with a large public sector, high taxes, a generous welfare system and a wealth tax…

Makes you think.

The main part is that they exploit their resources for the good of their own country. Whereas, what's our stance on that?
Norway aren't going to pay any fines for not reaching targets. They don't give a f*** about that.

 

[DanH]

You're the expert so I am sure all will be well in the the next two quarters, I shouldn't be so doubtful of your skillset

Shall not look at this topic until September

There will be a lot of commentators like Liam Halligan and Andrew Neil with egg on their face when you are proved right.

I wouldn't say our economy is 'strong' by any stretch. 'Resilient' probably a better word. For what's it worth I didn't agree with the Employer NIC rise (or the timing of it, anyway) and I don't think she's been anywhere near brilliant. I think she's a safer pair of hands than many would have you or want you to believe though.

 

[DanH]

A social democracy with a large public sector, high taxes, a generous welfare system and a wealth tax…

Makes you think.

It's always the Scandi countries that score high in these surveys.

Happiest Countries in the World 2025

Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

worldpopulationreview.com

It's almost like having a decent social security, health and education system, and fostering a sense of community rather than pitting everyone against each other and creating division makes people happier.

 

[HKOwen]

I wouldn't say our economy is 'strong' by any stretch. 'Resilient' probably a better word. For what's it worth I didn't agree with the Employer NIC rise (or the timing of it, anyway) and I don't think she's been anywhere near brilliant. I think she's a safer pair of hands than many would have you or want you to believe though.

2TK style flip-flopping u turn

 

[DanH]

2TK style flip-flopping u turn

Oi 🙂

 

[CPFCSaturn]

The main part is that they exploit their resources for the good of their own country. Whereas, what's our stance on that?
Norway aren't going to pay any fines for not reaching targets. They don't give a f*** about that.

Norway are fairly progressive in their approach to environmental issues - they have a carbon tax as well as numerous policies and frameworks aimed at achieving ‘net zero’.

 

[CPFCSaturn]

It's always the Scandi countries that score high in these surveys.

Happiest Countries in the World 2025

Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

worldpopulationreview.com

It's almost like having a decent social security, health and education system, and fostering a sense of community rather than pitting everyone against each other and creating division makes people happier.

No, no - what will improve our society is to give even more control to the markets.

It’s already worked so well!

 

[Nutmegyeti]

I wouldn't say our economy is 'strong' by any stretch. 'Resilient' probably a better word. For what's it worth I didn't agree with the Employer NIC rise (or the timing of it, anyway) and I don't think she's been anywhere near brilliant. I think she's a safer pair of hands than many would have you or want you to believe though.

That's a bit like, "well yes apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how was your night at the theatre"

It's an absolute killer - I'm in an geographical area in the midlands that is highly weighted towards logistics and food prep - there are places cutting everywhere and it is going to be brutal.

I work with and see the finances of small businesses day in day out, the pain is barely underway.

The problem is any Government just doesn't get business. They treat it as one entity.

A small one-man band plumber, for example, isn't running a business. They're self-employed, and that's perfectly respectable, and I'm not for one second denigrating them.

However, what they're not doing is, in effect, running a business. They haven't got the component moving parts of staff to deal with, for example, or having to deal with things whereby you're working with credit terms or, indeed, larger businesses.

Small and medium-sized businesses really aren’t some faceless, monolithic blob—there’s a massive difference between the Amazons and Tescos of the world and those firms with 3 to 25 people on the payroll.

Yet current tax and regulatory policies treat them almost the same, and it’s absolutely stifling growth.

Between the endless red tape that chews up hours and the punishing combination of a 26.25 % corporation tax above £50k plus 33.75 % on dividends, you end up keeping 40 pence in the pound on anything over £50 000 of profit. I run as a limited company for indemnity it offers me - I'd be better off as a sole trader.

No wonder so many of us pause before hiring that next team member or investing in new kit—especially when AI-driven automation is lurking around the corner to replace roles anyway. It’s high time we raised the small-profits threshold, simplified reporting, and rolled out reliefs tailored to the 3–25 employee bracket; otherwise, we’ll trap our most dynamic mid-sized employers in a “steady state,” and miss out on real job creation and innovation.

 

[DanH]

That's a bit like, "well yes apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how was your night at the theatre"

It's an absolute killer - I'm in an geographical area in the midlands that is highly weighted towards logistics and food prep - there are places cutting everywhere and it is going to be brutal.

I work with and see the finances of small businesses day in day out, the pain is barely underway.

The problem is any Government just doesn't get business. They treat it as one entity.

A small one-man band plumber, for example, isn't running a business. They're self-employed, and that's perfectly respectable, and I'm not for one second denigrating them.

However, what they're not doing is, in effect, running a business. They haven't got the component moving parts of staff to deal with, for example, or having to deal with things whereby you're working with credit terms or, indeed, larger businesses.

Small and medium-sized businesses really aren’t some faceless, monolithic blob—there’s a massive difference between the Amazons and Tescos of the world and those firms with 3 to 25 people on the payroll.

Yet current tax and regulatory policies treat them almost the same, and it’s absolutely stifling growth.

Between the endless red tape that chews up hours and the punishing combination of a 26.25 % corporation tax above £50k plus 33.75 % on dividends, you end up keeping 40 pence in the pound on anything over £50 000 of profit. I run as a limited company for indemnity it offers me - I'd be better off as a sole trader.

No wonder so many of us pause before hiring that next team member or investing in new kit—especially when AI-driven automation is lurking around the corner to replace roles anyway. It’s high time we raised the small-profits threshold, simplified reporting, and rolled out reliefs tailored to the 3–25 employee bracket; otherwise, we’ll trap our most dynamic mid-sized employers in a “steady state,” and miss out on real job creation and innovation.

Agreed. Good post.

 

[beak]

You obviously don't watch Have I Got News For You as they made a compilation of the many times he told the world that his father was a toolmaker

Your right.

 

[DANGERCLOSE]

Council tax expected to rise by 5% a year

Council tax is expected to rise by 5% a year to pay for local services, documents in the Spending Review suggest.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[beak]

Council tax expected to rise by 5% a year

Council tax is expected to rise by 5% a year to pay for local services, documents in the Spending Review suggest.

www.bbc.co.uk

That is the normal increase.

 

[Teddy Eagle]

That is the normal increase.

OK but when the chancellor is looking at spending £300 bn it would have been nice if she'd included enough to avoid any rises.

 

[HKOwen]

That's a bit like, "well yes apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how was your night at the theatre"

It's an absolute killer - I'm in an geographical area in the midlands that is highly weighted towards logistics and food prep - there are places cutting everywhere and it is going to be brutal.

I work with and see the finances of small businesses day in day out, the pain is barely underway.

The problem is any Government just doesn't get business. They treat it as one entity.

A small one-man band plumber, for example, isn't running a business. They're self-employed, and that's perfectly respectable, and I'm not for one second denigrating them.

However, what they're not doing is, in effect, running a business. They haven't got the component moving parts of staff to deal with, for example, or having to deal with things whereby you're working with credit terms or, indeed, larger businesses.

Small and medium-sized businesses really aren’t some faceless, monolithic blob—there’s a massive difference between the Amazons and Tescos of the world and those firms with 3 to 25 people on the payroll.

Yet current tax and regulatory policies treat them almost the same, and it’s absolutely stifling growth.

Between the endless red tape that chews up hours and the punishing combination of a 26.25 % corporation tax above £50k plus 33.75 % on dividends, you end up keeping 40 pence in the pound on anything over £50 000 of profit. I run as a limited company for indemnity it offers me - I'd be better off as a sole trader.

No wonder so many of us pause before hiring that next team member or investing in new kit—especially when AI-driven automation is lurking around the corner to replace roles anyway. It’s high time we raised the small-profits threshold, simplified reporting, and rolled out reliefs tailored to the 3–25 employee bracket; otherwise, we’ll trap our most dynamic mid-sized employers in a “steady state,” and miss out on real job creation and innovation.

This is a great explanation of why the Starmer/Reeves ideological clown show will do great harm to the country, and all the bs word salads about growth on which the proposed spending in this parliament is based, is basically nonsense.

 

[HKOwen]

Substantial savings are being found in Kent by Reform going through the books, a 5% rise in council tax could be avoided by decent and honest use of the money.

I wouldn't care which political party saved me council tax ( without cutting services ) but the RDS mob will .

If you can justify paying for non existent taxi rides, paying for care charges to people who died long ago, paying salaries to people no longer employed, totalling millions, then your ideology has made you insane

 

[DanH]

Substantial savings are being found in Kent by Reform going through the books, a 5% rise in council tax could be avoided by decent and honest use of the money.

I wouldn't care which political party saved me council tax ( without cutting services ) but the RDS mob will .

If you can justify paying for non existent taxi rides, paying for care charges to people who died long ago, paying salaries to people no longer employed, totalling millions, then your ideology has made you insane

So what are these 'substantial savings' then?