Council Tax
Posted: Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Guess what I received in the post today? Oh you know because you got one too, yes that's right, our Council Tax bill's.
Normally, like most people (I suspect), I scan over the accompanying bumph, look at the size of the demand, pick myself up off the floor and then chuck the bumph in the bin (the recycling one of course, excluding the envelope, that goes in the other bin, waiting to be collected in two weeks time).
BUT today I was speaking to a chap who lives in central London and mentioned about the council tax and how high it was, he is in a higher banding than me but pays far less, so I thought I would actually have a read of the bumph.
It is very interesting, we all know that you can make figures say what you want but this is fudging taken beyond the norm. Here are a few questions I would like answered (if you know the answers PLEASE post a comment) and the increases in the coming years budget.
1. What is 'Cultural and related services' 15.81%
2. Ditto 'Trading services' 51.79%
3. Ditto 'Corporate and democratic core' 36.49%
4. Ditto 'Non Distributed costs' 8.92%
5. Ditto 'Other Operating costs' 61.92%
Funnily enough, I know what the following are but look at decreases.
1. 'Roads and Transport services' ( 32.10% )
2. 'Housing Services' ( 26.32% )
3. 'Social Work' ( 9.14% )
4. 'Planning and dev Services' ( 10.62% )
5. 'Central Services to the Public' - maybe not ( 8.37% )
Basically what this all boils down to, is mis management of our money causing pot holes in the roads, rat population increases and less help for the people of Argyll and Bute.
The other day I saw a headline for the Oban Times '141 Council Workers to lose their jobs', I was so down about it, I never read the article but I bet it was not referring to the people at the top.
Here is a good exercise for some geek out there.
Compare the figures of expenditure from 50 years ago against todays and come up with %'s of wages and salaries paid plus expenses to manual workers as against office workers compared to Council taxes received and I can bet that it would be a staggering shift from the people who provide us with the services at the sharp end to the people who sit on their backsides in offices and cars wearing blue or white collars.
Yes I am ranting once again but it will make no difference in the end because the people who we keep in their high paid and highly pensioned jobs have the say on how our money is spent and look down on the normal people as plebs, who are not fit to clean their shoes.
What these people forget, is that it is our money that pays them and they are classed as 'Public Employees'.
OH God, I've just realised what I typed...............................excuse me while I wipe my eyes................................pick myself up........and.........................wait 'till the stitch subsides from my side.
Sometimes, I can be so witty, without realising it!!!!!!!!
Normally, like most people (I suspect), I scan over the accompanying bumph, look at the size of the demand, pick myself up off the floor and then chuck the bumph in the bin (the recycling one of course, excluding the envelope, that goes in the other bin, waiting to be collected in two weeks time).
BUT today I was speaking to a chap who lives in central London and mentioned about the council tax and how high it was, he is in a higher banding than me but pays far less, so I thought I would actually have a read of the bumph.
It is very interesting, we all know that you can make figures say what you want but this is fudging taken beyond the norm. Here are a few questions I would like answered (if you know the answers PLEASE post a comment) and the increases in the coming years budget.
1. What is 'Cultural and related services' 15.81%
2. Ditto 'Trading services' 51.79%
3. Ditto 'Corporate and democratic core' 36.49%
4. Ditto 'Non Distributed costs' 8.92%
5. Ditto 'Other Operating costs' 61.92%
Funnily enough, I know what the following are but look at decreases.
1. 'Roads and Transport services' ( 32.10% )
2. 'Housing Services' ( 26.32% )
3. 'Social Work' ( 9.14% )
4. 'Planning and dev Services' ( 10.62% )
5. 'Central Services to the Public' - maybe not ( 8.37% )
Basically what this all boils down to, is mis management of our money causing pot holes in the roads, rat population increases and less help for the people of Argyll and Bute.
The other day I saw a headline for the Oban Times '141 Council Workers to lose their jobs', I was so down about it, I never read the article but I bet it was not referring to the people at the top.
Here is a good exercise for some geek out there.
Compare the figures of expenditure from 50 years ago against todays and come up with %'s of wages and salaries paid plus expenses to manual workers as against office workers compared to Council taxes received and I can bet that it would be a staggering shift from the people who provide us with the services at the sharp end to the people who sit on their backsides in offices and cars wearing blue or white collars.
Yes I am ranting once again but it will make no difference in the end because the people who we keep in their high paid and highly pensioned jobs have the say on how our money is spent and look down on the normal people as plebs, who are not fit to clean their shoes.
What these people forget, is that it is our money that pays them and they are classed as 'Public Employees'.
OH God, I've just realised what I typed...............................excuse me while I wipe my eyes................................pick myself up........and.........................wait 'till the stitch subsides from my side.
Sometimes, I can be so witty, without realising it!!!!!!!!
Posted on jurastores at 22:29
Living on the Isle of Jura
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