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      10-07-2010, 06:02 AM   #108
peterg1965
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toxicnerve View Post
Interesting. There are a lot of different arguments (by that I mean points of discussion) developing in this thread.

So a few questions to the panel.

1. How much would the government save by cutting:

1% off all public sector salaries for those earning between minimum wage and £50,000.
2% for all those earning £50,000-70,000.
3% for all those earning £70,000-100,000.
5% for all those earning £100,000 and above

2. Do public sector staff receive bonuses of any sort? I assume some top level civil servants do? Stop this, how much would that save?

3. The Government is happy to levy taxes in the name of "green" initiatives. If this is the case then how about taxing companies with their own premises who leave the lights on overnight? I drive around London a fair bit and have noticed that many, many buildings have a lot of lights on at night. Now I know for a fact that these large buildings have control system to automatically control lighting. Why are so many lights left on, how much energy does this waste and could a tax be applied to this?

4. Convicted criminals and those on benefits should be "employed" to serve the community. They should receive no pay for this but simply in return for their benefits/as a consequence of their incarceration people should be expected to feed something back into society. Is this workable? Almost like American chain-gangs but, I daresay, with a greater level of dignity.

5. Foreign drivers, be they here for personal or commercial reasons, should be charged for the use of our roads. Many European countries do this. Why does the UK not? How much would this raise? Every little helps right?

6. The financial crisis has cost this country (and the world) a lot of money. The state now owns a large chunk of our banks and the rest of them are basically reliant on government insurances/assurances. How much are we taxing them? Should it be more? Should the law be changed to limit bonuses until the cost of the bailout has been repayed with interest?

7. The Government is the biggest organisation going. Do they have a centralised procurement strategy or are departments responsible for their own sourcing? Be it sourcing of labour, post-its, biros or loo roll. With the buying power of an entire government/all public services how much money could be saved? I appreciate there would be some logistics overhead but I think overall there woudl be some money saved right?

8. Every single government department/public service needs auditing. There are always inefficiencies in organisations of this size and these should be addressed before we start cutting public spending. If the MP's expenses scandal highlighted anything it's that there are people at all levels who will take advantage of the system. Let's start by looking at the public services which we pay for.

I could go on all day...cutting public spending is the quick and easy way to save money. The more difficult, yet ultimately more rewarding (and palatable for the public) ways are to save/raise revenue by exposing the inefficiencies that exist.
Good post.

I would also advocate having an Accountant at EVERY hospital/doctors clinic to greet the 'customers'..

Accountant... "Good morning, I see you are not a British(EU) Citizen, do not pay British taxes and reside abroad"...

Patient (foreign)/... "what, (Qu, Si, yeah, Oui)?"

Accountant.... " I am happy to accept Amex/Mastercard/Visa or Cash...sorry no diners club vouchers......... no pay no treatment...have a nice day"


Wonder how much that would raise?
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