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16 October 2014

jurastores


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Council Tax

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!!!!!!!!
Posted on jurastores at 22:29

Comments

It really adds to the 'fun' Cooncil-taxpayers 'enjoy' if we live on a de/un-adopted road, because the binmen aren't allowed to drive up and collect the black bag and the recycling men aren't.....etc, so the bipeds have to lug bb and green box down to the main road. If the box isn't weighed down with a large stone it blows away: if the bb is ripped open by nasty squawkers, guess who doesn't tidy up the mess.... of course this all means we get a reduction in the C. Tax, doesn't it? No? Well b****r me sideways, who would have adamaneved it!!

Flying Cat from cynics' corner club


Well said! The sentiments of most of us. Witty or otherwise.

Ac from Coll


Good puzzle this one. Doesn't the Coucil Tax demand mean that 'Non Distributed costs' have become distributed amongst the tax payers? Perhaps they should use a doodle to represent The Costs Formerly Known As Distributed like Prince did. Of course this would mean a further increase in the budget for 'Cultural and related services' because they'd have to pay a swanky design team to produce an appropriate squiggle.

Annie B from Consultants R Us


An inappropriate squiggle would be much more fun...

Flying Cat from station frogwatch - stood down


Remember that we are supposed to have the power. Don't destroy, play to rule. Public servants are accountable (in theory, and there is a process — hope is in the air). It is most important not to let them get away with it, as it gives the impression that we agree. It will certainly be commented that way. Will the 3rd of May change anything? Again, we live in hope, but we had it in 96, didn't we? I wish the people of the West of Scotland retain their beautiful human nature. Things here happen a wee bit later, so we might still have one or two years of delight. After that who knows? There might actually not be any Council any more, Scottish Exec might decide to buy in from a company down South, or put it to tender as per EU Rules. We might be ruled by some Swedish or Finnish or Estonian outfit. They say it works fine there. Luckily they will not take our gales away, it's snowing horizontal today.

Adamir from Cowall


And circularly horizontal here....

Flying Cat from Orkney Mainland


searching for my distant relations of jura harkness, mclean, boyl, whyte, quigley best wishes to all on jura john

john hughes from cheshire england


One way to get round council tax Become a crofter the vast majority of the general public don't realize that croft buildings like storage sheds barns etc are Council Tax free and they get vast grants to build them all payed for by the tax payer apart from that many but not all have other income sole traders and business do not receive any grants at the same level if at all or the same Council Tax relief then to add insult to that they have as we all do pay income tax to support crofters land owners and farmers All grants should be means tested based on income and community needs also its my opinion though not politically correct if land owners farmers and crofters are getting eu/state funds not to farm the ground or produce crops or goods should be made to work in the community for the benefit of the community Sorry for wandering off topic but i am a bit cheesed off with paying taxes to the state and local government funds which i could put into my business and provide more storage space and employment just to see a large % of it go on a few idle land owners crofters and farmers

simon daverone from oban


This is of course because I'm jealous of crofters and would really like to be one myself, but was knocked back because of my bad attitude. I've since rethought my attitude and come to understand the important indigenous cultural and environmental management value of crofting, (especially after the devastation wrought in the Highlands and Islands over the centuries) and have since come to realise that values and prices are not the same thing.

simon daverone from Oban




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