You want to be clear on terminology, and say that you're using the term "welfare" to define all DWP spending that isn't state pensions. Fair enough that you take out state pensions, but why don't you also agree to take out (i) personal social services (looked after children, etc), (ii) pensions to older people that are not state pensions and (iii) other payments to older people? This is the approach adopted by IFS - or do you argue that they are wrong, and on what basis? You ask "Where did I say that because civil servants compiled the figures they must be accurate?" Well, at 19:39:00 on 19/11/14 you wrote that "the way the figures are accounted for isn't entirely transparent… [it is] not a deliberate attempt to deceive - it's apparently how the civil service has accounted for staff pensions for years …" If you can't even get your own remarks straight it's no wonder the rest of what you write is so dubious. And who said anything about "a vast right-wing conspiracy"? That's a figment of your own over-active imagination; I was simply pointing out that the government issue dodgy figures and the right wing-press seizes on them: hardly a conspiracy, vast to otherwise. Next, in spite of all the evidence, you continue to claim that welfare spending is vast. It isn't, and "reforming" it isn't the solution to our problems but simply adds to them. You really need to recognise that the whole austerity agenda is failing, even in the government's own terms: if people have less money they are able to contribute less in taxes, which is why the deficit is increasing. Finally, what is wrong with taxation? Taxes are what enables the government (or it would do, if we had a government that believed in morality) to provide for a civilised society. Oh, and one more thought: another way of reducing government spending would be to stop wasting so much on "defence" - taking part in stupid and unnecessary wars for a start, and scrapping the ludicrous two aircraft carriers that have no aircraft (very useful, that) and stopping the replacement for Trident - or do you support these drains on your hard-earned?

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 13:38:00	Bunny Payne
Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 16:16:00	Simon Knight
Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 16:38:00	Bunny Payne
Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 16:49:00	Simon Knight
Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 17:16:00	Maggie Forbes
Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 17:34:00	Alan Sherman
Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	21/05/24 17:24:00	sam
Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 19:37:00	Bunny Payne
Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 19:39:00	Adam Gray
Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	19/11/14 23:24:00	Richard Carter
Re:Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	20/11/14 04:55:00	Adam Gray
Re:Annual Tax Summary	20/11/14 08:43:00	Maggie Forbes
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	20/11/14 10:28:00	Richard Carter
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	20/11/14 15:17:00	Adam Gray
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	21/11/14 00:28:00	Richard Carter
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	23/11/14 20:10:00	Richard Carter
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Annual Tax Summary	21/05/24 20:48:00	Ed Robinson
Re:Annual Tax Summary	20/11/14 12:35:00	Alison Fraser

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