News, Local history and Thanet issues from Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate see www.michaelsbookshop.com I publish over 200 books about the history of this area click here to look at them.
Comments, since I started writing this blog in 2007 the way the internet works has changed a lot, comments and dialogue here were once viable in an open and anonymous sense. Now if you comment here I will only allow the comment if it seems to make sense and be related to what the post is about. I link the majority of my posts to the main local Facebook groups and to my Facebook account, “Michael Child” I guess the main Ramsgate Facebook group is We Love Ramsgate. For the most part the comments and dialogue related to the posts here goes on there. As for the rest of it, well this blog handles images better than Facebook, which is why I don’t post directly to my Facebook account, although if I take a lot of photos I am so lazy that I paste them directly from my camera card to my bookshop website and put a link on this blog.
I'd like to remind her maj's tax people that although I applied for this tax credit perhaps ten or more years ago when eligible, for the last 6,7, 8, years I've not been entitled, so could the deadbeat civil servant who insists on sending at least two reminders each year, please understand that I accept I'm not entitled and stop wasting postage and trees
ReplyDeleteThe following comment may well be wrong and I’m sure the more learned bloggers will no doubt correct me, but here goes nothing!
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to note the old tax break was called “married persons alliance” which in it’s self does not appear to make any distinction as to whether children were involved or not, it is my understanding that in order to qualify for tax credits you must be under a salary threshold and have children.
My point is you don’t suddenly stop having children once they reach the age of 16, moreover the costs associated with offspring often increase dramatically after they have attained 16 years of age what with university fees, assistance with mortgage deposits etc. however given that at this time mum and dad have reached the pinnacle of their chosen careers, have hopefully paid off their mortgage and have a certain amount to disposable income….40% income tax is imposed.
Rather than wasting money on advertising it would be better to reduce the tax burden of people with disposable incomes which would allow them to buy our way out of recession and also give them the incentive to invest in new business and thereby increase employment & decreasing benefit spending.
Just a thought…..
The tax credit system, in my view, is the way to go. At the moment it is a bureaucratic shambles. Bit the principle is there.
ReplyDeleteWhen trying to help one of my tenants off long term benefits and into self employment I drew up a business plan and first year cash flow forecast. Being realistic the forecast was that in the first year of trading he would rely on tax credits and housing benefits but weekly that would be £15 less than he claims in unemployment benefits.
Remember the tax credit system is flexible. So if he trades and exceeds expectation he can declare that immediately and have his tax credit and housing benefits reduced accordingly as he progresses towards independence from state subsidy.
Or, re tax credits, even if his first year accounts show he exceeded the cash flow forecast he simply repays the tax credit and the tax credit adjusts downwards for his second year of trading.
THis is why some time ago I was exchanging emails with Ken Gregory asking him to look at the BizFizz schemes that help unemployed into self employment (very successfully) Thanet doesn't have a scheme. You can ponce around wasting your time listening to public servants in jobcentres giving the wrong advice.
Or deal with this charity. Theiur organisers don't tend to come from do goodie backgrounds. The local one here is run by a lady who was a building quantity surveyor.
How the network operates. The client has a three hour chat with the Bizfizz organiser. No business plan at that stage because it is too reliant on the unemployed persons own ideas and visions of the market place.
BizFizz then go away and produce a synopsis of all the skills and aspirations of the unemployed person whose ID they keep secret. They then email this synopsis to people on the network. Thus accessing a collective thousands of years of commercial and industrial experience. Plus going to self employed who were previously unemployed and they stay on the bizfizz network.
When all the feedback is collated (which usually includes offers of work sometimes of premises etc) Bizfizz get together with the client and create the business plan and away yer go. Fast track from dole to tax credit and get working.
At least tax credit offers a system that helps those who help themselves and does not trap people on benefits other than the idle wasters who like being trapped on benefits.
Examples of Bizfizz up here
ReplyDelete(1) "live and work units". These are in a former commercial premises I think purpose converted to provide arts and crafts type graduates etc a bedsit and workshop/studio. I can check if this si still going as it seems an IDEAL scheme to exploit the Truner Centre regeneration hopes.
(2) A factory paying rates for its area but not using its capacity. Separately meters electricity and cheap rents space to a man going into self employed wood turning and joinery. Fcatory owner is gaining a contribution to his rates and Bizzfizz client cops some workshop premises with no initial investment.
(3) Office suite. An estate agent had a new block of offices on his books. He is responsible for it being secure and maintained and in the recession it is not letting or selling space. Gives one year free rental to a bizzfizz client of one complete suite. Payoff to the agant is he gets a kiled man in there every day making sure the fabric of building is OK and he gets security and his potential customers see that one suite is trading.
On the internet you mind find Carolyn Powell changes lives. That is the Bizfizz organiser and she gets help from all sources. I think because even businessmen will go the extra mile to help someone who genuinely wants to get off his backside and work. She got bank managers on the network too. Not that they are dishing out initial business loans. But they can know a company from its inception and know its progress because one day they may be coming in asking for expansion loans.
You see Thanet and weep as the twats whinge on that a tomnato growing enterprise don't employ them ? Boo hoo. Why not get together with other unemployed people and set up as self employed who can provide short term short notice relief cover for absentee workers ? And if you do go tomato picking here and there then it is at your agreed self employed rate. But I am not saying only rely on the tomato firm. Scan every ruddy entrprise that may need extra flexibility to cover staff sickness or demand peaks.
Most dole claimants enjoy their victim mentality and love to feel sorry for themselves. But those who will get off their backsides may end up growing businesses and possibly employing the low risk parochials who have sat on dole whinging ?