Red Ed to freeze energy prices

In my opinion successive governments are at fault . I believe that if tax rates were reduced the overall tax take would increase as less individuals/companies would bother to legally avoid tax and also that this would encourage more business into the UK. Not a question of left wing or right wing , more a question of getting the balance right. Please correct me if I am wrong but I don't think Google or Amazon have broken UK tax laws, they just pay as little as they have to. Who here would pay more than they have to in an act of benevolence or do you accept what the state takes in income tax, fuel duty, insurance tax, airport tax etc with good grace or do you wish you paid a little less ?

 

This is just Miliband trying to look like Old Labour since his run in with the Unions a few weeks ago. Fking prick - Can anyone take this big nosed twat seriously? - Don't get me wrong, Cameron and his rent boy liberal sidekick are just as bad, if not worse... How anybody can take Clegg as a serious politician after selling his party down the river and bending over for the Tories is beyond me!

Back to the original topic though - Like one reporter stated, If it looks like Labour will win in 2015, then we can expect giant hikes in energy prices before they get in power...

Think I'd like to see is the same statement from Labour on petrol prices, but don't think they will drop the price of the governments cash cow now will they!!

 

My point is not whether legal or not, my point is many large companies, I'm hesitating to say most, hardly pay any direct tax from their profits. Tax take is from things they buy (that cannot be offset) and the staff they pay (shock horror who on PAYE get butt-fucked by everyone at least 3 times).

Personally, I'd consider voting for someone who would cap all profits to a certain level, regardless of business, and that sets a minimum ratio of employee cost v revenue. Probably impossible to do but in the last it was considered impossible to fly...

 

Why not do all you can to encourage profits and simultaneously improve the taxation system to increase the tax take ? Capping profits removes incentives. I don't see how you can set a ratio of employees v revenue as not all organisations are equally labour intensive.
I`m not suggesting that everything in the garden is rosy but Labours possible attempt to intervene and fix prices seems to me to be badly thought out and probably unworkable. Also, if they think it is a good idea why stop with utilities ? Surely the same applies to Supermarkets amongst other things. Bit like the child care announcement earlier in the week, if it is so fab why stop at 25 hours ?

 

So all energy companies make 50% profit. What can we do as consumers to stop that? Feck all! And thats the point they are trying to address, as profits raise year on year who knows where it will end and the regulator are chocolate teapot quality

 

and you moan about the public sector costing you loads.........look at how much we are all paying for this privatised world.......thats the true cost to society.

 

Altho tbf we don't have to pay their awesome pension schemes, one of the reasons the public sector is bankrupting the UK

 

I think with energy it should be capped. blatant profiteering that they have enjoyed since inception to please the shareholders.
its happened with water too.

 

Fuel, energy, water, transport, mail. All should have an element of govt meddling to ensure proper service is given at a fair affordable price

 

or quarterly bonus's, six month bonus's, bonus's when they dont even perform ... non contributory pension schemes, private health care...............blah blah

 

Sorry, I cant agree with increasing government involvement in anything. Take HS2, the last lot proposed it, the current lot are in favour and they are talking about £50 billion of OUR money . No no no! We all know it will end up going over budget if it does go ahead too.
Maybe if one day we had a government that wanted what was right for the nation as opposed to cheap point scoring, nest feathering and soundbites, then I`d be in favour of more involvement but the long standing established main parties have shown an uncanny ability to screw up more than they get right in my opinion.

 

Up to 50% of council tax heads to pension funds for previous or existing workers. Cant say 50% goes into the staff coffers for same just yet...if we had more employed, more paying in, less profit needed, then we could all benefit again from lovely fat pensions

Full employment and less tech, its the way forward

 

i think we should put the 5 year olds in charge of LIBOR and PPI............at least there would be an element of honesty....

 

I didn't notice Miliband promising to freeze the price of my heating oil(no gas where I live), let alone petrol and diesel! I mildly resent having to shop around and switch my electricity tariff once in a while, but it's no big deal compared to what I spend on oil based products, and I agree that the price of those is headed one way - look at the rate of expansion of the human population and the increase in the number of vehicles in India and China...

 

I'd vote for that, providing the same cohort of 5 year olds managed the civil service and police force too, seems those two organisations in particular and falling under some heat right now like bankers...

 

Red Ed? Don't make me laugh. What's red about him? He's barely a light shade of pink.

A lot of woolly thinking on this thread about this.

For all you free market economists here who are delighted to see utilities and energy companies in private hands, I suggest you lobby for real free market economics to be applied to this. Vote for the energy companies to triple prices. Why? Because there is bugger all the consumer can do about it, unless they decide to give up eating hot food or heating their homes. Then the energy companies could make stonking profits - and we all know there is nothing wrong with a profit. Indeed, it is the duty of all companies to increase profits as far as they are able. Quadruple the price of water too - can't see many people giving it up.

If you don't like the sound of that, then you would be in favour of some form of government intervention, either nationalisation (which you can't countenance) or government interference in a free market (ditto).

So get your thinking straight. Stand up for what you believe in - unlimited profit for big business in every area of society. It's the Invisible Hand - you know it makes sense.

 

lets allow them to charge 100 times what we pay now to invest in energy.

lets see if it makes a difference or if the shareholders all end up with pop star lifestyles

 

Maybe a bit of woolly thinking from you there Glid ? I am against government meddling and nationalisation in general although there are exceptions. Being pro free market is not the same as voting to triple prices as you are well aware. My anti govt involvement is based on the fact that for as long as I can recall all UK governments seem to have the opposite of the Midas Touch. Everything they touch turns to shit. Regardless of party.
I`m generalising of course as they get the odd thing right. A bit like the old saying about a broken clock still telling the right time twice a day I think.
Standing up for free markets does not = unlimited profit for big business in every area of society, it is nonsense to suggest it does. In most, but not all, areas the competition will keep the prices in check.
On a bit of a tangent, Ed said nothing about scrapping fuel duty which is costing many of us more than domestic fuel so I get the feeling he is just grandstanding.