Friday 17 June 2005

Welfare statists

I have a great deal of sympathy with pensioners who are angry about the latest news on expense claims of MSPs:
Story in full HOLYROOD was at the centre of a fresh expenses row last night after pensioners' groups attacked the generous allowances system which gives MSPs the right to claim back council tax and utility bills from the taxpayer.

The politicians were accused of double standards for failing to stop rocketing council tax bills for pensioners at the same time as sheltering behind the taxpayer for the very same bills.

What we mustn't forget though is that politicians never pay tax. Nor does anyone else who works (sic) in the public (sic) sector. Taxation is something that is extracted by force from those of us who work in the productive parts of the economy. Those taxes are then used to finance the net wages of state employees. Any "tax" that these people seem to pay is merely a bookkeeping entry within their employing organisation.

Pensioners are right to be angry:

Jess Barrow, from Age Concern Scotland, said there was very real anger in the pensioner community over rising council tax bills.

She said: "They see rising council tax as eating away at any benefit they might have from their own savings or pensions and a lot feel extremely angry that they have paid all their own bills and taxes and they are being penalised."

I have little doubt that MSPs would vote themselves sizable pay rises if the housing allowances had to go. What pensioners and their spokesmen need to focus on is the very size of government itself. Cut that, and the rest will fall into place.

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

Robert Speirs
The govt employees you mention are less than productive, they produce loss of productivity, since they facilitate the theft of people's money for no net gain, since private organizations could do everything they do, better and cheaper. And advertising facilitates the voluntary exchange of goods, which is the basis of all productivity.
24 June 2005, 20:23:17 GMT+01:00 – Like – Reply

David
What an arsehole you are, to be sure.

Ia an NHS consultant "non-productive"? Is a nurse? Is, come to that, a bin man or school cleaner?

And is ANYONE working in, say, advertising, "productive"?
22 June 2005, 21:45:11 GMT+01:00 – Like – Reply

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