Everything is going up except our income.

Well, they need to put up income tax then - and make sure that no-one eligible to pay tax dodges it.

Councils are in a very tight situation - Central government has cut funding by 20-25% since 2010 - yet councils are required to provide srvices. Council tax is based is based on the overall budget and areas with high needs will often have higher taxes.

For example Kensington and Chelsea may not have such high percentages requiring funding such as free school meals and more self funding that reduces means tested services such as social care, care home funding etc

Also the cost of Brexit will have to be paid for - one of the big reasons the government needs to cut spending
- the drop in the pound makes imported goods expensive
- trade deals will have to be paid for - it will not be free to trade with Europe
- New agencies to be created if Britain is going to continue with agricultural subsidies and medical research etc plus needing to replace passports and driving licences etc
- the sheer bureaucracy costs billions and billions of the negotiations and then the review of every single law and rule that has been adopted from the EU - for example human rights and employment rights

I am afraid to say I don't like Lurpark. I love Anchor butter, but it is getting difficult to find.

Pensioners should pay NI, unless on a low income.

I don't understand the enthusiasm for Lurpak. Used to have to buy it when living in the Gulf, when little else was available, but never thought it all that wonderful.
I always buy British butter. We should support our own farmers - I don't know why so many people don't.
I'd better not get started on the habit of buying out of season, imported veg all year round.
Quite apart from anything else, local, in season veg are nearly always cheaper.

Just incase anyone from Lurpak does happen to read this thread.

You can pay me in butter (worth more than hard cash these days anyway).

There's no going back mind you SueDonim be warned.

Now what else could I do with a cupboard full of?

Ariel liquid.... I swear by it....have you seen the price lately....worth it though, as its amazing....

Gillybob Lurpak should be thanking you! I've decided I'm going to try their butter, to find out for myself if there's a difference.

Glad someone agrees with me gretel

Income Tax is paid on pensions so why shouldn't National Insurance contributions continue to be paid after stopping work. After all pensioners are still using the services funded by National Insurance. Those on the lowest incomes would be exempt.

Meant to add. National Insurance to be paid by everyone even after "retirement" (whatever that is?). Based on income of course.

I just used the "million pound" as a starting point Riverwalk we have no million pound homes in our borough.

Grossly unfair though.

My parents felt money discussions rude, there you go.

We agree on income tax on earnings, there you go again.

Savings? Income tax on the pitiful earnings on savings, sure.

Pensions? Income tax would be fine, some would disagree.

Fun as this chatter is, I have to make tea snacks, I have no more questions.

Gilly a million pounds won't buy a house in K&C. I just lifted this off Rightmove:

Last year most property sales in Kensington And Chelsea involved flats which sold for on average £1,379,917. Terraced properties sold for an average price of £4,213,152, while semi-detached properties fetched £6,692,278.

A house worth tens of millions, not uncommon to see large houses for £35,000,000, will only pay £2085.60 in CT, that being the top band of H in K&C.

The very wealthy might not use the local council swimming pool, or library but they do benefit from council services in others ways, maintained roads & swept pavements, street lighting, bin collection, parks, etc.

.... I can almost feel the spring being wound up.

I can't see whats rude about it at all Norah It tends only to be those with a lot of money who don't like to disclose it.

Fair tax income tax based on earnings/pensions/savings

Council tax re-banded taking into account the huge rise in value in some areas and the stagnation or drop in others. if someone wants to stay in a million pound house that they can't afford to pay the CT on, then they can pay on account and clear the back payments when they either sell or die. There you go. You asked. I delivered.

Extract:

* council have set an average increase of 1.2% for 2016/17. The Government has also introduced the Adult Social Care Precept which is equivalent to a 2% increase in Council Tax and is shown separately and ring fenced to be spent
on Adult Social Care. However, due to these increases and increases in precepts from Police, Fire and Parish and Town Councils, average bills have increased by 3.37%. The actual increase for each tax payer will depend on which parish they
are in. Increases for 2016/17 vary between 2.58% and 6.10%. The amount of your Council Tax bill will depend on which parish your home is in and which valuation band it is in. The exact amount is shown on your Council Tax bill, however, 63% of homes in * are in the 2 lowest bands which will mean average total bills of £1,028.08 for Band A and £1,199.43 for Band B.

I've just done my weekly shop at tesco online taking off delivery charge and adding a £10 off voucher the price it's worked out at £132.00 so yes prices have definitely gone up!!

How would you level the local spending for the police and fire depts (by way of example)? Per person? OR?

I paid as much Council Tax in North Wales in a year as I did per month in Dover Kent. My house in Wales was a four bed end terrace - my house in Dover was a two bed mid terrace! I have to say that the Council services were no better in Dover than in Wales, in fact the bin collection service was not as good. I live in Telford now and the Council Tax is less than Kent but for the same level of services. I'd be in favour of a local income tax but only if it was set at the same level throughout the whole of the UK on a % of total household income. I have always shopped carefully and am quite happy to buy reduced price items and such (provided they are fit to eat of course) so I don't think prices have gone up really - some foodstuffs that are packaged are getting smaller though, especially cereals.

We may not have left the EU yet, but the fall in the value of the pound was instant, and this has obviously led to price rises for imports.

Someone living beyond their means in a huge expensive house can always move down to something smaller/cheaper but it can never work the other way around. Therefore I suppose those in smaller cheaper properties should pay less and those in bigger more expensive ones pay more. I live in a 2 bedroom, 3 storey terrace (they call them town houses ) and I could always move into a smaller terrace or a flat.

gillybob may I ask what sort of tax would make you happy? I would really prefer a bit more income tax and council taxes assessed on more of a per person basis, rather than by property value. A person may not have the income to pay on property. How would you accomplish taxes?

Interesting, nobody would dream to talk about taxes or money, deeming it rude, in real life.

IMO the banding system is in desperate need of updating. But that's another thing entirely. Where I live (one of the poorest boroughs in the country) every town/village etc is banded the same. Bands A-F (although I doubt whether there will be anyone in a band F).

We almost agree on something Norah (why the change?)

Those with the most pay the most. Fair and civilized.

Not where I live gillybob. We pay a lot more. Because we live in a nice area, we have been here for over 30 years, we are deemed 'well off', which we aren't, we are both retired. Yes we have paid off our mortgage but we didn't go on expensive holidays, smoke or drink and we have earned every penny we spent. We would come in to the category that the Government is trying to persuade to down-size. No way! Why should we? We need somewhere for our family to sleep when they visit, why should they have to pay to go to Premier Inn or somewhere? We already pay more for our council tax because of the banding system anyway.

BREXIT has not happened yet so how can it be the reason for prices to go up? In any case our exports are doing very well thank you and there are lots of businesses waiting to come here once Mrs May triggers Article 50. If people would only get behind the country and stop moaning about what might (will never) happen then we would be in a much better place. All this doubt and whinging will damage this country more. People need to be backing the country not putting it down.