VAT is charged on the fuel cost and duty. We pay taxes on our taxes. It would be far better for the government to meddle in that mess than anything else.
Gas and Electricity Prices
- Thread starter gordonscobie
- Start date
VAT is charged on the fuel cost and duty. We pay taxes on our taxes. It would be far better for the government to meddle in that mess than anything else.
Dogberry
pfm Member
You may not be a Tory toff ,but it sounds like you're
singing from the same DM hymn sheet basically blaming the poor.
Poverty among working families is increasing as is the number of children in poverty.
Richard Lines
pfm Member
The area of concern regarding national security is how our governments over the last 30yrs have not looked to ensuring that they can secure sufficient energy to run the country and instead installed cables so we can import from other countries. Other countries across Europe are in almost precisely the same mess.
There is a completely separate argument about oil and gas companies and how they have been taxed. Even taking the jounalistic sensationalism out of the current BBC 3 part series there are some serious questions need answering.
Regards
Richard
Seeker_UK
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
It can't take action of the degree needed now. That is purely a decision for elected representatives to make.
The thing to consider is what would have happened with prices if OFGEM weren't there and it was a genuine free market.
Yes, I know it must really irk the left when low income people say they can manage fine ..ish..lol... Get that. And I understand the present situation is
really serious, but to say people don't make poor choices... really ?. For example the ASH report on smoking this year claimed / estimated that a third
of smoking households are living in poverty. I get of course its not a simple thing to stop.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Maybe you can explain this conundrum about child poverty. Ever since G.B. started waving this term around, I've never understood, when a child (in most cases) is the responsibility of parents, why the child is poor in its own right. If the parents are poor, one assumes that the children are less than flush !
There must be a simple explanation, but it's escaped me all these years (quite serious); I even asked here some years ago but didn't get clarification.
Ponty
pfm Member
People who think they can just not pay need a reality check.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62435432
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62435432
Tony L
Administrator
People who think everyone can just pay need a reality check.
Seeker_UK
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
At the moment, that's 80000 households who, if they actually do what they pledge, energy companies will have to commit resource to deal with in a legal manner, set up payment plans, fit a meter and, ultimately, disconnect. I'm not convinced the energy companies have the resources to deal with all of them and might pressure the Govt to do something before it gets to that.
However, they will deal with as many of those who choose not to pay as they can. Lots of those 80k will be disconnected.
Ponty
pfm Member
My sense is that there are a bunch of folk who think they’ll ‘get away’ with not paying when they are perfectly able to. My view hasn’t changed, those with the greatest need should be helped.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Most people in the UK will be customers of a supplier that has signed up to the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment which states households won't be disconnected if they:
- have children under the age of six
- have children under the age of 16 in winter (1 October – 31 March)
- cannot safeguard your welfare or the welfare of other members in your household because of your age, health, disability or severe financial insecurity
But the child would be poor, not a good diet or clothing etc, if the parents are poor. I did nt quite understand the question, but thats probably me. I m like that.. thick
clivem2
pfm Member
22 years is very impressive dedication. Our son by accident and some design chose a different route. Before Brexit he gained his Norwegian residency. He and his partner have just bought a house. Houses in Norway are very highly insulated by design and their electric heating is in expend as it’s produced by hydro. In terms of insulation Scandinavia has such a head start on us. Our son is doing his bit for the planet being vegan and a geologist working in geothermal energy from waste heat as well as carbon capture & storage. Of course Norway is an expensive country for us Brits but it’s also a high wage economy that values innovation, due to this our son earns far more in Norway than he could in the UK (3 times!), not that there are many equivalent jobs here.
The other side of the coin is that Norway is wealthy due to selling their fossil fuels (bad) and hydro electricity (good). We can’t all move to Norway…unfortunately.
That's and interesting clause, most people in the UK will be in that postion sooner rather than later.
Norway also saved and invested a good part of the windfall from their oil reserves for the benefit of the population as a whole rather than using it to prop up the costs of whatever flavour of government was in place (https://www.nbim.no/en/the-fund/about-the-fund/).
Dogberry
pfm Member
Why not spread some goodwill and share your budgetary skills instead seeking to castigate the poor.
Who uses food banks?
- Problems with the benefits system (delays, inadequacy and reductions)
- Challenging life experiences or ill-health
- Lack of informal or formal support.
Minio
Kind of Sort of Not really...
Those that fall just outside of qualifying for the £650 are hit the hardest.
That's quite an ledge to fall off.
Many people on a hifi forum just need to sell off another black box I suspect
Not having a pop at the poor as such , just saying some folk , not all, DO make poor choices. And you can hardly call me rich living in London on 23k per year
Anyway thanks for replying. Respect your position
Nothing's really shifting though, there's someone in the classifieds trying to flog off about £9,000 worth of gear with no takers seemingly.
That's the thing with this current crisis people will simply stop buying stuff any stuff not just hi-fi equipment.
I'm already seeing customers not spending on boiler services for example.