Thursday, June 13, 2013

Thursday 13th June

Oh well, a quick and unexpected chance to post something more....

It was with much amusement that I watched the BBC report on Greece closing down its state broadcaster. The government there claimed it was a prime example of the profligacy and waste in the Greek system, while the unions claimed it was all the government’s fault because a series of political appointees put in charge. It would be nice to think this had made some at the BBC very uncomfortable, what with its profligacy, waste, political appointees and institutionalized left-wing bias. But they’re just too arrogant there. So how much did this massive new broadcasting centre cost in these ‘times of austerity’ eh?


I see Google is under fire for its tax affairs. This international company is arranging to pay its taxes in countries where taxes are low and though adhering to the law it is, apparently, not adhering to the spirit of the law. Law shouldn’t require the latter form of adherence; something is either right or wrong. If the British government doesn’t like what Google is doing it should change the law. Or, here’s a thought, rein in that socialist greed for other people’s money and drop taxes to the point where international companies are rushing to pay taxes in Britain. We have been in, for some time, that era when bankrupt governments must go cap in hand to wealthy international corporations – something science fiction has been predicting for about 50 years.

11 comments:

Sean and Jane's Allotment said...

Hello Neal! I sort of agree with some of what you say, I think you're right stuff should either be legal or not legal, recall one one once saying the truth is what you can get away with, govts. Through the last 300 years since industrialisation have pandered either to royalty, aristocracy, landowners and industrialists an wont take from them what they think they deserve to ay and the whine and snipe at the rank and file when they take advantage of tax loop holes and obey the word of the law if not the 'spirit', whatever the fuck that is, of the law either put up or shut up. Lets face it, we all ay tax because we want stuff that as individuals there is no way we can provide, education, health services, rubbish collection, street lighting, and though I hate to admit it police and armed services amongst many many other things our taxes pay for, if I have to pay my share, then so do corporations, it's like that old saying if I owe them £10,000 it's my problem if I owe them £10billion it's their problem.

I agree we shouldn't have profligate and wasteful public services, but then again there' taking the piss as this govt and the Central European govt is doing for govts it's bailing out in the way it makes them make cuts, the economic theory they're basing the policy of reduced govt spending to improve the economy has Ben shown to be flawed, Keynesian Economics suggest that in an Economic depression the ONLY way to change the economy is for the govt to increase spending, for example on houses, ships, roads ie big capital projects. And to get back to the point To fund this we need everyone to pay there share and not let fall to the poorest, economically weakest members of society to take the hit.

Jebel Krong said...

The thing is: i'd much rather Google invested in the country directly as they are doing: providing jobs and creating wealth, than just paying tax so the government can just waste it on scroungers or spying on us. With every country all these multinationals do business in seemingly feeling entitled to "tax" for, essentially nothing, it's a wonder any of them make money...

Unknown said...

"drop taxes to the point where international companies are rushing to pay taxes in Britain"

Or in Canada or Australia or whichever other country feels the need to attract business with lower tax rates than elsewhere. You appear to be proposing a race to the bottom where the only winners are those who pay the taxes (or not, as the case may be). We've seen this on an international scale, a national scale and a local scale - corporations will always push for as much advantage as they can get (and rightfully so) and it's the job of the governments/councils to push back and try to strike a balance. Inevitably it will tip too far in one direction or the other.
Unless you believe in the Walmart model of profit over all and damn the consequences, in which case, carry on.

Neal Asher said...

Sorry Sean & Jane, but Keynesian economics has been proven a crock timt and time again. Remember it was the Brown Gorgon's touchstone. Injected money has to come from some where and govts have proved they only know how to throw it at idealogically correct projects like ficking widmills.

Yeah, that bit is ignored, Daniel, by socialist pricks anxious to piss away other people's money.

Unknown, well I'm for smaller govt overall and giving them less money to waste seems like a good start.

Neal Asher said...

And my spelling needs some work...

Steve Gilham said...

Keynesian economics never works because nobody who invokes Keynes in times of recession ever does the bit about running surpluses in times of boom.

Anonymous said...

Yeah don't get me started on windmills. I live within pissing distance of the whitelee wind farm and its an ugly monstrosity and an embarrassment to Scotland's energy policy. They are never spinning, but constantly slapping up more and more of them. It's a ridiculous waste of money. I hope Scotland comes to its senses at some point and dumps the idea and seriously looks at a new nuclear build. We need an actual viable energy policy... Rant over :) sorry....I just hate windmills.

Grim's Reality said...

It does ... but it's nice to see it once in a while.

marty21 said...

I do find it amusing when people describe the BBC as left wing. They criticise Tory and Labour Governments, and now the ConDems. And I'm glad they do so.

marty21 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Neal Asher said...

Don't take my word for it Marty, their own investigation revealed that bias.