Sharkattack +1

When I look back at my late teens and early 20’s I’m amazed I’ve still got all my limbs ( now mid 30’s). I have some fantastic “well there was one time” stories. I think it is part of growing up to take risks in some way shape or form….

Hope it works out for you.

Bad parents? I think you’re being a bit hard on yourselves.
Your son has tried to save himself some money and got caught out. He hasn’t robbed a bank, dealt drugs or mugged a granny.
Hopefully, he’ll learn from it, grow up a bit and move on.
At the end of the day your average 22 year old has plenty more chances to get things right in life but I guarantee he’ll make a few more screw ups. If they are all at this end of the scale then I reckon you guys haven’t done a bad job as parents.
The very fact that you are so concerned by his behaviour means that he has a good role model to emulate.

I’ll most likely be flamed for this. And probably best not let your son see it but…

I don’t think your son is an ‘idiot’. And I definitely don’t think you’re bad parents.

Your son has seen an opportunity to gain. And he’s taken it. That’s what you’re supposed to do in a capitalist society. If he was a banker he’d be paid a bonus, because as others have said, the risk/reward ratio is weighted in his favour. He most likely knows deep down what is right and wrong and that’s why he hasn’t burgled someone’s house or mugged a pensioner. He’s just seen this as a victimless crime. Against the law yes, but then the law is an ass (see The War On Drugs.)

You say he’s ‘old enough to know better’ but is he really? Ok, I didn’t have the backing of the good parents that you clearly are, but I was up to far worse, and far stupider things at that age, and anyway, 22 is a very young age to know the ins and out of the blackmarket fuel trade with regard to ‘the Irish Question’ as others have pointed out. (Let’s not even start getting into the rights and wrongs of occupying other countries)

Just playing Devils Advocate for your lad.

^ Sorry at 19 I firmly knew right from wrong. I put myself through Uni and worked throughout.

At 22 I still knew about cause, effect and act, reaction.

Hope its a lesson for him. I pay my taxes at the pumps. I expect others to do so. Dont like it? Dont drive.

At 22 I could only dream of owning a car. Sorry if it puts someones nose out of place but hes old enough to pay his way/make his own mistakes. Sick of the culture of tax dodging of any form as seen as ‘not a crime’. It **** is.

I was playing Smoky and the Bandit with a Capri 2.8i at 22, it’s a wonder I’m still alive!
Good times.. 😀

Was told that red would do no harm to an engine.
In fact was told in parts of NI it was safer to use red as so much of the fuel was laundered to remove the dye with strong chemicals and it was these which damaged the engine.

also heard a funny story about a farmers wife who when having the tank dipped told the customs officer that her husband always put the fuel in the tank in the boot

Lawmanmx the voice of sanity it seems to me.
Remember its the governments job to rip us off not the other way around, they really don’t like that.
Tax avoidance, I’m up for that, means less money for them to spunk away in foreign aid and pay rises for themselves.

Ah – so you approve of Amazon et al?

Indeed – I only spent £3000 on a car at 22 (20 odd years ago), times have changed. My own money, cash, no debt.

Sorry late into the story.

Nothing new, when I was a kid I had a mate who ran a Tranny with normal fuel in the tank and a 50 gal drum in the back. Which I guess is why they started with the exhaust probe.

It’s mostly funded from council tax. Seeing as I cycle rather than drive most of the time, could you send me a refund please? I take cheques or Paypal.

I love comments from the un-educated.

Although it is the only tax which is set by local government in Great Britain, the Council Tax ostensibly contributes only a small proportion (25%, on average) of local government revenue. The majority ostensibly comes from central government funding, either as grants, or in the form of business rates which are collected centrally and redistributed to local authorities.

At 16 I had my first car VW Golf mk2, later on I had oldish Mercedes which I gave as a present to my sister when i was 20. Left country so no longer needed. I worked hard and started part time working selling batteries, watches etc on weekends in the market.
So yeah, nothing wrong of having bling if you deserve it. I am sure OP son is good lad.

Why does everyone get so upset about tax? It’s there, pay it. Don’t like it? Tough. Why moan?

Lot of high horses about. No one ever broken the law?

Have to agree with a previous post. Over in the Ireland in the border regions and most of the north, a high percentage of diesel is laundered. So the red/ green is a cleaner fuel as it hasn’t been touched. There’s even talk of them playing around with petrol now and diluting it down with cheaper substances.

Feeling incredibly frustrated and down about this and all the related issues to be honest….

Ahh, don’t ignore it but don’t worry about it excessively. It’s easy to say from here but it seems like he’s acted like a cheeky dickhead and been caught with no unfixable consequences and in a way he can lead from it.

By the time I was his age various of my mates had stabbed people, fallen into drug addiction, fallen into drug dealing, written off cars and killed themselves through drink driving. And we were good kids!

robowns – Member
Why does everyone get so upset about tax? It’s there, pay it. Don’t like it? Tough. Why moan?
POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

Its the stupidly High amounts us sensible people have a problem with!
I’ll bet the govt love people like you who just pay pay pay and love it.

I was playing Smoky and the Bandit with a Capri 2.8i at 22, it’s a wonder I’m still alive!
Good times..

You weren’t the bloke who crashed into my dad and changed his life forever (all for a bit of sideways fun) are you? Only he drove a 2.8 Capri and drove like a hero.

Its the stupidly High amounts us sensible people have a problem with!

… on luxury items.

The public transport system is, largely, pretty poor currently. But if more people used it, it would be more useful; chicken and egg. Look at London, people are forced to use public transport, therefore you can pretty much get from anywhere in London to anywhere else in London in a short amount of time at any point in the day or night.

I wanted to get from East Lancashire to Leeds for a meal a couple of months ago. I would’ve preferred the train, but the last train home is around 9pm, so I had to drive. It’s a very silly state of affairs.

Its the stupidly High amounts us sensible people have a problem with!

I love it when folk say sensible people though its not as good as right minded people for suggesting only non sensible or wrong thinking folk disagree with you 🙄

Personally I have no objection too paying tax and pooling our collective resources to achieve social goals like say a decent public transport system cheap enough and often enough to use.

Only selfish folk think only about their own personal tax burden rather than the collective needs and goals of the wider society.

So cougar you have trains in East lancs, I am happy the 19 th Century has reached there has the 20 th yet 😉

Its the stupidly High amounts us sensible people have a problem with!
I’ll bet the govt love people like you who just pay pay pay and love it.

Aren’t you a student? Teh ironing of someone paying virtually no tax, whilst talking about “being ripped off by the man” is just delightful.

Your ignorance about “how much of your car tax pays for roads”, just makes you look like a pillock though sadly.

What is your solution? If you cut every tax by 10%, where does that shortfall come from?

We’ll … Latest update is that we have the car back,…… But £700 (which he doesn’t have ) lighter. He was interviewed under caution by two HMRC officials …. As you may expect a good cop / bad cop …… The questioning and statement process was about 30 minutes and questions obviously designed to trick and get more info. But after the questioning and fine / release charge paid they issued documentation . He has 24 hours to drain and remove the red from the tank…. If any further is found on spot check then he’s really in big trouble and they are unlikely to release car .

After the grilling I spoke privately to the officials ….. They were happy it was his first offence and something he was unlikely to repeat. Sometimes they were saying that after questioning they hold car for further investigations if they feel they could get to source or there is a commercial gain. They seized an Audi A8 last week !

He was driving home and within 15 miles was pulled by Police again to investigate his fuel so the car is obviously on database and picked up by the number plate recognition cameras. In a way I was quite happy with that as it confirms to him that he is a marked man and he must be totally clean on anything at all to do with his car.

I thank you for the comments …… But whilst he isn’t a bad lad he is just frustratingly stupid….. He seems to have this streak of whatever that places him above the law…… He has e need up working to pay charges for unpaid parking fees, e bay charges, going overdrawn etc….. He just can’t seem to get himself sorted financially …. Hence why he was during red diesel!

No… He’s not thieving or doing really bad stuff, but I worry that he drifts down that road to get cash when he is short…… It’s hard when he has been surrounded by a work ethic all his life and we work hard for the things we have and plan and work towards what we want over time. Whilst he works hard the point I was trying to make to him this morning was that basically he has now worked a whole month for nothing just to pay this fine…. He worked for half a week to pay an unpaid car parking ticket last month £112.50 ….. All because he couldn’t be bothered to put £4 in a machine ! Then thought that Mr Teflon could ignore the letters and tickets…..

So what stresses and worries is that will he actually learn from this latest and biggest…. Or will it actually continue the cycle as he will be short of cash for a few months now….. Short at Christmas etc etc etc…..

I could cheerfully beat him with a stick.

Sell the car to pay the debts – either use a bike or get a cheaper car.

Tough lesson, but sounds like a necessary one

Hells teeth, no im not a student and as far as i know our stupidly high taxed does Not pay for public transport (thats a self funded business iirc)
Lets all agree that all the high taxes are really working to keep the country working exactly as it should do …. But wait a minute????
Do we all believe this country is runing properly and most of all Fairly?

Kids are just people who haven’t yet learnt enough lessons, age is pretty irrelevant (Dad to 3 sons, 15, 18 and 19).

Luckily for me my ex is so crap with money that the eldest two have learnt their (money) lessons already. They still cost me money even though the eldest two are working, but it’s all for good reasons and I’d rather they asked me than went for credit elsewhere.

our stupidly high taxed does Not pay for public transport (thats a self funded business iirc)

Public transport is subsidised – quite substantially in London.

Well, to be fair if they were parking tickets from a private parking company he doesn’t need to pay them, if he appeals properly they will be overturned..
However he’s been daft with the red, doubt it’s a mistake he’ll make again!!

You can screw with most parts of the legal system, customs though, it really isn’t worth it!

I used to work for a customs clearance company and asked the boss about the powers of HMC&E. “Son” he replied “they can look up your arse without asking”

Perhaps not technically correct but in some regards they have greater powers than the police.

Hells teeth, no im not a student and as far as i know our stupidly high taxed does Not pay for public transport (thats a self funded business iirc)

may i suggest you read this.

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/10854585.Fresh_plea_over_bus_cuts_in_Worcestershire/

just one case, and there are plenty more, most councils subsidise routes, and this is before we get to free bus passes for OAPs, which aren’t actually free but paid for by everyone just not at the point of use.

I suggest you do a bit of reading and not the daily mail, the tax burden in the UK is actually quite low, part of the reason why so many services are crap! We could go down the US route and let the poor die in the streets because they have no health insurance if you want.

crankboy – Member
local shops? local work? local school??? cheap petrol kills the rural economy . There is a 2010 report by the council “Rural Wiltshire an Overview.”

Basically a prosperous area with lots of urban incommers pricing out locals and changing local comunities, If more people were using the local busses for local needs then more busses would run .

But people don’t use the buses because there are very few that go to where people need to get, from places they live!
Do you actually know anything about the county of Wiltshire? It very big, with lots of small villages spread over a large area, along small, narrow roads, where buses don’t go. A friend of mine has a hotel/restaurant/tea-room business not far from Castle Combe, on the Fosse Way. In order to catch a bus, there is a walk of a mile along a narrow road, with no verges, which drops into a steep valley with bends and back up again, to get to a main A-road, to catch a bus to Chippenham, in order to then catch a bus to get to Bath, Bristol, or anywhere else. In the other direction, which goes to the A420 Bristol Road, it’s a two mile walk, with steep, very narrow sections and no verges. A close friend used to live in Colerne, which has a large military base. There is one bus at 7.15am, and one in the afternoon, out of the village, to Bath. The communities are spread out, people who need to work can’t use public transport because there can never be enough buses to take people to a huge variety of destinations. Quite a few people at work start at 6am, they come from Corsham, Bristol, Swindon, Cirencester…
Do you seriously think that there would be buses running at 4am, to get one or two people to jobs in Chippenham?
And retired people might well live spread out around a particular village, and have to walk quite some distance in foul weather, just to get to a bus-stop, and a bus that may well take two hours to do a fifteen minute car drive.
A work collegue lives in Biddestone, where my local pub is. He starts at 6am, finishes at 1.30pm, and there are no buses that go into the village. He’d have to walk the five miles into Chippenham, because there are no bus stops on the A420, which is three quarters of a mile from his cottage.
And no, as a very large bloke close to retiring age, a bike is not an option.
Some people have a hopelessly unrealistic notion of how people manage in spread-out rural communities.
And the small village schools have all closed, because there weren’t enough children going to them to keep them going.
And the post offices all closed, because all the services that people used were taken away, or put on-line; really useful in areas that barely have an Internet connection to speak of, let-alone mobile coverage.
I’ll happily dump you in Nettleton, without a bike or car, and see how you manage to get around on a day-to-day basis.

crankboy – Member
Basically a prosperous area with lots of urban incommers pricing out locals and changing local comunities, If more people were using the local busses for local needs then more busses would run .

Public transport! 😆 Yes, they do transport people from A to B but by no means should they replace our freedom to drive.

If you can afford a car then get a car.

Public transport is just another mode of transport and not there to dictate how people travel/live. 🙄

Beeching has a lot to answer for.

I think about now would be the suitable moment to re-deploy this

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UjOJy_54DM[/video]

as far as i know our stupidly high taxed does Not pay for public transport (thats a self funded business iirc)

You recall incorrectly. Have you not put down that Daily Mail you were whittering on about yet?

Lets all agree that all the high taxes are really working to keep the country working exactly as it should do …. But wait a minute????
Do we all believe this country is runing properly and most of all Fairly?

No, the poorest and most vulnerable in our society get screwed, whilst the rich collect bonuses, evade tax, and then have the temerity to moan about paying too much tax.

You know those who complain the most about high taxes probably pay the least.

Considering there are scores of cars that will get over 60mpg fuel is still fairly cheap.

Yes Mike that makes loads of sense, and £1.40+ Cheap? I remember paying Half of that for a Gallon mate!
And on that note, im outta here!

£1.40+ Cheap?

Given that it’s a non-renewable resource, that has far better uses than pushing cars around, and causes untold damage to the planet, it seems pretty damn cheap, yes.

I remember paying Half of that for a Gallon mate!

In which case you should be clever enough to be aware of:

1) Inflation
2) Supply and demand
3) If you don’t pay tax through a levy on something that pollutes, you’ll pay it as extra VAT, or income tax, or something.

And on that note, im outta here!

Don;t let the door hit you on the arse, enjoy your flounce, etc.

Given how single occupancy cars , traffic jams and levels of journeys of less than 5 miles being undertaken by car yep ill agree fuels too expensive.

The price of fuel still doesnt make people think twice about using the car to nip to the shop. There are guys in our office who drive from one end of dyce to the other- just because its cold outside…..

Count Zero makes some very good points and the local bus services are due to be cut. Got to love this government.

Zokes you are feisty this morning, the Ashes are gone, you just have to accept it 😆

Having lived in rural areas for most of my life I’m well aware of the awful state of rural transport but I’m also aware of what cheap fuel means, here in Oz it’s relatively half the price as it is in the UK and there is still an obsession with 25mpg trucks that are nothing more than penis extensions. It’s well proven that taxation can be a motivation for change, business doesn’t change because it’s right they do it to save money etc.

Yes Mike that makes loads of sense, and £1.40+ Cheap? I remember paying Half of that for a Gallon mate!
And on that note, im outta here!

Well done point missed, you are obviously old enough to remember a time before we understood that oil was limited and that the pollution caused was not an acceptable outcome.

Spot on, Mike

Aaaahhh the peak oil myth…. And if this world was really bothered about polution it wouldn’t have surpressed air and water powered vehicles