I’m slightly confused.

My question was, why do employers ask for VAT receipts for fuel?

Can you try and explain your point to me another way TSY?

Did you go to the HMRC site and read about this???

Did you?

It doesn’t say anything about VAT or receipts – the info you linked to is about income tax and NICs

also deters companies from paying employees for non-existent business mileage as a way of paying tax free income me thinks as having to provide receipts means that someone who drives very little can’t participate easily

How many people do you think there are who couldn’t lay their hands on a few VAT receipts for fuel if they wanted to? Do you really think it is a significant problem?

Agreed, but it’s not hard to sling a tenners worth in and keep the receipt, is it?

You’re missing the point.

You can just give them the receipt for the £60 that you might put in any time and tell them that £10 of it was used on your trip.

So what does that tell them? Nothing.

The whole exercise is pointless.

Private companies sink or swim on the basis of their proucts/ services whatever the economic climate.

Crap.

How many examples would you like?

my opions backed up by logic and reasoning

Sorry, can’t help but read that and think of this:

Burn the witch!

I thought the idea was to start with the logic and reasoning, then move on the opinions?

I’m not against discounts for DD when people have DD as an OPTION. But I don’t think people should have to pay more if they are denied access to a bank account.

I’m not in favour of renationalisation, but given that power companies often demand guarantees of Govt before building new powerstations (i.e. they aren’t prepared to open themselves up to market forces) then I think in return they should be compelled to make their costs and charges more transparent, because at the moment they aren’t.

You still havent come up with a convincing argument why this is bad?

I have. You just don’t recognise it.

Mitchell and Webb put it nicely[/url]

-> 07:54

I’m saying that that isn’t what happens.

In order to thwart price comparisons all of the utilities come up with more and more complex tariffs and contracts that make it more and more difficult to choose between them.

It’s a pointless arms race and the consumer loses, even as apologists for the system are telling us how great all of the “CHOICE” is.

…it really is not that difficult.

But it is staggeringly time consuming, monotonous and a waste of life.

Stupid people pay more – I have no problem with that!

You mean you think it is OK for anyone to rip anyone else off if they can get away with it?

Ah.. I feel better now.

In a free market economy they should be competing to get customers on price and quality. Unfortunately the free market seems to be failing in many cases.

Firstly, we don’t have a free market in anything – everything is regulated to some degree.

A perfect market requires perfect information, but where capitalism falls down is that even when information is made available there simply is not the time for most people to assimilate and analyse it all.

That was the root cause of the banking crash. We’ve managed to build up system that are so complicated that no one can understand them anymore.

I haven’t got a clue how much gas actually costs to produce, and frankly I don’t want to know, because it would be a full time job trying to stay on top of it. What I’d really like is the chance to see a simple price comparison between companies – but alas all the energy providers do their damnedest to stop that happening, by offering so many contracts and tariffs that you simply can’t decide what is best.

And they call this system of subterfuge….

CONSUMER CHOICE.

It’s all bull$hit, designed to part consumers from their money.

The pendulum has already swung way way too far in the direction of private industry. Capitalism as we know it is a zero sum game where the owners get richer and the plebs get poorer.

Power to the people!

Seems like a staggeringly crap rule to me as it certainly doesn’t prove what HMRC want it to prove.

Maybe this is some of that red tape that Osbourne is keen to free us of.

I’ll expect to see a change in the rules no time soon.

It isn’t necessary and not all companies ask for them.

That’s what I thought – so why DO some companies ask for them?

But surely HMRC wouldn’t let that stand? They must know that many of those receipts would cover private mileage along with legitimate work miles?

There’s a big article about him in Privateer 3

Funny thing is, I don’t necessarily think that letting an 11 year old have a bit of freedom is a bad thing – when I was that age (in fact much younger) I used to spend lots of time down the woods, off fishing with my mates etc etc.

BUT – I really hate the corrosive effect (on myself included) of WAY TOO MUCH screen time, especially for kids, whether that be TV, games or FB etc.

If you’re genuinely interested, have a look at Remotely Controlled by Aric Sigmund

And another thing…

About these kids who say your child is uncool at school – you’ve just enabled them to start calling her uncool at home too. Well done.

If you have “succumbed” then you clearly aren’t comfortable with it, but even though you could have just quoted the FB rule that says 13+ you still haven’t managed to stand up to your 11 year old.

So what message does that send out to her about the effectiveness of pestering and tears (blackmail)?

You’re not doing her or yourselves any favours.

There have been zillions of posts on this in the past – have a search.

GoLite Reed

We’ve got a shelter. I ride in with the kids (6 and 7) every day, rain or shine.

Don’t take “categorical no” for an answer. If there’s space for one then you should have one. If the Highways Dept think it is too dangerous then they should be doing something about it – that’s their job!

Actually, given that the head has been there 20 years, do you think he might just be a bit complacent over this?

Ask him?

Would you have a different opinion if the this happened in the carer’s back garden then? Or should the parent’s also not let them go outside?

It wasn’t in the carers back yard though was it?

Have you ever been to a beach? There isn’t much shade and more light is reflected off the sea and sand than in your average back garden. That’s why so many people end up getting burned there. This isn’t some brand new phenomenon that no one has ever heard of before!

As a carer management of any weather conditions should be second nature.

It should – but as we’ve established, it’s not.

I’d rather be slightly cautious in the face fo a fairly obvious risk than indignant afterwards with a burnt child.

I suppose the parents would have trusted the carers to know what they were doing? I think I would have assumed so.

You’ve got little kids I think?

Would you take them to the beach in the middle of the day?

but the carer should be acutely aware of the consequences at this time of year!

This isn’t going to help, but in all honesty, number one carer is the parent. If it were me I would be thinking of finding a new carer, BUT, I don’t think I would have allowed my 14 month old to be taken to the beach all day in the first place. If there is any blaming to be done I think it has to be shared around a bit.

When we were looking for a childminder we went to a house that had no toys visible, but did have a samurai sword on the wall. We decided to look elsewhere.

I dunno, you somehow develop a sixth sense about which ones are good or bad.

It’s true that there is a terrific amount of pish generated on here BUT, it’s a good palce to come for an argument.

A newbie to STW earlier today.

I liked the Sugarcubes.

Taechers’ strike leads to increase in trolling!

The Armed Forces did a rather good job and pretty well proved the point that the fire service wasn’t as slick as it said it was.

Good job the armed forces are just sitting round on their arses doing nothing and waiting to jump in then isn’t it?

Ah OK

@don simon,

The question in my mind is, is the money NEEDED elsewhere. In other words, when striking the balance between all of the things the Govt spends money on, what is essential and what isn’t?

The Govt has chosen to prioritise the teachers’ pensions as an area for saving money. I think that stat shows that they have got their priorities wrong, and maybe it would be better (if we really do NEED to make these savings) to start with tax relief for the rich on money that they won’t even be spending until their retirement, ahead of taking money out of the pockets of public servants right now.

I mena the £10 billion bit BTW – the £4 billion is wrong (£33 billion according to Hutton)

@miketually,

What a fantastic stat.

I think that just about closes down any argument about public sector pensions by itself

Where does it come from?

Not a bad guess then considering I’d not seen the pic?

Do you think anyone ever suggested to Hitler that the moustache was a mistake?

Snowdonia.