Grumble, grumble, grumble

[Bowland Rider]

I saw the thread on Public sector pensions and it got me thinking. I live alone, no kids now or ever. Single income sucks 'cos council tax is 25% less, why isnt it 50% off? I work and pay lots of tax which goes towards everyone else's benefits. What is this, or other governments doing for Sinkies (single income, no kids). Nowt!

[rualexander]

If you've got no kids and pay lots of tax then you should have enough money to live a reasonably comfortable life. Everyone else's taxes go towards your benefits which you may not be getting at the moment but you might need sometime.
Stop grumbling.
I've got no kids and a single low income, no benefits, and I have enough money.

[rualexander]

I was referring to any benefits you may have to claim in the future due to unforseen circumstances such as unemployment, ill health, etc.

[hubgearfreak]

i know very little about you BR, but you can clearly read and rite.

[[XAP]Bob]

i know very little about you BR, but you can clearly read and rite.

Which implies a respectably costly education at some point.

Of course the country also needs running, and wealth redistribution is one of the fundamental principles of a civilised, capitalist, society - taxation is a formalised mechanism.

Think of it as keeping all the kids out of your way for just over half the year.

[Mick F]

We pay lots of tax and get nothing back.
Two of us living in a bungalow. 100% council tax.
We produce very little rubbish, no kids to educate, no street lights, rarely see the police, what do we get for our council tax?

No benefits, no support.
Nowt.

[rjb]

Stop grumbling you lot.

Stopped raining, sun is coming out and i am off out in the fresh air for a 50 mile ride around the Quantock hills and Somerset levels. ps - experts have been saying for many years that you need to make your own provision for funding your life in retirement and that you can't rely on the state pension to support you so you need to start saving asap.

[Mick F]

Stopped raining?
It started here at 0600 and is bucketing down.

I bet it's off in your direction now!

Hey! I enjoy a good grumble BTW.

[Jonty]

I saw the thread on Public sector pensions and it got me thinking. I live alone, no kids now or ever. Single income sucks 'cos council tax is 25% less, why isnt it 50% off? I work and pay lots of tax which goes towards everyone else's benefits. What is this, or other governments doing for Sinkies (single income, no kids). Nowt!

Tough cheese. You need to have lots of children to get lots of benefits - preferably sired by different fathers!
They may even knock two Council houses into one for you.
jonty

[GrahamNR17]

You need to have lots of children to get lots of benefits - preferably sired by different fathers!
They may even knock two Council houses into one for you.
jonty

Took the words out of my typing fingers (both of 'em).

I'm often annoyed that as a single bloke I pay more than anyone else for everything, yet my boss, on a six-figure salary, gets allowances and benefits just for breeding

[NUKe]

I saw the thread on Public sector pensions and it got me thinking. I live alone, no kids now or ever. Single income sucks 'cos council tax is 25% less, why isnt it 50% off? I work and pay lots of tax which goes towards everyone else's benefits. What is this, or other governments doing for Sinkies (single income, no kids). Nowt!

because the rates go into all sorts. for instances if your house is burgled they don't send half a policeman or if your house catches light they don't send half a fire truck. If you stayed single inot your retirement your more likely to need care. i.e. any debilitation and there is no partner or children to help out.things such as despite you produce less rubbish the council can't collect your bins less often. If you don't educated the current generation then there will be no pension at all.
You haven't really got it that bad.

[Jonty]

If no-one has children who's going to look after us in old age? And pay for our pensions. Get breeding!
jonty

[al_yrpal]

I got quite a good state pension. The basic added to the graduated/Serps part adds up to quite a tidy sum. Even though I ran my own business for 15 years I continued to pay into Serps, and earlier on in my career my employer bought out my pension and I topped up the Serps. My Mrs worked part time in nursing and didnt pay the stamp, so her pension is only half. But it all adds up to something liveable on, especially with the other occupational pensions too. We lived through a time of demutualisations and this produced windfalls on private pensions and endowment policies. We were very lucky.

My advice to anyone is to save and manage your own money. Pay as little tax as possible - the government wastes a great deal of it. Go for government pensions as much as you can - they are inflation proof. And... keep clear of so called 'financial advisors' who will slowly bleed you dry whilst reading out reams of legal gobbledygook excuses and let outs.

Row your own boat!

Al

[Trigger]

Become your own boss so you can fiddle the receipts, that's what everyone else does.

[thirdcrank]

Sounds great, how do i pay as little tax as possibe?!

Become a monk / nun and turn your house into a convent / monastery. That is one way of avoiding council tax. Cycling avoids VED. Put your savings into tax-free investments. There are endless ways of avoiding paying tax and in general, the richer you are, the opportunities increase.