news & politics:discussion

[Neil]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

No, I’m saying he government should bring in other fiscal measures like price controls, tax on excess profits etc. There wasn’t any need to raise interest rates. 
 

Spoken like a true socialist 😉

price controls were a disaster when tried in the 70s.tax on excessive profits sounds good, but most people would have said excessive profits even before high inflation, the only record with profits is that they've been at record lows, which is why other stuff has got skewed (such as house prices).

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, Neil said:

germany has pout forward legislation to decriminalise cannabis. 

Another Brexit benefit.

[Neil]

2 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

What level does a profit become excessive ? 

this??????

[Guest]

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Neil said:

price controls were a disaster when tried in the 70s.tax on excessive profits sounds good, but most people would have said excessive profits even before high inflation, the only record with profits is that they've been at record lows, which is why other stuff has got skewed (such as house prices).

It’s not like things have been going swimmingly here inflation has been rampant so we could’ve at least tried price controls to at least stop the most bland at price gauging. 
 

Taxing excess profits would be in blue chip firms not your small business. So businesses that haven’t had to do anything. It have benefitted from the exceptional environment they find themselves in. 
 

Even still there are other measures the Tories could have put a much better cap in energy prices. If energy prices were the main driver then they could’ve kept prices low like in France and Spain. They could’ve capped rents too. There’s plenty of things but the reason they didn’t is because there mates in those industries would’ve had to take a little bit of pain.

[Neil]

3 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

It’s not like things have been going swimmingly here inflation has been rampant so we could’ve at least tried price controls to at least stop the most bland at price gauging. 

instead labour went for the equivalent of windfall taxes.

[Neil]

7 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Even still there are other measures the Tories could have put a much better cap in energy prices. If energy prices were the main driver then they could’ve kept prices low like in France and Spain. They could’ve capped rents too. There’s plenty of things but the reason they didn’t is because there mates in those industries would’ve had to take a little bit of pain.

jury's out on how effective rent controls are. if it shrinks the rental  properties then the trend on rents is up.

Edited August 16, 2023 by Neil

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Neil said:

instead labour went for the equivalent of windfall taxes.

Yeah Labour did call for a proper windfall tax on energy firms which would’ve been used to give more support to those that needed it. 
 

https://www.ippr.org/blog/freezing-the-energy-price-cap-could-fight-inflation-and-support-households?mc_cid=bd36c2ecdc

This is a good write up on fiscal measures that we could’ve introduced. 

[fraybentos1]

Just now, Neil said:

jury's out on how effective rent controls are. if it shrinks the rental  properties then the trend on rents is up.

Rent controls are a total failure as demonstrated here in Scotland over the last  couple years. Benefit a few, at the expense of the many. Average rents have still risen massively.

[fraybentos1]

Also think it’s too early to claim any country has beaten inflation, need to wait and see what happens. No guarantee it won’t rise again in Spain.

[Neil]

Just now, fraybentos1 said:

Rent controls are a total failure as demonstrated here in Scotland over the last  couple years. Benefit a few, at the expense of the many. Average rents have still risen massively.

people have an expectation from rent controls that"rents [won't]have still risen massively".

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Neil said:

jury's out on how effective rent controls are. if it shrinks the rental  properties then the trend on rents is up.

There would need to be further measures to go alongside which further protects renters, these measures might be difficult but at least it would be worth trying to keep inflation down. 

[Neil]

4 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

is there much evidence that landlords are raising rents unfairly ?

Most landlords raise rents to cover the increase in their buy to let mortgages don't they ?  That isn't unfair really...  covering your costs..

having the tenabnt pay the mortgage is more than covering costs.

[Neil]

5 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

There would need to be further measures to go alongside which further protects renters, these measures might be difficult but at least it would be worth trying to keep inflation down. 

don't think rents or "housing" is included in inflation calculations.

[Neil]

2 minutes ago, Neil said:

don't think rents or "housing" is included in inflation calculations.

here's the basket

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/ukconsumerpriceinflationbasketofgoodsandservices/2023

[Neil]

1 minute ago, Barry Fish said:

RPI does include housing....

 

 

so does CPI.

 

https://economics.stackexchange.com/questions/4777/why-arent-house-prices-included-in-cpi#:~:text=Rents are included in the CPI%2C because they,the rising prices--if and when you sell it.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Neil said:

don't think rents or "housing" is included in inflation calculations.

It’s included in the ONS, CPIH figure. 

[Neil]

don't flee from a wildfire in a very modern car.....Canada wildfire: Car 'began melting' as family evacuated north

[philipsteak]

11 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

Which products would government price control ?

 

Coffee.

My only real vice these days and f**k me it's getting expensive.

[steviewevie]

RIP Parky

[Neil]

29 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

Big Drop in A-Level results as kids continue to be the biggest none fatal victims of covid

bad for some a kittle older too, for example, my poor kid spent his uni years dealing with covid.

[steviewevie]

aren't A levels kind of back where they should be? a bit better than 2019...?

[Neil]

hey guys get a haircut and have a shave, Britney is single again. 😛

 

[Guest]

 

Always jam tomorrow with the Tories  

 

 

[Neil]

7 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

 

Always jam tomorrow with the Tories  

 

 

people aren't going to fall for it.