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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 354
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Trumpy I think theres a lot of NZers who are wondering what our "Elecricity Commission" is doing with all our tax dollars !

When you talk about air-conditioning in Ashburton in summer I assume you mean for heating. Ha Ha Just kidding

Joined: Aug 2001
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pauluk Offline OP
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Quote
Note TVA has been levied on the bloody taxes as well!

Don't get me started on that one.

Certain imported equipment: 4.9% import duty on certain items, then 17.5% VAT added not to the original price but to the duty-inclusive total. They even charge VAT on the postage which has been paid by a U.S. company to the U.S. Post Office.

- Today's lesson in legalized extortion has been brought to you courtesy of H.M. Customs & Excise. [Linked Image]

Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 840
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Paul,

How the heck can you stand your "tax, tax, and tax some more" socialist government??? It sounds like they try to drain every last pence out of you. [Linked Image]

Peter


Peter
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 93
J
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Chacun a son gout [Linked Image] It might be surprising to you, but Belgium (for instance) is one of several European countries (Spain, France, etc) whose governments are run on models a lot closer to a proper socialist society than the UK.

Belgian tax is higher than the UK (income tax 50%, TVA 21%, property tax 12.5%, disposition tax etc etc etc), and there are many of us (I'm one) who prefer it. Who was it who said that taxes are a sign of civilisation?

I could not bear to live in a country where there is no redistribution of wealth and no investment in proper public services.

Apologies to all, because this is way off topic.

j


[This message has been edited by jooles (edited 08-26-2005).]

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,803
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Jooles.
If you love being impoverished by the lazy, bone-idle, useless and feckless, please send all your spare cash to me! [Linked Image]
Alan


Wood work but can't!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 93
J
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Alan,

Like you, I used to live in the UK. I left when the last Conservative government was in power, because the cuts to services like transport, education and the rest were all contributing factors to a pretty low quality of life. For sure, the government let me keep more pocket money, but in society there was also more selfishness and, it seemes to me, a dwindling sense of civic responsibility.

All I can say is that after I broke my leg last week, thank heavens it is the Belgian service and not the poor old NHS to whom I owe my thanks for being so well-treated. I know the NHS does its best, the nurses and the doctors are truly angels in human form, and UK pals of mine do say that it is slowly improving, but it is a scandal (in my view) that the situation was ever allowed to deteriorate to that extent in the first place.

Example two: I live in Brussels and work in Antwerp, commute by train, and come snow, rain, hell or high water those trains are on time, clean, not overcrowded and cheap. In other words, exactly the opposite of Connex Railtrack or whatever it is called now.

It is for reasons like those that I don't begrudge a single cent of the (admittedly high) taxes that the state demands.

As I said, chacun a son gout. I'm sure that life in France must also have its share of attractions (in fact we go there for holidays) but low taxation is probably not one of them [Linked Image]

Wasn't it Karl Marx himself who said "I despair of the Belgians; even the proletariat are bourgeoise" or something like that [Linked Image]

The main thing is that people are allowed to choose whatever suits them the best.

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pauluk Offline OP
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Let's just say then that my beliefs are far more closely aligned with Rush Limbaugh than with the Belgian government. [Linked Image]

Though I have some pretty strong feelings on these matters, I don't think we'd better go any further down that road.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion..... [Linked Image]

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My apologies for bringing up politics. I know it's one of the unwritten rules of the forum so I should know better.

Peter


Peter
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
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Boy,
Did I get a shock and a half today!.
I had a power account for NZ$167.
It stated that I had used 890 kWh in a month.
Considering that my last accounts have said that I used 220-250kWh per month.
That usually equates to $40-46 a month.
Man am I wild or what??!!.
I'm not saying I can't pay it, but there is a principle here, most people would just pay it and not worry.
PoCo discount or no discount, that is just rude!.
Oh and BTW kiwi, did you get a thing with your latest power account saying that the Electricity Commission Levy would be reduced?.
I don't want to talk politics here, but this stinks of it!. GRRR

Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 354
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Trumpy I think the Elecricity Commission is reducing its levy because we've all discovered that they're not actually doing anything.

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