Those are smaller/much less populated countries. Our foreign aid budget is one of the highest in the world. We simply can't afford it. Axe it and if people feel so strongly about it, let them donate their own money to charity instead of expecting other people to stump up.
Massive UK foreign aid budget subsidises Ethiopean Spice Girls !
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Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Those are smaller/much less populated countries. Our foreign aid budget is one of the highest in the world. We simply can't afford it. Axe it and if people feel so strongly about it, let them donate their own money to charity instead of expecting other people to stump up.”
“Those are smaller/much less populated countries. Our foreign aid budget is one of the highest in the world. We simply can't afford it. Axe it and if people feel so strongly about it, let them donate their own money to charity instead of expecting other people to stump up.”
It is our money
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Those are smaller/much less populated countries. Our foreign aid budget is one of the highest in the world. We simply can't afford it. Axe it and if people feel so strongly about it, let them donate their own money to charity instead of expecting other people to stump up.”
“Those are smaller/much less populated countries. Our foreign aid budget is one of the highest in the world. We simply can't afford it. Axe it and if people feel so strongly about it, let them donate their own money to charity instead of expecting other people to stump up.”
The UK government gives 7p in foreign aid per £10 GDP. We are not giving up much.
And what the UK gives makes a vast difference to the lives of the poorest people in the world.
Some of the things UK foreign aid has achieved
64.5 million people provided with clean drinking water and sanitation.
67.1 million children immunized against preventable diseases.
30 million pregnant women and children under 5 years old given assistance through nutritional programmes.
11.3 million children provided with primary and lower secondary school education.
9.9 million women provided with family planning contraception.
Without UK foreign aid it is likely tens of millions of people would have died.
Some of it is your money. Personally I would rather my taxes went to help people in this country, and pay less tax overall.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Some of it is your money. Personally I would rather my taxes went to help people in this country, and pay less tax overall.”
“Some of it is your money. Personally I would rather my taxes went to help people in this country, and pay less tax overall.”
So vote for someone offering that choice.
Personally I would be happy to pay more tax to help people both here and abroad.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Just give the extra money you would be willing to pay in tax, to charity instead.”
“Just give the extra money you would be willing to pay in tax, to charity instead.”
I give a reasonable amount to charity and pay a large amount of tax. I have no issue with some of it going on foreign aid.
But you think that taxes should be raised meaning that everyone would pay more so that more money can be sent to foreign countries. Not everyone has enough money to be able to afford this.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Just give the extra money you would be willing to pay in tax, to charity instead.”
“Just give the extra money you would be willing to pay in tax, to charity instead.”
The reason tax is not voluntary is because their are too many selfish people who would be unwilling to pay.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“But you think that taxes should be raised meaning that everyone would pay more so that more money can be sent to foreign countries. Not everyone has enough money to be able to afford this.”
“But you think that taxes should be raised meaning that everyone would pay more so that more money can be sent to foreign countries. Not everyone has enough money to be able to afford this.”
The UK in theory has a progressive tax system and has government spending on benefits and services. The majority of the population are net beneficiaries receiving more in benefits and state services than they pay in taxes. Leaving only those most able to pay footing the bill for government spending at home and abroad.
Originally Posted by Mark_Jones9:
“The reason tax is not voluntary is because their are too many selfish people who would be unwilling to pay.”
“The reason tax is not voluntary is because their are too many selfish people who would be unwilling to pay.”
I wasn't advocating tax being voluntarily. Just that we should be a bit more selective of what we spend the money on. I don't think subsidising Ethiopian girl groups is a reasonable thing for UK taxpayers money to be spent on.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“I wasn't advocating tax being voluntarily. Just that we should be a bit more selective of what we spend the money on. I don't think subsidising Ethiopian girl groups is a reasonable thing for UK taxpayers money to be spent on.”
“I wasn't advocating tax being voluntarily. Just that we should be a bit more selective of what we spend the money on. I don't think subsidising Ethiopian girl groups is a reasonable thing for UK taxpayers money to be spent on.”
Why if its a cost effective means of changing culture?
Reducing population growth through fewer marriages at a young age and fewer pregnancies at a young age.
Increasing propensity through more girls attending and staying on in education.
Improving lives through fewer forced marriages, less violence against girls and women, more financial independence of women.
The value for money is going to be assessed based on if more girls are attending and staying in school, if there are lower rates of marriages at a young age, if there are less pregnancies at a young age, etc.
Yegna is not just a girl band, the girl band is part of the Girl Effect Yegna multi-platform youth brand. That encompasses films, a radio drama, a radio talk show, a girl band/music, and outreach programmes particularly in rural areas aimed at educating and empowering adolescent girls. A brand that has over 2 million viewers and nearly 2 million listeners. The money is for the entire Girl Effect Yegna multi-platform youth brand.
Originally Posted by ShaunIOW:
“Yep, the exceptions being our own sick, old and disabled who no one seems to give a toss about.”
“Yep, the exceptions being our own sick, old and disabled who no one seems to give a toss about.”
NHS England...Planned expenditure for 2016/17 is £120.611bn. Health expenditure per capita in England has risen from to £2,057 in 2014/15.
Overall, missed GP and hospital appointments cost the health service in England nearly £1bn a year.
State pension...The Government already spends more than £100 billion a year on pension-age benefits, around one seventh of all public spending.
Disabled....costs will still increase according to the OBR - to £17.7bn in 2019-20 and £18.2bn in 2020-21.
Someone to the tune of around £240bn cares.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“But you think that taxes should be raised meaning that everyone would pay more so that more money can be sent to foreign countries. Not everyone has enough money to be able to afford this.”
“But you think that taxes should be raised meaning that everyone would pay more so that more money can be sent to foreign countries. Not everyone has enough money to be able to afford this.”
I said I would be happy to pay more tax. I don't know if there is a need too.
Not everyone has enough money to pay for our NHS, welfare or disabled, funny enough they don't usually pay at all, and leaving the disabled out of this it is the poor who use the NHS more and receive the benefits.
How would you feel if everyone who pays tax decided they didn't want to spend it on that, just so that they paid less tax?
Everyone pays tax in this country and the majority of people use the NHS so I don't believe that is likely to happen.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Everyone pays tax in this country and the majority of people use the NHS so I don't believe that is likely to happen.”
“Everyone pays tax in this country and the majority of people use the NHS so I don't believe that is likely to happen.”
Everyone is not a net contributor.
I do agree that it isn't likely to happen. People care and understand the benefit of offering aid, both national and foreign.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Everyone pays tax in this country and the majority of people use the NHS so I don't believe that is likely to happen.”
“Everyone pays tax in this country and the majority of people use the NHS so I don't believe that is likely to happen.”
But the taxes they pay are not sufficient for what they/we get in return.
Someone on the average income of £26,500 would pay just over £3,000 in income tax. The State pension is over £6,000 year.
A person would have had to work for at least 40 years at the current average income to pay for their State Pension lasting 20 years.
Originally Posted by Mark_Jones9:
“Our EU partners Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, Netherlands give a higher percentage of their GDP in foreign aid than the UK.”
“Our EU partners Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, Netherlands give a higher percentage of their GDP in foreign aid than the UK.”
That's shocking! How dare they make the UK look bad by being so generous and considerate?
Regardless, ever citizen of this country is entitled to one vote, no matter how much tax they pay. And everyone is entitled to have a say on what taxes are spent on. Most people support the NHS. Most people do not support subsidising Ethiopian girl groups.
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Regardless, ever citizen of this country is entitled to one vote, no matter how much tax they pay. And everyone is entitled to have a say on what taxes are spent on. Most people support the NHS. Most people do not support subsidising Ethiopian girl groups.”
“Regardless, ever citizen of this country is entitled to one vote, no matter how much tax they pay. And everyone is entitled to have a say on what taxes are spent on. Most people support the NHS. Most people do not support subsidising Ethiopian girl groups.”
And with their votes the public elected into power a party that promised to maintain its Foreign AId programme.
Quote:
“Aid helps prevent failed states from becoming havens for terrorists. It builds long-term markets for our businesses, by promoting global prosperity, and reduces migration pressures. So we will maintain our commitment to tackling conflict, poverty and disease around the world.”
“Aid helps prevent failed states from becoming havens for terrorists. It builds long-term markets for our businesses, by promoting global prosperity, and reduces migration pressures. So we will maintain our commitment to tackling conflict, poverty and disease around the world.”
Last Saturday hard done by Brits were estimated to have spent £2.6bn on Christmas cards alone, kicking off a total of £17.6bn of spending on cards.
The poor British public are expected to have spent over £25bn on festive food for Christmas.
The poor British public are expected to have spent over £25bn on festive food for Christmas.
Originally Posted by i4u:
“Last Saturday hard done by Brits were estimated to have spent £2.6bn on Christmas cards alone, kicking off a total of £17.6bn of spending on cards.
The poor British public are expected to have spent over £25bn on festive food for Christmas.”
“Last Saturday hard done by Brits were estimated to have spent £2.6bn on Christmas cards alone, kicking off a total of £17.6bn of spending on cards.
The poor British public are expected to have spent over £25bn on festive food for Christmas.”
Did you pull those figures out of your backside?
The TOY industry is only worth £3bn so there's not a chance that £2.5bn has been spent on Xmas cards and £25bn on food??
Utter nonsense!! You've been on the
Originally Posted by Happ Hazzard:
“Some of it is your money. Personally I would rather my taxes went to help people in this country, and pay less tax overall.”
“Some of it is your money. Personally I would rather my taxes went to help people in this country, and pay less tax overall.”
So they could come onto DS and whine about immigrants?
Originally Posted by kidspud:
“I expect because in general we are known as a caring nation with caring people.
Of course, there are always exceptions.”
“I expect because in general we are known as a caring nation with caring people.
Of course, there are always exceptions.”
More like we are a nation of mugs with a soft touch government.
Originally Posted by Mark_Jones9:
“Our EU partners Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, Netherlands give a higher percentage of their GDP in foreign aid than the UK.”
“Our EU partners Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, Netherlands give a higher percentage of their GDP in foreign aid than the UK.”
They do. The UK's 0.7% of GDP legal target is all well and good if you aren't borrowing tens of billions to finance public spending and cutting domestic spending. A more sensible target would be a % of public spending not GDP as the government doesn't have the value of the UK's GDP at its disposal to spend. The UK spends about 1.6% of public spending on overseas aid and it also contributes separately to the EU's overseas aid through its contributions to the EU budget.
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