Another slap in the face of the British electorate
After much wrangling – and diplomatic ineptitude British MPs are to keep their $48,000 allowance each year despite growing anger from the common voter.
The allowance is for a second home in London. Now, London is a very expensive place to live, yet – MPs get a very healthy salary each year, ministers even more. The argument goes that MPs need a second home to provide their services to the country hence they need a new kitchen each year – and TV etc.
This home is owned by the MP – so any profit that is made when that house is sold goes directly to the MP – the public, even though they have paid for the fixtures and furnishings don’t see a penny of that profit.
If you are injured in the UK and you claim a benefit from the government – like incapacity benefit, and you are awarded damages you have to pay all that money back. That may seem OK and just, but while you are working you pay National Insurance and Income tax, those deductions from your wage/salary are supposed to go for when you are sick or unable to work etc. But, the government takes back all if you win a claim – so the government wins on both occasions.
How does that tie in with the MPs? Well – if you are paid an allowance to live in London then, from any profit you make you should pay that amount back!
Simple as, really.
Please vote out this ‘New’ Labour government and lets try to get some sanity back into British politics!
09/05/2008 at 11:08 AM
It is also worth noting that if the rest of us were to have received such benefits from our employers, we would have had to have declared them on our tax returns and we would then be required to pay tax on them as ‘benefits in kind’, not so our members of parliament. They are hypocrites through and through.
And…I will resist the temptation to detail their “gold plated” pension scheme, which escaped the attention of the treasury when our own pensions were raided, amounting to a tax take of £100bn in 10 years. Oh yes, I said I wouldn’t comment on this subject…