Morning Line: can the spending review be 'fair'?

The hollow ring of the word "Fairness" echoes throughout the land whilst the expenses fiddle investigations continue on for ever. The huge dividend payments from companies set up in Tax Havens like the Cayman Islands, paid out of untaxed profits to the benefit of Ministers who are yelling "We are all in this together". The appointment of Govt advisers who are arch practitioners of the Art of International Tax Avoidance on a scale almost unknown in any other part of the world.The land of the Arch Hypocrite is more an apposite description. The thrifty, honest and hardworking are being taken for MUGS whilst those very ministers stand to inherit millions from family Trusts completely untaxed. If it is good enough for them ,let us all have a trust for our children which is Tax free. I dont klnow how much of this I can stomach before I go over the top.

An industry is out there, to advise and manage tax avoidance. Nothing new!

I have been reading for tens of years its advantages. Regretably, my parents are not clever enough to create sufficient wealth.

Life is not fair. 'Fairness' is relative, not absolute - different sets of value shift and mix which ends with multipliers of multipliers. Can 'fairness' be ever stand up to scrutiny.

But I'll do my best for my children, legal system permitting. Me and my children 'are all in this together'. Forgive us, whoever!

Now I know it is relative I will make sure they get as little as possible out of me.All the assets in Britain can be transferred to a Trustee account in the Cayman Islands. Have the lowest salary possible and qualify for Tax Credits all other income by way of dividends ,not eligible for NI . The dividends paid out of untaxed profits. Get a job in the House of Commons as an MP and flip your properties to avoid Capital Gains Tax. What a first class industry that Britain bequeathed to its Bankrupt Colonies, I think we have reached the end of the Road when "Fairness" enters the Weasel word Dictionary of the Free loaders in Parliament.

Free loading can be a painful process, gold is a better bet at present.

Does "FAIR" mean taking from the hard working and genuinely prudent people of Britain and giving to the workshy and Eastern Europeans.Tell me different if you can!

I know I am old fashioned and my Dictionary is old, but "Fairness" as a noun represents words like Equity, Justice a balanced sharing of the spoils or share of the pain. . Judges use Equity in their judgements, which represents Fairness in Contract Law, we hope. In dispensing Fairness it would help considerably if the Politicians were leading by example,not hiding behind your definition of relative and not absolute. Mr Churchill had nothing to offer but Blood ,Toil, Tears and Sweat, everybody overloked , or even admired him as he lit up yet another Havana,because he set an example of selfless sacrifice for the common good. Words are not enough ,it must be accompanied with other personal sacrifices from the politicians to have any real meaning. Why do you think Bill Gates is admired so much. He wont go short but he surely knows how to set an example.

This country has been bequethed 2 legacies by new Labour.

1. Benefit dependency

2. Massive Beauracracy.

Two simple and fair answers;

A simple and fair way to approach benefit cuts would be to simply say that ALL benefits with the exception of OAP pensions should be cut with immediate effect by 5% followed by the same next year and so on until they have all been cut by 25% over 5 years. People will have time to adjust.

The savings should be channelled into slowing raising the nil tax and NI threshold up to at least £15k per year so genuinely helping those in work on low wages, it would also ensure that most pensioners small private pensions and savings would pay no tax thus rewarding the thrifty.

As for the beauracracy;

ALL Whitehall depts should be immediately placed on a 4 day week. All local council depts placed on a 4 day week.

Savings probably around £30 billion a year without losing one front line nurse, teacher, real copper, doctor, fireman, ambulance crew etc.

All race, equality, diversity, gender, sexuality, five-a-day, outreachers, advisers, bin inspectors, enviromentalists, etc should be sacked immediately. Savings? Probably around £15 Billion a year. Again without losing one frontline nurse, doctor, teacher etc

Hence over 50% of the £80 billion a year savings target is met without cutting Child benefit, without loading up students with thousands of pounds of debt, without cutting frontline defence etc etc

Throw in savings of say £20 billion if you REALLY cut quangoes and we are nearly there.

One problem, no political will power to do the simple fair things.

It is disgraceful that many people who have had pay freezes for the last 2 years will have to pay 17% VAT on goods, will have to pay more to travel the same distances - some are quoting upto 10% more in rail fares!

Where on earth are they going to find that money.

Please can someone tell me why India or Pakistan should be handed out money from our taxes - is this a guilt thing - we raided & demolished their resources in the past, now we are paying them blood money, which they can use to fund terrorist activity (Pakistan)& more corrupt governments than our own? They both own nuclear weapons - is this what we are funding with international aid?

Why do we continue to give aid to populations whose leaders have Swiss bank accounts, while at the same time they continue to oppress their people?

Can we really console ourselves that we are aiding other countries when the numbers of land mines still active & killing & maiming local people.

All of the above is troubling to me - but when I factor in that this is being done by people with no morals or scruples, who pretend we are all in it together - yea, like Mugabe & his people - they certainly are all in it together - what a tragedy that we cannot do to these people what was done to the royals in France - off with their heads!