Sunday 2 March 2008

Middle Classes are under Fire - The Poor are Indulged.


Maybe I am selfish, maybe we all are. I will be thirty six in June. I cannot afford to have a kid. When (fingers crossed) we move into our new flat in Croydon, our outgoings will be the following:

1). rent and mortgage combined £1098.00 we will be owning 55% of the property and have to pay rent on it, as well as a sliding service charge for the lift, which starts at £150.00.
2). Council tax roughly £120.00
3). Gas and electric £60.00 combined.
4). Season ticket £156.00.
5). Phone Bill £30.00

My income £1723.00.

Read the following article below by the Telegraph.

It is the middle classes who pay under this Labour Government, Alice Thomson argues in today's opinion section.

She says the rich are allowed to get away with not paying their way in modern Britain, perhaps because Labour is afraid to upset them.

Meanwhile, the poor are indulged every step of the way, Alice says. They are being offered personal trainers, nannies and a wealth of tax credits without being expected to take on any responsibility in return.

It is the people in the middle who are expected to pick up the burden neglected by rich and poor. Taxes are rising, nanny-state meddling is spreading and public services are collapsing.

Do you agree with Alice? Are you feeling squeezed by Labour? How would you fix the situation?

Should the rich pay more tax? Should the poor get fewer benefits?

How did this situation come about? Did it start with the Labour Government or was the rot setting in before that?