Douglas Sh@hole!

[VikingRaider]

2 hours ago, AlanShimmin said:

Nah fella, we live on a tiny island barely bigger than a medium sized town. The rates system is a joke. 

Whether you choose to use the services or not is up to you, it's your personal choice. 

The services are there regardless, so we should all be chipping in to fund them. 

Absolute nonsense, my Maughold rates have been low because my Commissioners didn't like wasting money, now we are part of Garff they've gone up to pay for Laxey's excess spending, I see absolutely no reason why they should rise again so that Ramsey, Douglas etc. can carry on in their profligate ways.

And I really don't get this idiocy about the tax cap (full disclosure ... I AM NOT tax capped) its just the politics of envy. If someone earns enough to pay 100k in tax to qualify they can certainly afford to move elsewhere and pay less there. Isn't it far better to at least get the 100k off them rather than nothing at all, sadly an awful lot of people think nothing at all is better which is a weird way of thinking.

[Roger Mexico]

2 minutes ago, VikingRaider said:

And I really don't get this idiocy about the tax cap (full disclosure ... I AM NOT tax capped) its just the politics of envy. If someone earns enough to pay 100k in tax to qualify they can certainly afford to move elsewhere and pay less there. Isn't it far better to at least get the 100k off them rather than nothing at all, sadly an awful lot of people think nothing at all is better which is a weird way of thinking.

The tax cap was a failed policy because it was meant to attract more wealthy people to live here and it didn't.  So all it meant was that people who had been perfectly happy to pay the existing tax rates (or at least not so unhappy that they left) were suddenly paying a lot less and there was no extra take from new residents to compensate.

[AlanShimmin]

2 hours ago, joebean said:

I take it you live in Douglas. I don’t and use nothing there. As I have said before, if you don’t like your rates, vote for a different council. 

Wrong again, I don't live in Douglas. 

If you choose not to use anything there than that is your personal choice. 

 

Fact remains the island is too small to have 20+ different ratings. They all need lumping into one 

[quilp]

1 hour ago, AlanShimmin said:

Fact remains the island is too small to have 20+ different ratings. They all need lumping into one 

Can't see that working. Would it mean families already stretched having to pay more? What would it be based on? 

[the stinking enigma]

Al has been pushing this one for a while now. Pathfinder platoon of the iom government seventh regiment white ops division would be my best guess

[WTF]

3 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

The tax cap was a failed policy because it was meant to attract more wealthy people to live here and it didn't.  So all it meant was that people who had been perfectly happy to pay the existing tax rates (or at least not so unhappy that they left) were suddenly paying a lot less and there was no extra take from new residents to compensate.

it was worse than that, the smarter tax cappers paid themselves numerous years 'wages' in one big hit and paid their 100k tax and then didn't pay themselves anything for the next few years so had no tax to pay at all, not even the 100k.  it probably suited the special few quite well to have a moron draft the legislation.  in later years you have to sign up for 5 years i think ??  to get the tax cap status.

[Barlow]

 

2 hours ago, AlanShimmin said:

Fact remains the island is too small to have 20+ different ratings. They all need lumping into one 

Anyone tell us the figure for an All-Island rate?

[pongo]

I realise that you are probably just trolling @AlanShimmin 

But it's great being able to compare the different areas. All island rates would reduce transparency. And you can be certain that it would be set at the highest and not the lowest amount.

And, a place like Douglas already disproportionately benefits from the rates on businesses operated and staffed in many cases by people from the more sensibly rated places you are complaining about. We are all, already, paying for Douglas in this respect.

(No wonder they are opposed to the sensible expansion of out of town retail development which most people would welcome and which would be great for the economy).

[Barlow]

1 hour ago, Barlow said:

 

Anyone tell us the figure for an All-Island rate?

Also, what would be the rate of the equivalent of a poll tax ie amount of rates revenue all-Island, divided by those eligible to pay, which could be number of house holders (or perhaps number of over 16s, 18s, or 21s etc).

A poll tax would have saved the cost of aerial photography and the administration surrounding it, including appeals etc.

From 2019:

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by Barlow

[AlanShimmin]

1 hour ago, Barlow said:

 

Anyone tell us the figure for an All-Island rate?

Work out the actual cost of providing services and then divide it by properties on the island. 

[AlanShimmin]

1 hour ago, pongo said:

I realise that you are probably just trolling @AlanShimmin 

But it's great being able to compare the different areas. All island rates would reduce transparency. And you can be certain that it would be set at the highest and not the lowest amount.

And, a place like Douglas already disproportionately benefits from the rates on businesses operated and staffed in many cases by people from the more sensibly rated places you are complaining about. We are all, already, paying for Douglas in this respect.

(No wonder they are opposed to the sensible expansion of out of town retail development which most people would welcome and which would be great for the economy).

How is it trolling? 

 

The current system is bonkers, and the only reason some people want to hold onto it is they pay less than average (less than their fair share). 

The local authority system also needs to be smashed up and put in the bin. 

The current system was appropriate in 1896 but not in 2021. We need to evolve. 

[display name]

4 minutes ago, AlanShimmin said:

 We need to evolve. 

You have seen and heard Howard Quayle I assume.

[AlanShimmin]

21 minutes ago, display name said:

You have seen and heard Howard Quayle I assume.

Can't say I have. What shite has he been chatting now? The only evolution he's doing is the size of his gold-plated pension. 

[WTF]

13 hours ago, AlanShimmin said:

Work out the actual cost of providing services and then divide it by properties on the island. 

abrahams won't be happy.

[CallMeCurious]

Quite simple ~ Lump into 5 districts N,E,S, W & Central.

So North pays for Northern Pool, Ramsey library, Northern amenity site, Mooragh Park etc. to encourage local business and travel, West pays for Western Pool and so on.

If it is an 'all island facility' then government probably already owns and runs it. i.e. NSC, Villa Gaeity etc.

Then we would have a clear cost benefit for our rates based on similar facilities and expose profligate spending.

Amalgamating bin collection, road sweeping, admin and the like would reduce head count and the overall costs. Just need to ensure that everyone gets the same level of service, i.e every household gets 240L waste bin emptied once a week or once a fortnight. 

Leave town halls to run social housing etc. that relate only to the town itself and give each parish one or two members on an elected, voluntary board to oversee budget and performance.