Budget Day Tomorrow

[Asthehills]

34 minutes ago, joebean said:

I expect as little imagination will be needed to predict the budget as what was put into it.

I predict, middle income earners will receive an increase in personal allowances. A raft of increase in government charges will negate any gain from allowances. Money will be put aside in various funds for various purposes, without any detail about how it will be spent. Benefits will increase in line with inflation. There will be a new initiative to attract wealthy residents and new business but the details are yet to be worked out. The Government will be launching a drive for the delivery of efficient services. No target or date for implementation has been set. A committee will be formed to look into it. The Health Service needs more funding and NI will increase accordingly,  except for those earning minimum wage. 
I could go on, but I’m boring myself. 

Getting a prediction wrong when you make it after the event is pretty impressive.

Do you think we will ever see another TT after the impact of COVID? 

[Happier diner]

2 hours ago, Dave Hedgehog said:

Can't wait to see what they spunk 100 million quid on in the hope people will come to live here....

If we want 20,000 new residents. Then maybe just spunked on......spunk

[2112]

Well we have had the budget, which is another damp squib, wasting more money, especially on growing the population. In the meantime the NPM says that a new Government saving scheme lasting 12 months has been launched. Called Cost Improvement Program, it’s inviting departments to make savings. That’s a joke, I can’t see a Department wishing to cut their own budget or kick schemes into the long grass. It’s highly unlikely that they will halt civil service recruitment, or make people redundant. Are there any real examples that these initiatives actually work? 

[Asthehills]

23 minutes ago, 2112 said:

Well we have had the budget, which is another damp squib, wasting more money, especially on growing the population. In the meantime the NPM says that a new Government saving scheme lasting 12 months has been launched. Called Cost Improvement Program, it’s inviting departments to make savings. That’s a joke, I can’t see a Department wishing to cut their own budget or kick schemes into the long grass. It’s highly unlikely that they will halt civil service recruitment, or make people redundant. Are there any real examples that these initiatives actually work? 

When he explained it in his speech it sounded more like it was designed to encourage operational savings and efficiency.

So think ways of reducing printing costs, better value vehicle servicing, better IT contracts rather than cutting staff or slashing budgets to stifle things.

[ian rush]

Tinkering round the edges. There needs to be a greater emphasis on taxing wealth / land (in particular simply because you happen to own a house). Far too much untaxed wealth locked up in property and an ever diminishing share of workers shouldering the tax burden via income tax and indirect taxes. There need to be disincentives for rentiers and those sitting on undeveloped brown field sites.

[Happier diner]

1 hour ago, 2112 said:

Well we have had the budget, which is another damp squib, wasting more money, especially on growing the population. In the meantime the NPM says that a new Government saving scheme lasting 12 months has been launched. Called Cost Improvement Program, it’s inviting departments to make savings. That’s a joke, I can’t see a Department wishing to cut their own budget or kick schemes into the long grass. It’s highly unlikely that they will halt civil service recruitment, or make people redundant. Are there any real examples that these initiatives actually work? 

They couldn't afford to make them redundant. 

[Moghrey Mie]

1 hour ago, 2112 said:

Well we have had the budget, which is another damp squib, wasting more money, especially on growing the population. In the meantime the NPM says that a new Government saving scheme lasting 12 months has been launched. Called Cost Improvement Program, it’s inviting departments to make savings. That’s a joke, I can’t see a Department wishing to cut their own budget or kick schemes into the long grass. It’s highly unlikely that they will halt civil service recruitment, or make people redundant. Are there any real examples that these initiatives actually work? 

Well the SAVE programme didn't work all that well. Securing Added Value and Efficiencies

Maybe he's hoping they will sort out the airport this time.

https://www.gov.im/news/2019/jul/04/save-progress-report-to-be-presented-to-tynwald/

[2112]

1 hour ago, Moghrey Mie said:

Well the SAVE programme didn't work all that well. Securing Added Value and Efficiencies

Maybe he's hoping they will sort out the airport this time.

https://www.gov.im/news/2019/jul/04/save-progress-report-to-be-presented-to-tynwald/

If SAVE didn’t work, what makes Allinson and COMIN think that CIP is going to work any differently? Perhaps it buys time, shows their critics they are doing something. It’s all well and good having large capital infrastructure projects, when the large capital infrastructure projects which have previously been built, have been overbudget and the timescale overextended. Surely it’s time to be doing things for less, or making do?

Daffys Climate Change is getting more money - another money pit. No doubt Jason Moorehouse will be asking questions about what’s in it for Castletown? 

Edited February 21, 2023 by 2112

[Omobono]

2 hours ago, 2112 said:

Well we have had the budget, which is another damp squib, wasting more money, especially on growing the population. In the meantime the NPM says that a new Government saving scheme lasting 12 months has been launched. Called Cost Improvement Program, it’s inviting departments to make savings. That’s a joke, I can’t see a Department wishing to cut their own budget or kick schemes into the long grass. It’s highly unlikely that they will halt civil service recruitment, or make people redundant. Are there any real examples that these initiatives actually work? 

Education is already cut to the bone  and practically every school on the Island is struggling to  come in on budget  this year ,  if we cant afford to  fund the future education and learning skills  of the next working  generation , then its a very poor show , and buying in mobile classrooms ,when some secondary schools are having to cope with record levels of students  don't sit to  well  with governments dream of increasing the population to 100.000 ,and from recent reports neither can they find dentists or doctors surgeries to take them on , 

[Banker]

4 minutes ago, Omobono said:

Education is already cut to the bone  and practically every school on the Island is struggling to  come in on budget  this year ,  if we cant afford to  fund the future education and learning skills  of the next working  generation , then its a very poor show , and buying in mobile classrooms ,when some secondary schools are having to cope with record levels of students  don't sit to  well  with governments dream of increasing the population to 100.000 ,and from recent reports neither can they find dentists or doctors surgeries to take them on , 

There’s extra money for education if you actually read reports or even summary 

[Two-lane]

2 hours ago, Asthehills said:

When he explained it in his speech it sounded more like it was designed to encourage operational savings and efficiency.

I did not listen to the speech (mea culpa, my bad etc.). But what is the penalty for not making any savings? Anyone going to get fired?

Also, over the years, I have never been impressed by managers who state that each department must make an e.g. 5% cost saving. All the departments are run differently - some good, and some bad.  For someone to set the same parameter for all departments means that that person really has no idea how the organisation is operating.

Of course any sensible manager is going to make sure his/her department is running inefficiently so that when the time comes to make a 5% saving....

[Years ago I worked at Marconi, part of GEC. At that time Arnold Weinstock was reputed to go through the accounts of every part of the organisation every month  - so the rumour was. I doubt that Allinson knows what is going on anywhere in gov.]

[mad_manx]

6 hours ago, forestboy said:

Should be earnings over £75k

Stil too high imho ..  should be £50k for individual and £100k per joint. 

 

[forestboy]

6 minutes ago, mad_manx said:

Stil too high imho ..  should be £50k for individual and £100k per joint. 

 

I’d go with that 😊👍

[wrighty]

9 minutes ago, mad_manx said:

Stil too high imho ..  should be £50k for individual and £100k per joint. 

 

I agree with the concept of the rich paying more tax, but this is the wrong way to do it.  Effectively, anyone earning over £129000 is paying £2900 more in tax, whether they earn £129000, or several million. Reducing the threshold just increases the number of people this rule affects.

Better would be to have a higher rate tax - say 25% earnings over £100k. This would generate similar amounts of money, but be graduated according to earnings, so those earning millions would pay more than those on £129000. 

[Moghrey Mie]

5 minutes ago, forestboy said:

I’d go with that 😊👍

Thresholds for 10% and 20% tax are still low dragging low earners into paying tax.