spursmaddave Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Tax avoidance is just as bad as scrounging of the state in my book, yes it's legal but it's immoral... Tax avoidance v Tax evasion = Benefit scrounging v Benefit fraud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Blockbuster now aswell!!! I was wondering not long ago how long before that would happen with the likes of Netflix et al being so aggressive now The only problem I find with NetFlix et al is that most of them (not that I have much experience) use dynamic resolutions/bitrates when streaming. So it will be as good as your net connection, which is ok on say a 32" TV, but on a 80" projector screen, if I ask for HD, I damn well want full fat 1080p. Thus far we've always rented Blurays from Blockbuster as then you're guaranteed to have the full quality as the director intended it. Hopefully Netflix et al will offer full on 1080p but thats a lot of bandwidh if not compressed to buggery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Tax avoidance is just as bad as scrounging of the state in my book, yes it's legal but it's immoral... Tax avoidance v Tax evasion = Benefit scrounging v Benefit fraud Who in their right mind would pay more on a tax bill than they need to? Do those on PAYE want to pay more tax too, maybe we should up the tax bands? If I told you that rather than paying somewhere in the region of 50% of your gross pay to HMRC via PAYE, I could get that down to 30%, would you take it? Thats what a hell of a lot of people do by being contractors but I bet you'd take the deal if you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Tax avoidance is just as bad as scrounging of the state in my book, yes it's legal but it's immoral... Tax avoidance v Tax evasion = Benefit scrounging v Benefit fraud I disagree with your first statement, but agree with the last. If the rules enable someone to claim benefits, then the answer is to change the rules. I don't necessarily blame layabouts sitting at home with 20 kids doing nothing, I blame the rules for letting them get away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Its almost as if we have psychic's on here.... http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/57608-game-over/#entry853599 It certainly is annoying that we can't close loopholes for companies that trade within the UK but avoid tax using offshore companies or bullsh*t "trademark royalties" to offshore elements. Our 12 employee company has a larger corporation tax bill than Facebook. Starbucks has paid zero due to clever shifting of income offshore too. Yet as I take a large proportion of my income in dividends, Im a tax doger just like them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Tax avoidance is just as bad as scrounging of the state in my book, yes it's legal but it's immoral... Tax avoidance v Tax evasion = Benefit scrounging v Benefit fraud Who in their right mind would pay more on a tax bill than they need to? Do those on PAYE want to pay more tax too, maybe we should up the tax bands? If I told you that rather than paying somewhere in the region of 50% of your gross pay to HMRC via PAYE, I could get that down to 30%, would you take it? Thats what a hell of a lot of people do by being contractors but I bet you'd take the deal if you could. And why shouldn't someone who is already on benefits earn some more by playing the system. I say close all the loopholes in the benefits system AND the tax system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Also amazon still pay vat PAYE etc etc. IMO they are loop holes that where left open on purpose. If they close them they should lower tax. Tax scares away rich people and companies. Have low tax people are still being employed plus the rich guys might spend their money here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Also amazon still pay vat PAYE etc etc. IMO they are loop holes that where left open on purpose. If they close them they should lower tax. Tax scares away rich people and companies. Have low tax people are still being employed plus the rich guys might spend their money here too. And thats the balancing act that HMRC/government is doing atm. If you tell them all to pay the tax "as is right" then you run the risk they will pack up shop and go elsewhere. Its better to have some tax monies than none at the end of the day. But in reality for these MNC's they can easily pay the money, its just whether or not the profits they then get would be worth the hassle. I genuinely find it very interesting to hear other peoples opinions on the matter. I agree that the system should treat everyone equally/fairly but its very hard to define as everyone has a different opinion of equal and fair. I always like the analogies that Mr Chesterfield has for tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I say close all the loopholes in the benefits system AND the tax system Depends what is used as a "loophole". Take away the ability for people to be paid in dividends which can effectively reduce your tax from 50% down to 37 ish and you will all but kill off expansion in small busineses as the owners of these use money from the business to top their earnings back up. However when you are talking about a corporate entity that is clearly taking millions from UK residents for goods, and then shipping that money out of the country by using some offshore licensing rubbish, then thats a different matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 As to highlight the Jessop's problem I was in there recently, the day before they shut up shop actually. I am/was in the market for a decent DSLR camera. We went to the local Jessops in Touchwood, Solihull and spent about 40 mins chewing the fat with a guy there who really really knew his stuff. We'd looked at camera's online but after you've read one spec list you go blind to it all if your not a camera buff. After the guy spent 40 mins with us we were really happy that we got off our arses and went and spoke to a Human Being who was able to decipher all the jargon and explain how they affect the real world workings of the camera. He asked how and when we would be using the camera and we finally decided to buy a Canon 600D which was for sale at £499 in Jessops. It was more than I was wanting/expecting to pay so we said we go away and think about it. The next day they went bump. Today I purchased it online for £394 from here; http://www.procamerashop.co.uk/canon-eos-600d-digital-slr-ef-s-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-ii-kit.html It's a shame as shop fronts are still needed in my opinion but when you look at the difference in cost between buying from the store and buying online you can see why this is happening to a lot of companies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUG Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Block busters look like they could be in trouble now too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I say close all the loopholes in the benefits system AND the tax system Depends what is used as a "loophole". Take away the ability for people to be paid in dividends which can effectively reduce your tax from 50% down to 37 ish and you will all but kill off expansion in small busineses as the owners of these use money from the business to top their earnings back up. However when you are talking about a corporate entity that is clearly taking millions from UK residents for goods, and then shipping that money out of the country by using some offshore licensing rubbish, then thats a different matter. Definitely a balancing act and like a lot of things i.e. NHS, Royalty etc etc that are essy to criticise but very hard to sort out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I heard that we make money off the royalty as they own a lot of land that they let us make money off. £200million a year and they cost about £40million a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I heard that we make money off the royalty as they own a lot of land that they let us make money off. £200million a year and they cost about £40million a year. But even that is a small amount compared to what the Japanese and Yanks spend each year in the country because of our Royal heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I still go to blockbusters for 2nd hand games, but as most movies come out on sky box office about the same time, and cost only 50p more, I moved to doing that. Still prefer them on blueray. And if I have the time I would still go to the rental shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Streaming has taken a lot of the movie rental away. Plus love film and the likes still offer rental of DVD and blue ray in a better style of rental than blockbuster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Blockbuster missed a trick with the rental market I think. They had the ready made stock and suppliers of product to be able to match the model of Lovefilm. Charge people a monthly fee for a number of discs, and set up a central postal and return service just like lovefilm. However, how many people have been slightly peeved with lovefilm when they return the disk In Thursdays post, and their next one on the list doesnt arrive until Monday. Blockbuster could have offered a service to be able to swap the disc at a store for a £1 or 50p premium. Saves having to wait the few days to get your next disc, or you could drop off at the store and that would count as being returned instantly, so no need to wait for your disc to arrive with them like you do Lovefilm. People who find themselves in a position where they want their next movie "now" - could choose to pop in get the latest one that the store has in stock and pick up a bag of popcorn, some m&m's and a tube of pringles while they're at it. Streaming is certainly the way forward, but for the 80% of people who cant get infinity or cable broadband in the country, and even when everyone has 2mb/s the bandwidth just wont be there in theis country. Where the bandwidth is there, because of the capacity based charging model employed by BT, usage caps for half the population will dampen any uptake for lots of streaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Blockbuster missed a trick with the rental market I think. They had the ready made stock and suppliers of product to be able to match the model of Lovefilm. Charge people a monthly fee for a number of discs, and set up a central postal and return service just like lovefilm. However, how many people have been slightly peeved with lovefilm when they return the disk In Thursdays post, and their next one on the list doesnt arrive until Monday. I used to use services like lovefilm etc.. when they first started up, but then Royal Mail cut their deliveries down so it would seem id only get 3 deliveries a week, rather than 2 a day. So that made me move to using blockbuster in store instead for my films. I used to always hire a couple of films & watch them Saturday night with the missus. I think the back in the day, video / dvd shops had the advantage as it seemed films would come out to rent years before they would be on sky and decades before they were available to buy. Now it seems films come out on sky quicker, and are available to buy from shops much quicker, so less people go & rent them. DVD`s are cheap as chips now so a lot of people buy them instead, and also Cinema seems to have made a come-back over the last few years, so whereas when people would rent films, now they go out to the cinema instead. Personally I seem to buy more movies than I used to, and seem to have moved more to watching tv shows on sky rather than movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I now understand why bb, rang me to remind me I had a sizeable amount of credit on my account at Christmas. Glad a spent it in the new year. They did me a favour with the subtle reminder. I doubt other places that went under did this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choptop Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Many shops in the shopping centre near where I live are vanishing. I reckon one third of the shops are empty. This will only get worse if we keep on buying online. But would you pay more, sometimes a 100 per cent more, to buy the same item in a local shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I prefer to shop online, means I don't have to mix with the commoners. I don't have to get stuck in traffic, or park in a space to small, get dings in my door be charged for the privilege, fight my way through crowds of people who stop in stupid places, or walk too slow. Or deal with staff that don't have clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Its almost as if we have psychic's on here.... http://www.350z-uk.c...er/#entry853599 It certainly is annoying that we can't close loopholes for companies that trade within the UK but avoid tax using offshore companies or bullsh*t "trademark royalties" to offshore elements. Our 12 employee company has a larger corporation tax bill than Facebook. Starbucks has paid zero due to clever shifting of income offshore too. Yet as I take a large proportion of my income in dividends, Im a tax doger just like them... I KNEW I'd said that somewhere - I thought it was on Faceache or something Just call me Mystic Zed... I've been thinking the past couple of days about a local town that had a big revamp 5 years ago, a big pedestrian shopping zone, with big fanfare for HMV and Debenhams as the big names. I thought at the time it looked like a very short-sighted waste of money. The high street is on it's way out, no doubt about it. But is anyone going to miss it for the most part? I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Many shops in the shopping centre near where I live are vanishing. I reckon one third of the shops are empty. This will only get worse if we keep on buying online. But would you pay more, sometimes a 100 per cent more, to buy the same item in a local shop? Is it our fault shops are closing down because they offer bad service and it is much much cheaper to get it delivered to your house? Some companies stay on top by being fresh and ahead of the game like Amazon or ECP's. Shopping online is the way forwards UNLESS you can offer a service that you cant get online e.g Slaters. I have been in there for a few suits. Im a fat beast with a weird body shape and they measure, fit and alter a suit as needed. Yes they are expensive but the price is worth it. I also think the high street wouldnt be closing down if the rent and rates weren't so high. I can see the high st being full of local specialist if they could afford to get in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Also amazon still pay vat PAYE etc etc. IMO they are loop holes that where left open on purpose. If they close them they should lower tax. Tax scares away rich people and companies. Have low tax people are still being employed plus the rich guys might spend their money here too. And thats the balancing act that HMRC/government is doing atm. If you tell them all to pay the tax "as is right" then you run the risk they will pack up shop and go elsewhere. Its better to have some tax monies than none at the end of the day. But in reality for these MNC's they can easily pay the money, its just whether or not the profits they then get would be worth the hassle. I genuinely find it very interesting to hear other peoples opinions on the matter. I agree that the system should treat everyone equally/fairly but its very hard to define as everyone has a different opinion of equal and fair. I always like the analogies that Mr Chesterfield has for tax. I find it supremely ironic that in the press and TV ministers are pretending to kick up a fuss about all this offshore tax, when behind the scenes, this and the previous Labour administration have been actively promoting the UK and the City as an international tax haven administration centre for over a decade! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I was up in Gateshead last weekend and went to the Metro Centre, loads of empty shops, also lots of 'end of lease' closing down sales.... so even the big shopping centres are struggling let alone the high streets... A few years back it was saturday morning down the shops but not any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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