General Chat

Well tobacco is up but alcohol stays the same. That is in spite of the words etc re pricing of booze in supermarkets. My argument has always been one could smoke 6 cigarettes and be capable of driving but to have 6 drinks no way should one drive.

The A & E depts are according to NHS are full up on nights of a weekend with drunks not smokers and NO I neither smoke not drink unless you count the glass of wine on Christmas Day which I rarely finish and past two years have not had even that!

Good that we are going to have technical colleges again and apprenticeships but where is the industry for them to work in?

As a heavy smoker I do agree that tobacco products should be hidden from the view of children.........in fact I love the way that in Mallorca they don't sell any tobacco products in the supermarkets, you have to go to the tabac shops.......something I think they should do here.

And I think that should be the same for alcohol too. It used to be that you could only buy alcohol from pubs/clubs and off licenses and I think it should go back to that.........I really don't think a supermarket is the place for it to be sold.

Mary

But to act as devils advocate here. Why should those of us who enjoy a drink and who drink sensibly and who don't drink and drive or get drunk suffer because others can't be sensible or obey the law. A better way would be to charge for treatment if the cause of an A&E visit is alcohol related.

Maybe they should put sweets,chocolates, pies, pastries and cakes etc behind a counter too lol

Marion

Mary

I seem to recall many years ago that licenced shops were subject to the same hours of opening of public houses.

I can remember some years ago when a certain supermarket when it was Carrefour having a bottle of wine taken off me at the till because it was before hours!

The supermarkets here have put the independent tobaccinists/off-licencees out of business.

AnninGlos - I put that argument up some months ago and was howled down!

Pubs used to shut at 10/1030pm and closed on Sun too.


Marion

I agree with Ann in Glos. I rarely drink but do tend to buy any alcohol fronm the supermarket when I'm doing my weekly shop. Why should responsible drinkers be penalised.

I thought alcohol was up 54p on a bottle of spirits and 17p on a bottle of wine with cigarettes up 50p/packet !
Have I got it wrong ?

so how is it going to REALLY help transport? no fuel duty increase, but to compensate he's going to tax the oil companies harder, (of course they wont pass on the tax will they?)
he is also going to increase car tax

ok he is going to raise the income tax threshold....over two years.. but what about pensioners, who are below this anyway......?on fixed incomes/ or have I missed something?
£140 per week..............but not for many years yet??

promises........

Booze is going up....dont read the non verified websites


Key points
Chancellor George Osborne has delivered the Budget in the House of Commons
Fuel duty to be cut by 1p and expected 4p rise cancelled - all paid for by a £2bn tax on oil companies
Further £600 increase in personal tax allowance from April 2012
Financial help for 10,000 first-time buyers to get on property ladder
Tobacco duty rates up by 2% above inflation from 28 March, and alcohol duty rises - 4p extra on a pint, 15p on a bottle of wine and 54p on a bottle of spirits
Forecast for how much UK economy will grow in 2011 downgraded
Live Page reporter: Emma Griffiths and Justin Parkinson
Tweet us using #BBCBudget


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12759543

first time buyers discounts............what happens when they sell? and move on....will they let the next buyer have the benefit of the discount? I think not!!

cynical aint I?

Good that we are going to have technical colleges again and apprenticeships but where is the industry for them to work in?


Sounds good Chris on the face of it, but......it is a way of manipulating the unemployment stats

Where’s the news for jobs regarding 30 + people?


We are going right back to the 1980's when I was a kid under Mrs T..

At least Mrs T had Balls!!

Hmm....Im a women but I keep my balls well hidden!

good girl!!

LOL

As far as I heard re first time buyers, it is not a discount or cash as such? it is a 'deposit' to add to the buyers deposit to ensure they get a mortgage ( as lenders are not giving out 95% mortgages anymore).

The First Buy scheme will be open to those with a household income of less than £60,000 a year who can put down a 5% deposit on a new home – but housing industry insiders claim it is "window dressing the wider problem" and will benefit the construction industry more than first-time buyers.

Those who qualify will be eligible for a loan worth up to 20% of the value of the property, jointly funded by the government and housebuilders. The loan will be interest-free for five years and only be repayable when the house is sold.

aahh!

so its basically a loan? to add to their deposit?

re payable I suppose....?

Concerns on that are that with the continued poor housing market and property values likely to drop as cuts bite , it is encouraging people to buy homes they may not then be able to afford...given that so many are already in the position of having negative equity and struggling , due to the lack of jobs, to pay high mortgages.

Ginny,

Disraeli said 'there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics'.