How Do MPs Justify Their Perks?
The Sunday press has been full of more revelations about MPs abusing the perks and expenses system but there is an interesting story doing the rounds about the controversial second home allowance. Apparently in exchange for giving up this allowance, which is worth around £20,000 a year, MPs have requested a £40,000 pay rise – which equates to around £25,000 after tax.
As the general public continue to suffer its seems that politics in the UK and the EU is so far detached from real life that many are asking how they can understand the everyday worries and concerns of voters. The recent list of MP expenses confirms that many of them regularly claim over £100,000 a year in expenses, employ family members on tax payers money and claim for everything from Sky subscriptions to council tax – all at the expense of the tax payer.
Quite how we have allowed the gravy train which is UK politics to become so detached from the pressures of everyday life is astonishing. While there are hopes that the recent press coverage of expenses, scandals, etc will ensure there are changes to the system, it seems that MPs are unwilling to give up any of these extravagant expenses just yet.
Share this..
Related stories
Ofgem: Social tariffs must be reduced
Fuel poverty is to be tackled by new rules from energy regulator Ofgem.Social tariffs, used by low-income customers, must be brought in line with internet deals according to the new guidance - which was issued following complaints that many online offers from providers came in at a lower price.A household is defined as being "fuel poor" when over ten per cent of its income is devoted to paying for...
Read MoreViolence on the streets of Athens
The ongoing fallout from the Greek economic crisis continues to hit the economy with violent clashes between strikers and the authorities today. This comes at a time when the Greek authorities are in deep discussions with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a proposed bailout for the country. The country is literally on the verge of meltdown and unless hard-hi...
Read MoreEight Million Brits have no Savings
A study administered by Scottish Widows has uncovered the fact that eight million Brits have no savings to their name, while a further fifteen million are making no effort to save at all. Also revealed was the extent to which family members loan or give substantial amounts of money to their children or other family members, in most cases simply to assist in covering the costs of daily living....
Read MoreSelling your goods on eBay could raise you some much needed cash
As we covered in the previous post there are many bargains to be found for those interested in looking amongst the thousands of auctions on eBay. Alternatively more and more people are using eBay as a place to dump unused goods or items which they have no further use for. By selecting the right categories, the right time to sell and starting at a low price (to attract interest) it is possible to...
Read MoreStamp duty holiday set to end in UK property market
The UK government is set to end a stamp duty holiday on properties valued at between £125,000 and £175,000 which have been exempt from the 1% stamp duty since September 2008. The scheme has already been extended once but many people believe that as of 31 December the extension will end and average priced properties in the UK will again attract additional stamp duty charges.
While...