1 hour ago, dkw said:

Ive done work in Sweden, Finland and Norway. Tax rates over there are eye watering, its why wages are so high, cost of living is so high etc.

And don't forget the beer prices... Taxes are quite high in Germany but a bottle of beer costs about the same as a bottle of water. One of many reasons it's a good country to live in.

1 hour ago, bluedave said:

And don't forget the beer prices... Taxes are quite high in Germany but a bottle of beer costs about the same as a bottle of water. One of many reasons it's a good country to live in.

I spent a long weekend traveling around the black forest are on trains years ago, my girlfriend was working in Ravensburg. We just basically stopped at Towns, went to pubs a weekend. The beer was incredible, no hangover etc.

2 hours ago, dkw said:

I spent a long weekend traveling around the black forest are on trains years ago, my girlfriend was working in Ravensburg. We just basically stopped at Towns, went to pubs a weekend. The beer was incredible, no hangover etc.

That'll probably be the German "Reinheitsgebot" (purity requirement), which mandates that beer should only contain barley, water, hops, yeast and nothing else. So none of the nasty additives that (probably) make hangovers worse. It's hard to get "bad" beer here, but if I'm honest, I do miss some some of the British and craft beer varieties that are harder to find here.

Go to Germany and you'll see the benefits of your high tax. Clean streets, trains that cost pennies to cross the country, £3 pints etc.

You pay your tax here and my local community park hasn't had the grass cut for two summers now and i've lost count of the amount of pot holes within half a mile of my house. Not to mention the inability to get a doctors appointment without private healthcare.

29 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Go to Germany and you'll see the benefits of your high tax. Clean streets, trains that cost pennies to cross the country, £3 pints etc.

You pay your tax here and my local community park hasn't had the grass cut for two summers now and i've lost count of the amount of pot holes within half a mile of my house. Not to mention the inability to get a doctors appointment without private healthcare.

The grass isn't always greener https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20250814-germany-sacks-rail-chief-with-train-network-in-crisis

47 minutes ago, Valerie said:

The grass isn't always greener https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20250814-germany-sacks-rail-chief-with-train-network-in-crisis

That's true, the train network is notoriously unreliable these days due to years of focusing on profits and dividends for share holders instead of investing into modernising/maintaining aging infrastructure.

In terms of income tax the UK is pretty much in line with the world average (give or take). Scandinavian countries are certainly top end of the scale.

In terms of VAT we also raise a broadly comparable amount to most similar economies. We do have more zero VAT rates than a lot of countries.

We are well below average in terms of social security taxes (such as NI)

We haven't been a relatively high taxing country since we peaked about 60 years ago. At that point we were.

Similarly when it comes to corporation tax we are nowhere near the top . Our main rate is 25%. There are many with way higher rates.

Accepting that tax comparisons between countries are not atraight forward as there are other ways of taxing but, overall the idea that the UK is one of the highest taxing nations is not supported by the facts.

Back to what really matters, defund the BBC!

Yet another BBC employee (Scott Mills, not that that is any suprise, Nick Grimshaw is 100% next) sacked for Noncing.

At this point is it a prerequisite in the hiring process?

Sooner the TV Licence is scrapped and we stop funding these wrong’uns the better.

On 31/03/2026 at 20:01, The Boehly Babes said:

Yet another BBC employee (Scott Mills, not that that is any suprise, Nick Grimshaw is 100% next) sacked for Noncing.

At this point is it a prerequisite in the hiring process?

Sooner the TV Licence is scrapped and we stop funding these wrong’uns the better.

Wait until you hear about the US government.

At least in the UK, these people face some sort of consequences, even if justice is often delayed.

Looks to me like the BBC expects to be challenged, every time I look at the web-site they are asking me to create a profile which I resist.

Then often between programs they advise they can make these programs because they are funded by the tax payer.

If they do lose the license fee they will need to cut services on both radio and tv and possibly also the internet. Some of these programs would certainly be bought by other providers and yet some will certainly be lost.

As well as the presenters being involved in unpleasant sex abuse or sex coercion acts the tampering with Trump's broadcast was borderline criminal.

n

I ain’t paid my tv licence in years.

Sent them a letter saying I don’t watch it and they said ok we will check back in 2yrs to see if you require our service again. Ain’t heard from them since.

All mainstream media are a joke and anybody who believes anything they report really need to wake up.

The Covid lies and cover ups and the hatchet job they have done and still do on Trump is outrageous.

I’m not Trumps biggest fan but if you can do that, in full view of the world to the president of the USA supposedly the most powerful man in the world what could they do to Joe Public and what else can they lie about. My answer is anything they like.

Edited April 9Apr 9 by C3blue

On 31/03/2026 at 10:01, The Boehly Babes said:

Yet another BBC employee (Scott Mills, not that that is any suprise, Nick Grimshaw is 100% next) sacked for Noncing.

At this point is it a prerequisite in the hiring process?

Sooner the TV Licence is scrapped and we stop funding these wrong’uns the better.

Netflix will cost more than the BBC in 2 years time. Not a single person I know and I am certain you know, consumes more content via Netflix than the BBC. If you did you wouldn't complain about it as why moan about a service you don't use.

The moment the BBC goes, because people are so hung up on a licence fee and brainwashed by right wing rags who just want to make money, everything will turn to sh*t. Every TV show you watch will be American made, any subscriptions you have will go up in price 10-20%. And every website you visit will be littered with ads.

And guess what, every single one of these people who get sacked from the BBC would get away scot free if they were in Hollywood. Do you really think Netflix, Disney, Amazon would sack someone because 10 years ago they were questioned about a sexual offence 20 years ago? Not a chance.

I find it absolutely baffling that people can't see this.

Edited April 9Apr 9 by bisright1

1 hour ago, strider6004 said:

Looks to me like the BBC expects to be challenged, every time I look at the web-site they are asking me to create a profile which I resist.

Then often between programs they advise they can make these programs because they are funded by the tax payer.

If they do lose the license fee they will need to cut services on both radio and tv and possibly also the internet. Some of these programs would certainly be bought by other providers and yet some will certainly be lost.

As well as the presenters being involved in unpleasant sex abuse or sex coercion acts the tampering with Trump's broadcast was borderline criminal.

n

Licence fees for the ABC (Australia's equivalent of the BBC) were abolished in 1974. Replaced by direct government funding. End result: whichever variety of government is in power uses the funding, and threats to cut such, as a means of turning the broadcaster into a government mouthpiece. Be careful what you wish for.

I'm sure I saw Emma Barnett out on the piss in Leicester city centre on Saturday. Tried giving her the eyes but I think she interpreted it as a come-on rather than intending a brief conversation along the lines of 'I wish you wouldn't interrupt your guests so much' and 'could you get Amol's autograph for me please?'

2 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

I'm sure I saw Emma Barnett out on the piss in Leicester city centre on Saturday. Tried giving her the eyes but I think she interpreted it as a come-on rather than intending a brief conversation along the lines of 'I wish you wouldn't interrupt your guests so much' and 'could you get Amol's autograph for me please?'

Can we have these in your dialect? More, have you contemplated calculating Richard's penalty for overstaying in the car park?

14 minutes ago, dermott said:

Licence fees for the ABC (Australia's equivalent of the BBC) were abolished in 1974. Replaced by direct government funding. End result: whichever variety of government is in power uses the funding, and threats to cut such, as a means of turning the broadcaster into a government mouthpiece. Be careful what you wish for.

You don’t think the BBC is already a government mouthpiece then?

Agendas and programming in everything from the news to Eastenders

41 minutes ago, dermott said:

Can we have these in your dialect? More, have you contemplated calculating Richard's penalty for overstaying in the car park?

Can't openly admit to listening to Radio 4 here or the peasantfolk will tear one asunder for 'posh bollix'.

That said, the way Justin Webb pronounces 'Pakistan' is so posh that my cat (who is called Parker) thinks he's being called every time Webb says it.

1 hour ago, dermott said:

Licence fees for the ABC (Australia's equivalent of the BBC) were abolished in 1974. Replaced by direct government funding. End result: whichever variety of government is in power uses the funding, and threats to cut such, as a means of turning the broadcaster into a government mouthpiece. Be careful what you wish for.

I don't see a problem for the BBC unless Reform win the next election and they will probalby get the same deal as the other media stations.

11 hours ago, bisright1 said:

Netflix will cost more than the BBC in 2 years time. Not a single person I know and I am certain you know, consumes more content via Netflix than the BBC. If you did you wouldn't complain about it as why moan about a service you don't use.

The moment the BBC goes, because people are so hung up on a licence fee and brainwashed by right wing rags who just want to make money, everything will turn to sh*t. Every TV show you watch will be American made, any subscriptions you have will go up in price 10-20%. And every website you visit will be littered with ads.

And guess what, every single one of these people who get sacked from the BBC would get away scot free if they were in Hollywood. Do you really think Netflix, Disney, Amazon would sack someone because 10 years ago they were questioned about a sexual offence 20 years ago? Not a chance.

I find it absolutely baffling that people can't see this.

I don't need the right wing to tell something is sh*t. I don't like the BBC, I have zero use for it outside of Football, I don't really watch tv at all anymore. It's not enough to justify the price for me. Too many scandals, too many overpaid twats up their own ass, absolute sh*t tv that doesn't interest me. I don't see why I should have to fund this, it's outdated rubbish.

I don't know how the BBC can justify it's current existence going forward. I'm a Millennial, and I've stopped watching it. My niece and nephews are Gen Z and Gen Alpha, none of them touch anything to do with the BBC. So in 10-20 years time, where is it's audience going to come from?

Edited April 9Apr 9 by Scott Harris

13 hours ago, dermott said:

Licence fees for the ABC (Australia's equivalent of the BBC) were abolished in 1974. Replaced by direct government funding. End result: whichever variety of government is in power uses the funding, and threats to cut such, as a means of turning the broadcaster into a government mouthpiece. Be careful what you wish for.

Well, only our version of the Tories has 'threatened' as such, running a campaign to privatise the service and with one former conservative prime minister railing against the ABC for being too critical of him. It worked, as the ABC's board is now stacked with conservative figureheads and a very conservative editorial policy. The funding cuts have meant that a lot of the ABC's informational/non-political content, which was essential at times, has been removed. The cuts also meant that the ABC sold the majority of its rights to top-rating kids show "Bluey" to Disney, missing out on most of the benefit of a multi-million dollar franchise even when its creation was wholly subsidised by the taxpayer.

Edited April 9Apr 9 by SydneyChelsea

7 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Well, only our version of the Tories has 'threatened' as such, running a campaign to privatise the service and with one former conservative prime minister railing against the ABC for being too critical of him. It worked, as the ABC's board is now stacked with conservative figureheads and a very conservative editorial policy. The funding cuts have meant that a lot of the ABC's informational/non-political content, which was essential at times, has been removed. The cuts also meant that the ABC sold the majority of its rights to top-rating kids show "Bluey" to Disney, missing out on most of the benefit of a multi-million dollar franchise even when its creation was wholly subsidised by the taxpayer.

Is Radio Australia holding up? The BBC World Service has been slashed.

23 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't need the right wing to tell something is sh*t. I don't like the BBC, I have zero use for it outside of Football, I don't really watch tv at all anymore. It's not enough to justify the price for me. Too many scandals, too many overpaid twats up their own ass, absolute sh*t tv that doesn't interest me. I don't see why I should have to fund this, it's outdated rubbish.

I don't know how the BBC can justify it's current existence going forward. I'm a Millennial, and I've stopped watching it. My niece and nephews are Gen Z and Gen Alpha, none of them touch anything to do with the BBC. So in 10-20 years time, where is it's audience going to come from?

If you don't watch TV or listen to the radio I have no idea why you would even bother commenting on the BBC.

You're 100% in the minority in the country if that is the case.

20 hours ago, bisright1 said:

If you don't watch TV or listen to the radio I have no idea why you would even bother commenting on the BBC.

You're 100% in the minority in the country if that is the case.

Uh, maybe because I still have to pay for it! I could watch or listen to no BBC tv or radio channels and I would still have to pay a tv licence to watch football on Amazon Prime. It's an absurd tax.

21 hours ago, bisright1 said:

If you don't watch TV or listen to the radio I have no idea why you would even bother commenting on the BBC.

You're 100% in the minority in the country if that is the case.

I enjoy your comments re Chelsea, agreeing with most and disagreeing with some. I dont quite understand why you defend the BBC to the hilt.

I dont wish bad things for them but i do find a few things objectionable - the compulsory licence, the perverse presenters, the mediocre content to name but a few.

I will continue to pay my licence fee whilst watching and listening to less and less. Whats with the BBC love in? do you work for them? I dont find them any worse than Sky or Netflix just unremarkable

Edited April 11Apr 11 by OTL