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Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall - Author Archive

No, we shouldn’t pay MPs more

THEY’RE whining again. They’re very important people doncha know, these Members of Parliament. And as they’re very important people they should be paid lots more of our money:
Seven in 10 … (read more)

Posted: 11th, January 2013 | In: Money, Politicians | Comments (3)

Why is childcare so expensive in Britain? Because the law is dumb

NOT that you’d need to be all that intelligent to grasp this particular point.

You’ll have heard it said that the UK has the most expensive childcare in Europe. Heck, the … (read more)

Posted: 9th, January 2013 | In: Money | Comments (3)

Archbishop Sentamu spouts nonsense about being fair

PERHAPS I should take the pronouncements of an Archbishop of the Church of England all that seriously. I’ve never belonged to the denomination anyway and tend to view those who … (read more)

Posted: 8th, January 2013 | In: Reviews | Comments (2)

On the trillion dollar platinum coin

ONE of the stories you might start hearing about soon enough is the American trillion dollar (yes, trillion, that’s one thousand billion) platinum coin. It;s actually possible that they might … (read more)

Posted: 7th, January 2013 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comment

It’s official: minimum alcohol pricing is illegal

I’VE never really understood what the wowsers have been trying to do with this minimum alcohol pricing lark. If you want booze to be more expensive then put the taxes … (read more)

Posted: 7th, January 2013 | In: Money | Comment

Will Jean Michel Jarre be the next French tax exile in London?

GUIDO’S claiming an exclusive, that Jean Michel Jarre is going to be the next Frenchman fleeing from the 75% tax rate.

I’m not entirely sure about that: not all of Guido’s … (read more)

Posted: 2nd, January 2013 | In: Celebrities, Money | Comment

The latest investment scam: rare earth metals

THE Mail has a piece on investment scams. The usual list of people trying to sell you over-priced opportunities to lose money. Hard pressure sales tactics, you should invest now, … (read more)

Posted: 30th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

They’ve got more than one way of stealing your money you know

SADLY, governments have numerous ways of stealing our money. The most obvious one is simply to take it: and they do that often enough these days. Get found with more … (read more)

Posted: 29th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

The coming economic boom will be based on new technology

THERE’S going to be the most God Almighty economic boom in a few years time. Yes, yes, I know, you think I’ve really lost it now. What with climate change, … (read more)

Posted: 18th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

How the Government has decided to throttle shale gas

SO. We’ve had the big announcement that drilling for shale gas can go ahead in the UK. Hurrah!

But, as ever, the devil is in the details. And here’s the corker … (read more)

Posted: 17th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

Why economic growth is so crap: the New York taxi cab app.

THERE’S two different ways to look at this economic growth thing. One is in the short term: all that Keynesian stuff about unemployment, fiscal stimulus and so on. And that’s … (read more)

Posted: 14th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

The reason we’ve got a PAYE tax system: because we don’t notice them taking it

THERE is a good reason why we’ve got a tax system that hoovers the cash out before you see it. No, it’s not because it’s convenient. It’s because we don’t … (read more)

Posted: 12th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

Even after all the tax dodges Starbucks still doesn’t owe any tax!

THIS is just great I think. FT’s Alphaville has gone through the accounts for Starbucks after this stuff we’ve had about how the dodge taxes. It’s here.

And the final conclusion? … (read more)

Posted: 11th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

You can’t do nothing: both tax the banks more and get them lending more

ONE of these little problems this universe presents is that sometimes we want two mutually incompatible things. As in our current attitude to the banks. Firstly, we want the bastards … (read more)

Posted: 10th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment (1)

The taxpayers should get what they ask for: good and hard

AN interesting idea from the US. OK, so there’s a fight going on over how to deal with the deficit. Some want to raise taxes to close it, others want … (read more)

Posted: 7th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment (1)

ArcelorMittal: Another majestic French misunderstanding of economics

SO. The French are threatening to nationalise a steel plant to stop the eeeevil capitalist bastards closing it down. And even I would agree that there are times that governments … (read more)

Posted: 7th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

The right pain in the bum that is fiscal drag

A LITTLE bit from Chancellor George Osborne’s autumn announcements that might get overlooked:
A record 4.5million workers could be paying higher-rate tax by the end of this Parliament.

The number in the … (read more)

Posted: 6th, December 2012 | In: Money | Comment

Those payday loans really are such terribly bad deals, aren’t they?

PAYDAY loans are rip-off. Well, so we’re told, endlessly and at length. Companies charging 4,000 percent APRs to lock the poor into a cycle of debt: why, the bastards.

Which brings … (read more)

Posted: 28th, November 2012 | In: Money | Comments (4)

How to save on that grocery bill: eat less food

THIS somewhat surprises me. Unilever, which sells lots of food, is trying to tell people to buy and waste less food. Seems pretty odd really: killing your own business even.

You … (read more)

Posted: 23rd, November 2012 | In: Money, The Consumer | Comment

More Google tax dodging: and this time the might actually get done

WE’VE had all sorts of people whining about how Google doesn’t pay enough tax, from MPs down to the fools at UK Uncut. There’s a problem with the complaints they … (read more)

Posted: 22nd, November 2012 | In: Money | Comments (3)

Can we call Margaret Hodge a tax avoider now?

MARGARET Hodge is the Labour MP who currently chairs the Public Accounts Committee in the Commons. Yes, I know, dreary minutiae only a politics geek could enjoy.

Except, except….it’s Mrs. Hodge … (read more)

Posted: 20th, November 2012 | In: Money, Politicians | Comment

How to avoid £650 million in bank and credit card charges

QUITE incredibly UK consumers seem to pay £650 million a year in bank overdraft charges, late credit card payment charges and so on. That’s the sort of amount that makes … (read more)

Posted: 20th, November 2012 | In: Money | Comment

How to save money: make a shopping list

MAKE a shopping list to save money. Or at least that’s the advice here. Consumers waste thousands upon thousands of pounds a year in the supermarkets. The secret to not … (read more)

Posted: 16th, November 2012 | In: Money, The Consumer | Comment

How much money do you need to get by? Depends how high taxes are

HOW much money do you need to get by? No, not to afford all the little luxuries of life, but how much do you need just to be able to … (read more)

Posted: 16th, November 2012 | In: Money | Comment

What a silly complaint about the Southern Cross collapse

SOUTHERN Cross was, as you will remember, the care homes company that went bust. At the time it did there were great wailings that the elderly would be thrown out … (read more)

Posted: 12th, November 2012 | In: Money | Comment

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