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Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall - Author Archive

Google’s Tax Dodging Ways Explained

A REPORT out of the US about an investigation into Google’s tax dodging ways.
Google reported an effective tax rate of 18.8 percent in the second quarter, less than half … (read more)

Posted: 14th, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Yes, We Are Trying To Solve the Too Damn High Rents

SHELTER has a report out showing how rents are just too damn high.
In the majority of areas, typical rents from private landlords are over a third of the average … (read more)

Posted: 14th, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Boris Johnson To Privatise London’s Fire Services

BORIS Johnson wants to privatise London’s Fire Services. That’s the story according to Liberal Conspiracy at least, Boris is thinking of privatising the fire controls rooms in London and certainly … (read more)

Posted: 13th, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment (1)

There’s Blood In Your Mobile Phone, And Death

WE’VE another handwringing documentary coming to screens near us this month. Blood in Your Mobile is all about the appalling mining conditions in Congo

Umm, but hang on, haven’t we already … (read more)

Posted: 11th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comment

If You Really Want Something to Worry About: China Needs A Recession

OK, so we’re not having much fun at the moment with the Euro, Greece, the eurozone and all that. The US isn’t having a great time of it either. However, … (read more)

Posted: 10th, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment (1)

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid: Greece To Become Centre Of Europe’s Sun Belt

I’M not sure that I’ve actually seen anything quite this stupid for some time:
“Greece could become the showcase of solar development in Europe’s ‘sun belt’ and that development could … (read more)

Posted: 7th, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Steve Jobs And The Options Grants

SO Steve Jobs is dead: long live Steve Jobs.

There are of course acres of newsprint devoted to him today but for me two little stories stand out.

It was only a … (read more)

Posted: 6th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comment

Dexia Is Northern Rock

THERE’S a Belgian/French bank out there called Dexia. No, I’d not heard of it until a couple of days ago either. The reason I have heard of it, the reason … (read more)

Posted: 5th, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Tube Drivers Deserve Their £50k: Blithering Bloody Nonsense

WE’RE told today that Tube drivers deserve their £50,000 a year pay packets because, well, because they deserve them:
But the drivers who take the millions of Londoners and visitors and … (read more)

Posted: 4th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comments (6)

The Wall Street Occupation: What Do They Actually Want?

THE usual band of hippies and crusties is trying to occupy Wall Street at the moment. I was wondering what they wanted, you know, is it the usual ban capitalism, … (read more)

Posted: 3rd, October 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Why Hippy Communes Die Out: The Unequal Societies Just Kill Them Off

WHEN Hippy communities die out… Or rather why eaglitarian societies lose out to unequal ones. The basic problem is that equal societies, being equal, are reasonably happy. So they never … (read more)

Posted: 30th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment

That Robin Hood Tax Thing – Well, Who Pays The Extra?

WE’VE all seen that lovely video where Bill Nighy can’t work out why there shouldn’t be this Robin Hood Tax thing. Tiny amounts, 0.1%, sliced off every bank transaction to … (read more)

Posted: 29th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comment

Anatomy Of A Climate Change Story: It’s The Economics, Dummy

WE get endless stories about how we really can beat climate change. Easy peasy. There’s always a catch somewhere in them though: for it it were easy to beat climate … (read more)

Posted: 28th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts | Comments (2)

Ed Miliband’s Plan To Increase Political Corruption

IT’S not that I mind people having different ideas, different biases, to mine, it’s that I do mind people spouting total and complete nonsense about how the country should be … (read more)

Posted: 27th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comments (2)

Yes, Yes, We All Hate The Bankers But Blame The EU And The Politicians

YES, yes we all hate bankers. After all, they’re the ones who got us into this whole mess, aren’t they? So, we’ve got to rein them in, force them to … (read more)

Posted: 26th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment (1)

Cern Faster Than Light or Follow The Money: The Time Machine Snake Oil

SO, we’ve the announcement today that scientists at Cern have discovered particles moving faster than the speed of light.
The science world has been left in shock after it was announced … (read more)

Posted: 26th, September 2011 | In: Technology | Comments (2)

Nonsense About Planning

YOU knew it was coming: as soon as someone suggests that perhaps having only 2% of England covered with houses we might make 3% of the country so covered….to bring … (read more)

Posted: 22nd, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment (1)

We’re All Screwed, Aren’t We? IMF Warns Of The Danger Zone

ARE we screwed? Growth’s in the toilet, countries are going bust left right and centre and they’re going to take the entire banking system down with them and…..well, no, hang … (read more)

Posted: 21st, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Why Would You Pay 4,200 % APR On A Loan? The Unauthorised Overdraft Scam

WHY would you pay 4,200 % APR on a Loan? Strangely, the answer is because it could be cheaper than getting an unauthorised overdraft from your bank.
Wonga, the short-term loan business, … (read more)

Posted: 20th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Kweku Adoboli: What Was It He Actually Did?

WHAT did “rogue trader” Kweku Adoboli actually do? Well, other than lose UBS a couple of billion that is?

At this point our real problem is that we don’t in fact … (read more)

Posted: 16th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comment

Merkel: Euro Bonds “Absolutely Wrong” For Crisis

EUROBONDS are “absolutely wrong” for the crisis. So saith Angela Merkel:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel bluntly rejected euro zone bonds as a solution to the currency area’s sovereign debt crisis, saying … (read more)

Posted: 15th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comments (5)

Jon Snow: Just Ignorant Or Biased As Well?

JON Snow was hyperventilating away last night about how it’s just so appalling that we’ve not thrown any bankers in jail yet.
In one month, hundreds of rioters and looters have … (read more)

Posted: 14th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment (1)

Explaining That Banking Reform To You

HERE’S a little handy cutoutn’keep chart for you explaining all the fuss that’s going on about reforming the banking system.

Yes, that’s right children. Most of the banks that did … (read more)

Posted: 14th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment

Want to Grow the Economy? Abolish Immigration Restrictions

WANT to grow the economy? Then abolish immigration restrictions.

No, not abolish immigration, this isn’t the BNP newsletter. Rather, the one big thing, the biggest thing in fact, that we could … (read more)

Posted: 13th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts, Money | Comments (4)

How To Completely F*ck An Economy By Outlawing Babysitting

NOW, OK, this is a trivial little thing on its own. But it is symptomatic. Indicative if you like, of how you go about completely and entirely fucking an economy … (read more)

Posted: 12th, September 2011 | In: Money | Comment (1)

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