Someone - a “Mr Parker” has ordered a pizza from a local pizza place, and given “my” address for delivery!!  It arrives and the delivery guy knocks my door not more than 5 minutes ago…Obvious since it was not prepaid, I have sent the delivery guy away.  Otherwise I would have graciously accomodated them on “Mr Parker’s” behalf….

Now the mystery unfolds…some one/two years ago I got a knock on the door from police officers asking if a “Mr Parker” lived here.  Now there is definatley not another road or avenue with the same name as mine in Crewe that i am aware…

Let’s just say….the alarm bells are currently ringing, and my paranoa levels just took a hit!

OK…I’m going to try real hard not to talk about politics or work at all this coming week…wish me luck o.O

Based on estimates gleaned from the government statistics website….if you take the average “Median” Income for a male in 2006 which works out at approx £550-£580 per month in combined Income Tax, and National Insurance alone then, last year the Government was making £11.6 Billion per month based on an average working population of 20 Million people!  That’s taken from their own Census statistics and not counting anyone under 20 or over 50. 

That’s before we include any non-income related tax.  This would work out at about £180 per head per month for the entire population of the country (rounded down of course as there are no exact figures in here).

I haven’t even looked at any other tax, but it would be safe to say that the government is potentially making between £20-40 Billion per month at our expense, so let’s average it out at say £30 Billion?  That works out at about £500 per month per head based on a current average population of about 60 Million people (and growing).

Sigh my head hurts…there has to be a better way of living than a Salary-to-Tax-to-publicspending-to-live culture revolving around bits of plastic and paper?

Personally based on the above I don’t believe we as a nation are getting value for money, by rights we should ALL be getting support and services worth an average of £4000 per annum..

We should every one of us -  be “allowed” to be responsible for our own security, health and wealfare.  That responsibility has been eroded and taken away by the government and frankly left in a financial and organisational shambles. 

Slowly over the last few years the government have tried to push some of that repsonsibility back to us tax-payers and individuals, using “Environment Issues” as justification (sort you rubbish out into the brown, grey or black bin!), also police your own streets using “Home-Watch” schemes; if you’re lucky you may get a laison officer.  Yet not reducing the per head financial burden one bit! 

Under the current changes to income-tax alone I stand to pay MORE tax from next year not less, and based on the current median salary so does the rest of us!! 

I fear for myself and for the United Kingdom over the next 3 years.  When will this Nation wake up from it’s appathetic slumber?

Now I am even more unpleasantly surprised!

If you are late for a Council Tax payment now they have introduced a late payment charge (between £2-3), levied on top of your outsanding amount?  This wasn’t made clear to me at any time, or did I just miss it in the last council mail shot regarding the current “waste” of my money?

I know there are some out there that pay more than me, but this just stinks!!

Over 2/3 of my monthly income is all on bills and taxes of one form or another (Utilities, Council Tax, VAT, Fuel Tax, Road Fund Tax, TV License, Alcohol Tax - Beers, Wines and Spirits) Thankfully I don’t smoke or that would be yet another tax!!!  For the current population in this country, what does all this TAX amount too? 

At the same time we are being encouraged to save for a rainy day.  As a tax payer, I don’t begrudge any of this money being paid as long as I can see the tangible results of such personal investment in this country.  At the moment I feel like our government is pi%%ing billions down the toilet

Sometimes I consider whether the Sheriff of Nottingham’s taxes in Robin Hoods times would have been tamer then compaired to now!

The Private Sector, (certainly from my perspective) over the last 5-7years has gone through some dramatic downsizing, pulling in the belt, and I think it was about time that this approach was taken in the public sector (though not necessarily on the front line); from the middle upwards!  That’s where the majority of public money is wasted in exorbatent management wages, and pointless studies.  Maybe then the government will retain enough finance to pay for the crucial things needed at ground level like more police officers, more nurses, more teachers and all the equipment needed etc…  and to make matters even WORSE!  They are talking about a change to the  Freedom of Information Act, which would result in us not being allowed to see how much money is being wasted in the public sector.  So much for Mr Brown’s more “transparent” approach eh?

Labour are going to have to do some SERIOUS convincing (and I am not talking canvasing here) to win back my vote come election time.