I'm far from unique in
that I am struggling to financially survive in todays Britain. There are
undoubtedly a large number of people who find themselves unable to
maintain a financial equilibrium. A large part of my issues lies with
the Banks levying extortionate charges and using un-ethical tactics to
force me further into debt. I will admit that my 'spending issues' do
worsen the issue, however neither of these two holds the key to my
financial issues.
My financial issues largely lie with the fact that I cannot afford many of the things that I need to live, whatever the governments view on road users, I do require petrol to commute to work (The train is more expensive than the weekly running costs of a 650) but this duty raise is already beginning to hit my overstretched wallet. The basic foodstuffs seem to be prohibitively expensive.
The argument many people use to sum up these and other problems is "I don't get paid enough", whilst it sounds like someone complaining, it is a sign of other underlying problems.
There are of course people who live beyond their means, and couldn't care less about doing so, however many of us have been stretched beyond our means by ever increasign prices, and wage rises that do not reflect the increase in duty, inflation and retail prices. The government claims that drunks are a major problem to society, and that alcoholism is killing the country. The unfortunate fact though is that not all drinkers are alcoholics and that the more the Government raise the duty on Cigarettes and Alcohol, the more stock we seem to lose. The plan of pricing these products out of the price range of the humble child or alcoholic does stop them from purchasing the goods, however instead they resort to stealing the products. Whilst it may not be a ntional figure, I have certainly notice the increase in theft in our shop. The inability to legally buy a product only entices people to steal it.
The Government need to realise that Alcohol is not the villain here, there will always be people who cannot exercise self control, but this does not suggest anything about their financial status. As the duty rises the stereotype of a drunk being working class will disappear, Neither the trade or the Government can expect to truly control whether or not people develop alcoholism, someone will always go overboard, and it is time the Government stopped penalising the entire population for the mistakes of a few. It has been shown that raised duty does not discourage either smoking or drinking (it does however prop the black market up another step), so after this failed experiment the Government should be adopting a new stance. Offering support for those who wish to quit their habits would benefit society far more than a blanket tax.
My financial issues largely lie with the fact that I cannot afford many of the things that I need to live, whatever the governments view on road users, I do require petrol to commute to work (The train is more expensive than the weekly running costs of a 650) but this duty raise is already beginning to hit my overstretched wallet. The basic foodstuffs seem to be prohibitively expensive.
The argument many people use to sum up these and other problems is "I don't get paid enough", whilst it sounds like someone complaining, it is a sign of other underlying problems.
There are of course people who live beyond their means, and couldn't care less about doing so, however many of us have been stretched beyond our means by ever increasign prices, and wage rises that do not reflect the increase in duty, inflation and retail prices. The government claims that drunks are a major problem to society, and that alcoholism is killing the country. The unfortunate fact though is that not all drinkers are alcoholics and that the more the Government raise the duty on Cigarettes and Alcohol, the more stock we seem to lose. The plan of pricing these products out of the price range of the humble child or alcoholic does stop them from purchasing the goods, however instead they resort to stealing the products. Whilst it may not be a ntional figure, I have certainly notice the increase in theft in our shop. The inability to legally buy a product only entices people to steal it.
The Government need to realise that Alcohol is not the villain here, there will always be people who cannot exercise self control, but this does not suggest anything about their financial status. As the duty rises the stereotype of a drunk being working class will disappear, Neither the trade or the Government can expect to truly control whether or not people develop alcoholism, someone will always go overboard, and it is time the Government stopped penalising the entire population for the mistakes of a few. It has been shown that raised duty does not discourage either smoking or drinking (it does however prop the black market up another step), so after this failed experiment the Government should be adopting a new stance. Offering support for those who wish to quit their habits would benefit society far more than a blanket tax.
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