There's another article in today's Daily Mail about Lib Dem proposals for taxing land values with the usual torrent of lies and misinformation. Most of the comments are the usual Home-Owner-Ist special pleading, but the quickest way to find the most intelligent ones is to select the worst-rated. Worst-rated comments numbers 2 to 5 are as follows:
I don't believe it! Some common sense from the LibDems. Why should I pay the same council tax as some toff living in a mansion in Surrey? The rich need to make a bigger contribution so the disadvantaged people like me have a much higher standard of living. Ken, Liverpool, 16/9/2011 9:32
If you put up tax on property (unearned wealth gained through house price inflation) and cut taxes on income (money earned through hard work) then Britain would be a more enterprising, competitive society. John, Dartford, 16/9/2011 9:58
Not very different to the IFS proposals reported on this site yesterday: "Council tax should be replaced with a new tax where people pay a percentage of the value of the property that they live in. All homes would have to be revalued. Council tax is still based on valuations made in 1991 which the IFS said was ‘ridiculous’." Here in Australia you pay rates on the value of your property - no top limit and regular revaluations. If you have significant property holdings other than your own home, e.g. several BTL properties, you pay land tax too. Guess what, it works! TonyB, Melbourne, Australia, 16/9/2011 8:00
Folks, the Tories are also a high tax party look how they racked-up VAT...(!). Alan, beverley, east yorks, 16/9/2011 9:26
Pickles - matey why don't you take a leaf out of the interferring government into the private lives of people AND LOSE SOME WEIGHT. Jane Davies, swansea, 16/9/2011 7:06
My dilemma is always this: should I click the green arrow to say I agree, and thus possibly push them out of the top five or should I click the red arrow to say I disagree, but which helps them to stay in the top five and at least get read? I usually go with red.
Leapfrog
6 hours ago
3 comments:
Wow, I started reading the comments, and needed a drink. And I'm at work. :)
Snarf, as Sobers keeps reminding us, the Homey propagandists have won the day and we shouldn't underestimate the enormity of the task ahead.
But I prefer to gloss over the best-rated, which are usually just drivel* and sift a few good ones out of the worst-rated.
* Blame the iPod generation, foreigners, the EU, single mothers, bankers, MPs, the unemployed, but never take any responsibility for yourself.
You make a good point about the red arrowing. It's usually easy to guess how commenters will respond to the DM's slant, and how raters will respond to the comments - as in this case, where we know property taxes will be unpopular, but (very) occasionally I'm surprised at the trends.
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