The UK government is spending about 52% of GDP on public services up from (37% in 1997).
This is a very good example why
Broadmoor submits £250m redevelopment plan.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-14851509How many patients does Broadmoor treat about 250, so they are spending about £1m per patient on redevelopment.
This sort of madness (no pun intended, ok you know me, so there is really
) is why I can't wait to move to a low tax country, where I'm emigrating to Ukraine. There the Government spends about 40% of GDP and the Government debt burden is about about 40% GDP against 63% in the UK and growing fast!!!
Tax | UK | Ukraine |
Income | Basic 20%, max 60% | Basic 15%, max 17% |
Saving Interest / Dividends | 20, 40, 50% | 5% |
Council Tax | I pay £1993pa | In Ukraine £0 |
VAT | 20% | 20% but will be reduced to 17% by 2015 |
Petrol | £1.35l (£6.16 gallon)l | about £0.77l (£3.51 per gallon) |
Water Rates | £493 | £0, (from well with electric pump into header tank) |
Gas / Electric | £180 per month | Not sure but I think it will be about 25-50% of UK prices |
tr]
[td]Food[/td][td]Globally Competitive[/td][td]About 75% produced yourself with small holding[/td][/tr]
tr][td]Consumer goods[/td][td]Globally Competitive[/td][td]About 10% higher than UK[/td][/tr]
[/table]
If you are self employed in Ukraine, you can register as a Private Entrepreneur and turn over up to 300,00UAH (about £23,000) and you pay a fixed amount of tax per month 200UAH (£15.38) and their equivalent of NI 86UAH (£6.61). If most of your turnover is your personal labour cost, like it is with me as a computer programmer then you can earn £23,000 and pay £264 tax / NI per annum. If your turnover exceeds £23,000 then you pay 17% on the excess above this.
The disadvantages of Ukraine are: Very cold winters, very bureaucratic with very corrupt public servants, poor infrastructure, poor Internet connection outside of major cities, but speed better than UK in cities, with Wimax available. Roads poor (but no parking charges except in Kiev), health system very basic, free in theory but in practice you pay for medicines and
bribes incentives to be treated by doctors, unless you take out private health insurance at about £40 per month and use private hospitals. Secondhand cars are very expensive min. price for anything is £2000 (40 year old pile of rust) and about 4x same price in UK, road fatalities about 4x UK, murder rate about 2x UK.
Advantages: Hot summers about 30degC, no nanny state, nobody cares much about what you do, unemployment benefits - none, your problem, most people in this position are supported by their friends and families, when communities and families have very strong bonds in Ukraine, education system generally good with 5th highest percentage of qualified engineers and scientists per head of population in the world. House prices in my wife's village are about 100,000UAH (£7700) for a bungalow with about 1 acre of land.
Sadly the UK cost base and taxes means it is no longer a competitive place to do business.