I am my own employee!

For a long time now the tax laws have meant that contractors are deemed to be earning a salary, rather than a fee if they only have one client at a time. This was to stop the practice of contractors evading income tax by providing their services through limited companies, paying themselves small incomes and taking the rest in dividend payments from the company. Debatable but let's go with the flow for the sake of it...

So.... Contractors now use umbrella companies, who's only task is to receive the money paid by the client, run a payroll calculation and pass on the net pay to the contractor. Since I am anxious to pay all my dues and sleep soundly at night, this is what I do and I pay about £60 a month for this company to run the payroll.

And here comes the clever bit....

Because I am technically employed by this company, and they have to pay an employer's NI contribution in respect of my salary, I pay both employee's and employer's National Insurance payments on my gross income!!!

That's £287.92 National Insurance because I earned some money and an extra £643.35 because the chancellor reckons that I employ myself. Nearly a grand a month of Treasury revenue that isn't even called tax.

What the fuck is all that about?

The Bexhill goose step

Rother District Council plan to introduce 'Control Orders' (what the fuck are they anyway?), to prevent people letting their dogs off a lead in a public place, oh and forbid them from walking more than 3 dogs at a time. A 'spokesman' said "It's only possible to control a dog when it is on a lead.". Oh really? Perhaps they should widen their consultation to include visiting any of the numerous shoots in the area where they may see teams of gundogs being handled at considerable distances without the use of a lead. Alternatively they could just perforate their 'control orders', roll them round a tube of cardboard and put them to better use.

Fucking jumped-up little control freaks.

Bad Noose

I feel that I should organise a whip-round to raise an internet subscription for the Iraqi Judicial service. They obviously don't have access to this table of drop distances for use in efficiently killing people by dropping them on the end of a rope. The level of incompetence of these people is pitiful, but doesn't really come as a surprise.

What I can't really get my head round is the indignation being spouted by all and sundry about the 'manner' of the executions. There seems to be an abhorrence of anything which might affect the 'dignity' of those who are about to be killed. I'm sorry but I just can't see that putting a rope round someone's neck and dropping them through the floor so that their neck is broken (or severed) is perfectly acceptable behaviour but taunting them is somehow deplorable.

*Sigh*