Are Fianna Fail on drugs.

clearz

Yes that’s right. I think that our government have become victims of some mad acid craze that swept through the Dáil without anyone noticing. They have gone completely TAX mad. These latest taxes on chewing gum and ATM receipts are going too far. First of all the 5 cent extra that is going to be charged on already overpriced chewing gum is not going to make people dispose of it properly. If anything it will make people throw it on the street, and why not they are paying for it to be cleaned up.
ATM Receipt Tax. What in Gods name is that about? We already are being ripped off by the banks and been totally ripped off by the government on our bank and credit cards. What next. Pressing the ATM buttons tax. The sound that the machine makes before giving you your money tax.

I am a student and am paying 3 times more in fees than when Fianna Fail got a second term not so long ago.
Bag tax. Ok we all could handle the bag tax.
Bank/Credit Card. 40 euro tax a year on a credit card and 10 euro on my bank card. How dare they take my money because I decide to avail of these services? What do I use these services for anyway. Buying goods. And what do I pay on goods TAX.
So they tax me on my wage I get from work. Then they tax me on the way I withdraw the money from my account and the receipt if I use an ATM machine only to be taxed more on the things I buy.

One other thing I would like to mention is the banning buzz the government also seem to be on. I think they see us as their children that need to be controlled. If it is bad for you are not allowed do it. If they bring in the ban on nite-clubs opening late. I am outta here. There is no way im living in a qusai-communist society.

Fianna Fail is so out of touch with reality it’s unbelievable. It seems to me that their mission is to get themselves voted out at the first opportunity. They are spending so much time licking up to the big boys in Europe that they can’t see what they are at.

I really am mad at the way this country is going. So much so that I can’t see myself living here when I am finished college.

mike65

I think you'll find the rationale for the tax is that the polluter pays....

Mike.

Zombienosh

o

sorry
i seen drugs and got excited

segadreamcast

ATM receipts are fairly ridiculous anyway... nobody holds onto them. If you want a print out - walk into the bank and get one of those proper A4 ATM printouts which detail your last months transactions.

Chewing gum is a foul habit - so really I have no objections to any of this.

daveirl

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Barry Aldwell

To paraphrase a very old line: "No representation without taxation"

If you don't like it then all you can do is either run for office and lower taxes, or go live in a tax haven, such as Monaco. After all, they're the elected government, they make the decisions

clearz

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

I don’t know I might just give the auld globe a spin and drop the finger at random. Just hope I don’t get Iraq or North Korea. All I’m saying is that TAX seems to be the governments answer to everything these days. We live in an expensive enough country as it is. Who was it that said that we don’t shop around enough for the bargains? The only thing is you can’t shop around to avoid the ridiculous amounts of tax on some things.
I think another reason for it is, we were getting so many handouts from the EU in the 90’s that when they stopped the money had to come from somewere.

Barry Aldwell wrote:

After all, they're the elected government, they make the decisions

Very true indeed. But when I voted for Fianna Fail in the last election I never considered that within three years my college fees would triple, I would be paying taxes on all the things I stated above. I would have to leave a nite-club for a cigarette only to probably have to leave at 1:30 anyway if this new law comes in.

Victor

daveirl wrote:

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Well the plastic bag levy heralded the resurrection of the reusable bag, so maybe reusable chewing gum?

clearz

The latest tax: Toilet Roll tax to encorage us to reuse our toilet rolls. Could work

lucernarian

There was an article in Time magazine (I think) which talked about Europe's high tax rates. Ireland and one or two other countries were the only countries on the map which were coloured purple (which represented the lowest tax rate on the legend).

I cant understand how a tax worth a small copper coin on chewing gum will persuade you to emigrate.

billy the squid

Chewing gum tax - Chewing gum is the most disgusting thing ever invented and should be BANNED, if you want something to chew get a baby's dummy.

ATM Receipt Tax - A good idea, nobody ever keeps those receipts but i would be coscerned about machines giving out receipts when the wrong button on the machine is accidentily pressed.

Credit Card and Bank Card Tax - This should be gotten rid of, 40 Euros on a credit card is outrageous in my opinion, and charging me 10 euros a year so I can get my own money is a rip off.

Skr4wny

To_be_confirmed wrote:

There was an article in Time magazine (I think) which talked about Europe's high tax rates. Ireland and one or two other countries were the only countries on the map which were coloured purple (which represented the lowest tax rate on the legend).

I cant understand how a tax worth a small copper coin on chewing gum will persuade you to emigrate.

Firstly I think you'll find that we have a lower PAYE rate however I don't think other countries suffer nearly as much with stealth taxes as we do. Also you'll find most other European countries have far better health services and public transport so they probably don't mind the higher tax. Also there seems to be support here for the chewing gum tax which is absurd. If the government as so worried with the litter problem why don't they put more litter wardens out on the street and start handing out fines to the countries litter bugs and not punish everyone who buys chewing gums or gets an ATM slip.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

because of the hundred or so atm slips you see outside practically every atm around the country?

Skr4wny

You are punishing everyone who uses an atm machine for the actions of a few, I fail to see why I should be made to pay for someone elses littering. I'm shocked that so many people here seem to be for the tax. It's just an excuse for the government to bring in another tax, even though there is a much better way of dealing with the problem.

Victor

Mordeth wrote:

because of the hundred or so atm slips you see outside practically every atm around the country?

Theses receipt are identifiable - why don't they go along on Sunday morning, pick up all the recipts in town and fine everybody (OK, yes it would mean getting your details from the bank, but if the banks get iffy, just fien the banks instead)

toxic_angel

and this better way is????

Skr4wny

Far more litter wardens and on the spot fines for littering, after awhile especialy in Dublin, if they have a visible presence and everyone hears of someone having been fined, people will eventually wise up. Taxing everyone isn't the answer.

Skr4wny

But punishing me with a tax because of other peoples littering isn't gonna do anything except piss me off and make me less likely to vote for the government again. My solution hits the litter-louts themselves and not everyone else where it hurts. You are hurting them far more financially than you are with the tax.

therecklessone

NoelRock wrote:

ATM receipts are fairly ridiculous anyway... nobody holds onto them.

ATM receipt = proof of transaction. But sure throw them away, we all know banks don't make mistakes... :rolleyes:

billy the squid

Taxing the receipts is fair enough but what about taxing the cards them selves. 10 euro for an ATM card and 40 euro for a credit card. This is really unfair in my opinion.

lucernarian

It's quite shameful of the Government to put this tax on ATM cards. It isn't worth keeping it in financial terms as interest won't nearly cover the cost. At the same time they encourage students to use ATM based bank accounts? Sounds like a money-making scam to me...

cleansingfire

Evoting is thrown out because of a lack of a paper trail. Speeding tickets likewise thrown out because of lack of printout from radar guns. And now for wanting a paper record of transactions which we already pay for we have to pay the stealth tax bombers more?
This tax is not about litter: its about making a few euro more for the govt. under the guise of an anti litter campaign. Its about distracting from anything important in the arena of public debate and cluttering them with issues such as this. And yes all you wonder analysers and parsers of forum comment I am aware of the irony. This tax will enable banks to make even more money out of overcharging and will deny consumers the records they need to keep track of their transactions. It is anti consumer. It is more of the slyness that is the characteristic mark of Bertie Ahern in govt. Stealthy Bertie, reshuffling the pack for the next three card trick.
The recklessone has hit the nail on the head.

simu

I would be very scared if a drug existed that made people act like Fianna Fáil TDs.

ferdi

yeah, bertie is coked up to his eyeballs half the time, hairy marney sticks to the special brownies

sceptre

Careful now ferdi, walking the thin line

ReefBreak

Regarding the chewing gum tax: walk across the Millenium Footbridge in Dublin and take a look at the chewing gum all over that bridge. I mean, the dirty prícks that leave their gum on it don't even have the decency to throw it in the river (not a good solution either), let alone deposit it in a bin. So I agree with the gum tax.

Boggle

Chewing gum tax? Can be argued for I suppose because of the specialised nature of the machines needed to clean up.

ATM receipt tax? ..... Anyone who thinks this is a good idea really has to be short a few screws. Dont mean to be insulting but its such a ridiculous tax that I'm taken aback that anyone could support it. What next? get taxed on the receipt at a shop? A receipt is proof of transaction and as far as I am aware a customer is entitled to a receipt. These messes are outside the banks cos not one of them provide a decent bin to put them in so go after them or put a warden standing beside watching people if its such a problem. But to tax you, me and everybody for the laziness of a few pr1cks is a joke.

AngelofFire

Fianna Fail/PDs have some arrogance to call themselves the government of "low taxation". More PAYE workers are paying tax at the higher rate than ever before plus another significant portion of their income is gobbled up by stealth taxes. I worked in canada for a year on the average industrial where income tax is several percentage points higher than that of ireland, but i actually ended up having more disposable income at the end of the week than i would have over here.

sceptre

AngelofFire wrote:

More PAYE workers are paying tax at the higher rate than ever before

Worth remembering that our working population is now the highest it's been since PAYE was introduced so it's not really a fair comparison.

ionapaul

Meanwhile, Charlie topped-up funding to the tune of €300 million for the Horse and Greyhound racing industry just before he headed off. But don't worry, Joe Idiot will bring FF back again next election, sure, his house is now worth €1.5 mil (won't ever see that money, of course) and his father's father was a Dev man, why would he ever change his vote?

Hmm, what is it I like to quote in these situations....oh yeah: DEMOCRACY DOESN'T WORK. We need a benign dictatorship. As always, I nominate myself. I promise to only kill half of you damn hippies and pinkos.

therecklessone

billy the squid wrote:

what about taxing the cards them selves. 10 euro for an ATM card and 40 euro for a credit card. This is really unfair in my opinion.

Agreed.

Is it even possible to bank without an ATM card?

ionapaul

I believe Ireland may be the only country in the world with such a restricture tax on credit cards. Absolutely ludicrous. Not even stopping us borrowing ourselves into trouble...

therecklessone

ionapaul wrote:

I believe Ireland may be the only country in the world with such a restricture tax on credit cards. Absolutely ludicrous. Not even stopping us borrowing ourselves into trouble...

Maybe they should remove the €40 tax and replace it with a credit card debt tax?

seamus

therecklessone wrote:

Maybe they should remove the €40 tax and replace it with a credit card debt tax?

% tax on credit cards I think is more reasonable. You get taxed depending on your credit limit. I mentioned this before, as the sheer madness of the situation - I had a student credit card, €350 limit. €40 taxed on this was > 10% of my limit, really putting me in hassle. As a student, €40 is big, particularly if you end up paying interest on it. Say they taxed you 0.5% of your limit. For the student card, that's €1.75. Perfect, giving students leeway where they need it most - in their pockets. For someone with a €20,000 limit, that works out to €100. Sounds like a lot, but €20,000 is a huge limit to have on a credit card. If you need/can afford that kind of credit for day-to-day use, €100 is nothing to you.

Of course this would all depend on credit card companies actually confirming with people that they want their limit changed. After I was hugging my limit for a while, the credit card company decided they'd be nice and almost doubled my limit, without consulting me at all. First confirmation I got was when the new limit was displayed on my bill. :rolleyes:

clearz

I got my credit card in March. I could not believe it when a week later at the beginning of April I already owed 40 euro on it because of tax. If I had to know that I would have waited another two weeks before applying for it.

ionapaul

therecklessone wrote:

Maybe they should remove the €40 tax and replace it with a credit card debt tax?

Ha, that'd be fine with me, but I guess people would object to the aspect of 'kicking them when they are down', you owe €1000 on your card, time to pay €10 to the government, while those of us who can pay in full each month get off scot-free.
TBH, any tax on credit cards is crazy. But then we have many crazy taxes (VRT is a top-contender for craziest) and will have many more in the near future I am sure.

simu

The ATM tax is a bit silly - it would be better to put big bins near all ATMs. I'm amazed that people would be blasé about leaving bankslips on the ground - it's not impossible for someone to pick one up after you've dropped it and decide, on the basis of your account balance, that you're worth mugging.

In terms of rubbish on the streets, fast food joint packaging is a worse offender - I'm surprised they haven't suggested a tax on chips!

As for the credit card tax being imposed uniformly on all credit card users regardless of income - this is unfair. Many students depend on them to tide them over until grants etc come in. It should be abolished on student credit card accounts, at least.

Boggle

Not sure what its like up the country but I know at home the fast food outlets (mc donalds etc...) have their staff sweep up outside and around the shop at the end of the night. I know they dont get absolutely everything but they at least do enough not to warant a tax. Anything they miss can then handily be swept up the next morning along with all the fag buts and other rubbish that does be around anyway. (Not sure but I dont actually see that many fast food bags outside of, say pub times, so is there really that big a problem?)

The only other justification I could see for this would be on non recyclables...

The Corinthian

The first thing to bare in mind is that certain direct taxes are what are often called ‘moral taxes’ - with the classic moral taxes are those placed upon tobacco and alcohol. Of course, eventually you reach a point whereby the level you tax that immoral good or service reaches it’s limit and so you need to find other moral taxes to impose. The rational is that they are designed to pay for the damage caused by the good or service in question. Of course, they will often do much more than that - in the early 1990’s the tax on tobacco products accounted for 6% of total government income.

Chewing gum, ATM receipts, plastic bag levees are all examples of these new ‘moral taxes’.

billy the squid wrote:

Chewing gum tax - Chewing gum is the most disgusting thing ever invented and should be BANNED, if you want something to chew get a baby's dummy.

Chewing gum is a problem only because of littering, and in its defence it’s hugely beneficial to many people who want to stop smoking. So whether it is disgusting in your opinion or not is hardly the point - picking your nose is disgusting in my opinion too, but you don’t see me suggesting that you should have a €10 levee slapped on you, do you?

Credit Card and Bank Card Tax - This should be gotten rid of, 40 Euros on a credit card is outrageous in my opinion, and charging me 10 euros a year so I can get my own money is a rip off.

Then empty your account and stick the cash under your mattress and stop whinging.

ionapaul wrote:

TBH, any tax on credit cards is crazy.

Not really. Unlike the tax on plastic bags, the levies on Credit and ATM cards are more related with inflationary control, than revenue generation. The credit card levee, for example, was specifically designed to curb the level of cheap credit that inevitably (because people are, on balance, idiots) would lead to people with crippling debts spread out over five cards.

As for future direct ‘moral taxes’, I’d not be surprised if fast food and mobile phones are taxed in some manner within a few years.

Personally, if the ATM tax comes in, I’ll happily stop looking for a bin and drop my receipts on the ground. After all, I’ll already have paid for someone to pick them up after me.

clearz

I just have to say to the person who gave me bad karma on this thread saying:

"I dont believe you ae in colledge, that would require a basic level of intelligence"

Please, Please, Please if you are going to take the piss out of somebodys level of intelligence learn to spell 'are' and 'college' right because if you dont it makes you look like a fool.

Thank You.

Boggle

How would you class taxes no ATM receipts as a moral tax? Its a receipt which you are entitled to. Any costs associated with this should be covered by the money the govt already takes on your account. Either that or the banks should be obliged to provide a proper, regularly emptied, bin.

The thing about the credit card, while it may have been offered as an excuse at the time, is hardly believable. It's a tax on something they can get away with taxing .. no other reason than we're stupid enough to pay.

And the mobile phones thing.... well we might aswell start paying up now, cos half of us will be dying of brain tumours in 20 years and lookin for treatment! (Lecturer in college told us that there is more em rad emitted into your head at 1cm than if you were standing 1 metre away from one of those big masts everyone is always complaining about!! .... or something like that cos I was hungover at the time)

The Corinthian

Boggle wrote:

How would you class taxes no ATM receipts as a moral tax? Its a receipt which you are entitled to. Any costs associated with this should be covered by the money the govt already takes on your account.

By that logic, the money that we pay in income tax should realistically cover the health costs associated with both alcohol and tobacco use.

Any moral tax is designed to target those consumers that ‘benefit’ from a good or service, so that they pay for the associated cost to Society of that good or service. If discarded ATM receipts result in an excessive cost to Society, then the moral tax is designed to redress that.

Either that or the banks should be obliged to provide a proper, regularly emptied, bin.

Or people could put them in their pockets until they get to a proper, regularly emptied, bin.

The thing about the credit card, while it may have been offered as an excuse at the time, is hardly believable.

Why not? Almost everyone I know who had in some cases five or six credit cards is now down to one, perhaps two. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that, as a result, with less readily available high cost credit, borrowing and consumer spending will similarly be affected.

It's a tax on something they can get away with taxing .. no other reason than we're stupid enough to pay.

All successful taxes are taxes that a government can get away with, regardless of the purpose for that tax or whether it is just or not. Just ask the Bostonians.

And the mobile phones thing.... well we might aswell start paying up now, cos half of us will be dying of brain tumours in 20 years and lookin for treatment! (Lecturer in college told us that there is more em rad emitted into your head at 1cm than if you were standing 1 metre away from one of those big masts everyone is always complaining about!! .... or something like that cos I was hungover at the time)

But was his point that mobile phones emit a lot of radiation or that the masts don’t emit as much as we might think?

Boggle

If discarded ATM receipts result in an excessive cost to Society, then the moral tax is designed to redress that.

Do they? How? You'll tell me that someone has to go around and clean up but can you honestly tell me that as a direct result of these bank machines and their receipts that the streets now have to be swept more often?

Would you still think its fair enough if you bought a TV but incurred a surcharge for proof of that transaction? Is that not what a receipt is?

Or people could put them in their pockets until they get to a proper, regularly emptied, bin.

Wont argue with the sentiment of this comment as you'r dead right but if a shop has to provide a proper bin outside to deal with the rubbish generated by it then why not a bank?

Almost everyone I know who had in some cases five or six credit cards is now down to one, perhaps two.

... and are probably less likely to shop around for a better value card as you get hit with a double when you cancel one and open another. Again, those with plenty of money are unaffected but anyone who wants to watch his money just cant shop around.

But was his point that mobile phones emit a lot of radiation or that the masts don’t emit as much as we might think?

Just threw that in as an add on to the last post as its way off topic but the point is your frying your head everytime you put one up to it. Ever notice the hot ear after talking for a while even tough the phone is not warm?

sliabh

Boggle wrote:

Ever notice the hot ear after talking for a while even tough the phone is not warm?

Part of that is because you are traping heat by shielding your ears that way.

The Corinthian

Boggle wrote:

Do they? How? You'll tell me that someone has to go around and clean up but can you honestly tell me that as a direct result of these bank machines and their receipts that the streets now have to be swept more often?

I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the government for their exact reasoning. Of course, in the case of supermarket bags the logic is not exactly straightforward either - there, it is used more as a disincentive to use the bags than because of any direct cost. Cigarette levies operate in much the same way.

I would imagine that the logic is that it would in part subsidize cleaning in areas where the ATM receipts add significantly to the level of litter as well as a disincentive to get receipts in the first place, thus further reducing the potential problem.

Would you still think its fair enough if you bought a TV but incurred a surcharge for proof of that transaction? Is that not what a receipt is?

Actually you already pay for the receipt - cash registers, and the receipts they print, are not free.

Wont argue with the sentiment of this comment as you'r dead right but if a shop has to provide a proper bin outside to deal with the rubbish generated by it then why not a bank?

I don’t disagree, that is certainly one solution - of course, then the banks would most likely pass on a cost to the consumer for this.

... and are probably less likely to shop around for a better value card as you get hit with a double when you cancel one and open another. Again, those with plenty of money are unaffected but anyone who wants to watch his money just cant shop around.

Again, I won’t disagree there. All I highlighted was the logic behind the levee, not its shortcomings.

Just threw that in as an add on to the last post as its way off topic but the point is your frying your head everytime you put one up to it.

You threw in an anecdote that, given you were hung over; you may have taken up wrongly. Even if you did not, you took it at face value - after all, academics talk a lot of crap, much of the time. If they didn’t, they’d have real jobs.

Ever notice the hot ear after talking for a while even tough the phone is not warm?

Ever notice how hot your ears get when you wear earmuffs? I take it they give off similar radiation?

Boggle

Of course, in the case of supermarket bags the logic is not exactly straightforward

I thought at the time this was an environmental tax ... more reduce than dont litter....

Actually you already pay for the receipt - cash registers, and the receipts they print, are not free.

Its not a surcharge. In the case of cash registers and receipts, alongside other costs such as staff etc are all factored into the price. The shop (correct me if I am wrong) are obliged to provide you with a proof of transactiopn/purchase and the govt mokes no efort to tax this so why should they tax the proof of transaction with a machine. If there is fault in the machine that receipt is your only proof...

that is certainly one solution - of course, then the banks would most likely pass on a cost to the consumer for this.

True. But better than the govt taxing you... you can always change bank, changing govt isn't as easy...

All I highlighted was the logic behind the levee, not its shortcomings.

And I still have to point out that its a convenient excuse to charge E40 per card. Surely as a creditor, credit card companies were already subjuct to certain conditions under which they could give out cred cards. Therefore the necessary protection was already in place for the public rendering this an obsolete but useful moneymaking tool.... (I could be mistaken on the controls that are in place but please correct me if thats the case)

The phone thing - I was hungover and so may be mixing the type of radiation he was on about ... didn't get the message mixed up! Try removing the battery and hold the phone to your head to see if it heats it as well.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

pickarooney

Consumers, wreak revenge on the CC companies by keeping your credit card account IN THE BLACK.
Put all your wages, savings etc. in there and earn interest at 10%, so Visa/Mastercard pays your stealth tax for you.

How much is bin tax in Ireland these days anyway? I don't remember paying a penny for refuse removal in Dublin. It's almost €400 a year for a two-weekly collection here in Holland. Then there's water tax (don't recall that in Ireland either), build-more-dykes-to-stop-the-flooding tax, existence tax (not sure what else to call tax on living in a house that you don't own - and I don't mean rent!), environment tax, 35% income tax (even the dole is taxed) and humongous taxes on petrol (€1.25 a litre) and the like.

Boggle

Cheers Dave... like I said I was a little hungover on the day but I remembered the maths bit alright. And I know there's no proof its just something my lecturer in college said that seemed to make sense at the time.....

Keyzer

Horse,
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret - Its never gonna change no matter what government is in power.
The best advice I can give you is to finish college and get the flock out of dodge, I myself and applying for a few different visas for different countries and plan on getting out for good.
You'll only wear yourself out moaning and depress yourself, I used to moan about everything - Tax, transport system, jobs et all - but its futile because we in Ireland are guilty of 2 terrible things -

1. We don't complain
2. When we complain we complain to the wrong people

Look at the French, when they aren't happy with something they cause utter chaos until its resolved to their liking, not for one day and then head home e.g. farmers and taxis descending on leinster house.
The stuff that goes on here is disgracefuland if it was any other country there would be civil war. But we say nothing and get hammered in the pubs week in, week out.

I finish on this note - A japanese drill manufacturing company offered to build a 2 line basic metro system in Dublin to test out a new prototype drill. It would be for free (yes, that was free). The Irish goverment rejected this offer to have a free metro and opted for a 5 Billion tram system thats not linked to the airport or to each other because - and this is not a joke - "Irish people don't like being under the ground".....

The Corinthian

Boggle wrote:

I thought at the time this was an environmental tax ... more reduce than dont litter....

Allegedly it is, however fiscal regulations are designed to act in a number of ways to achieve their ends.

Its not a surcharge. In the case of cash registers and receipts, alongside other costs such as staff etc are all factored into the price. The shop (correct me if I am wrong) are obliged to provide you with a proof of transactiopn/purchase and the govt mokes no efort to tax this so why should they tax the proof of transaction with a machine.

Economically the charge is there, regardless of whether you can see it or not. However, I accept your point.

If there is fault in the machine that receipt is your only proof...

That could potentially be grounds for a legal challenge on any such tax, TBH.

True. But better than the govt taxing you... you can always change bank, changing govt isn't as easy...

I agree in this case.

And I still have to point out that its a convenient excuse to charge E40 per card. Surely as a creditor, credit card companies were already subjuct to certain conditions under which they could give out cred cards. Therefore the necessary protection was already in place for the public rendering this an obsolete but useful moneymaking tool.... (I could be mistaken on the controls that are in place but please correct me if thats the case)

If the purpose is to limit borrowing where market forces may encourage it, to the decrement of both individuals and the economy, then standard regulation may not be enough. Do you tell credit card companies that they must limit credit to €500 per account? If so people will get themselves 20 credit cards from different credit card companies. How do you legislate for irresponsible consumers? Unfortunately the best way to do so is to make it unattractive to purchase credit - the same principle to that used when tariffs are imposed on foreign goods.

For example; a consumer must choose between two goods of equal utility. Of course one good costs half that of the other as it was made in the Republic of Ebola where the average annual income is €3.50. The consumer will naturally go for it (even morally justifying his/her choice by accusing the price of the local good to be an example of rip-off culture). Local goods go unsold, ergo local business goes bust, ergo economy suffers. Solution; you slap a tariff on the Ebolan good, making it less attractive. Local good is bought, ergo local business survives, ergo everyone other than the Ebolans is happy (but they don’t speak English, so they don’t really count).

The principle there, as with most taxes and tariffs, is that the consumer acts on selfish motivations and thus, for the common good, a fair market must be tampered with as these selfish motivations may not have that common good at heart. The same goes for credit - even if the market controls are in place, this does not mean that the market will seek to act for that common good.

The phone thing - I was hungover and so may be mixing the type of radiation he was on about ... didn't get the message mixed up! Try removing the battery and hold the phone to your head to see if it heats it as well.

Actually, it does.