Before you compare prices to UK

ch750536

http://listentotaxman.com/index.php?c=1&yr=2008&married=1&age=0&add=0&code=&pension=0&time=1&ingr=30000&vw[]=yr

http://www.taxcalc.eu/

Some examples:

---

Married couple earning £30,000 equivalent each.
UK Pays £12,000 more tax.

---

Single person earning £20,000 equivalent
UK Pays £2800 more tax

---

Also, water rates & council tax (£2000 per year per household)

Credit for health insurance that you have to pay in Ireland (gives a far better service than the NHS in the UK).

The UK taxes based on what you earn, Ireland taxes based on what you spend.

Take this in to consideration before you post another 'look at the price of this in the UK' thread.
:cool:

richardn

Why take those things in to consideration? UK have been paying similar taxes for several years as well as council tax so even before the £ went down those things make no difference to the fact many prices in Ireland are a rip off.

ch750536

What has it go to do with the pound going down?

Its a different country.

In the UK do they have 'Ripoff UK' threads saying how cheap stuff is in China?

Fine, the UK is a similar country to Ireland so a comparison is of some value, but in doing so you have other considerations.

Such as the fact that minimum wage in Ireland is higher, better working conditions, redundancy conditons etc.

Higher VAT.

However, you pay a lot less tax on your earnings.

You can't compare like for like by comparing a toaster in the UK to its cousin in Ireland, different countries you see. Different factors around those toasters, not all of them bad.

greatgoal

and prices for most things are double here compared to the UK.we are,and have been robbed here for a number of years,its just that people are starting to notice now and are shopping where prices are a lot less as this recession kicks in.

ch750536

Dont start talking tosh greatgoal.

Most things double.

Indeed.

China is cheap.

r3nu4l

Totally agree with the OP. Another thing to note is that in the UK there's no such thing as mortgage interest relief and first-time buyers don't get grants or stamp duty exemptions. Prices seem cheaper in the UK but they really aren't all that much cheaper when you take relative earnings and tax into account.

Yes, Ireland has it's rip-off prices but so does the UK and just because something seems cheaper to you when you are living outside the UK tax system, it may not be much cheaper to the person living in the UK.

ch750536

Had a fun trip the other day.

Parked my car in reading train station (£13 per day) for 2 days = £26
Train to liverpool ( return) = £119

Total = £145

Similar journey here:

Car park at Cork station = €1.50
Cork to Dublin = €71.00

RIPOFF UK!

greatgoal

ch750536 wrote: »

Dont start talking tosh greatgoal.

Most things double.

Indeed.

China is cheap.

theres only one person talking tosh here and thats yourself.

greatgoal

r3nu4l wrote: »

Totally agree with the OP. Another thing to note is that in the UK there's no such thing as mortgage interest relief and first-time buyers don't get grants or stamp duty exemptions. Prices seem cheaper in the UK but they really aren't all that much cheaper when you take relative earnings and tax into account.

Yes, Ireland has it's rip-off prices but so does the UK and just because something seems cheaper to you when you are living outside the UK tax system, it may not be much cheaper to the person living in the UK.

what im saying is,ok maybe the UK are ripping off their own,the same as we are being fleeced here,but crossing the border means half price shopping for irish citizens and as long as thats the case theyre going to travel.i couldnt give a toss if the UK are ripping off their own,all im saying is that theyre saving me a lot of money and thousands more like me.

Highsider

Are you honestly trying to say that prices in the UK are a rip of compared to here. Sure anyone can find examples of higher prices if you look hard enough but on the whole we are buttfu<ked by retailers in the Republic. Have been for years and even now when they need our business desperately the prices remain high. I will continue to do my monthly shop in the north until retailers down here stop treating us like suckers.

richardn

Not only does shopping in the North save our family shed loads of cash but we also help the environment. When we do an 8 or 10 week shop iin the North it means a simple walk to the garage to get the items we require for that evening's meal instead of driving in to town every day so shopping in the North is Green!

Anyone who beleives they are not being shafted in the South are just one of the reasons prices are so high in the ROI, vote with your feet get up North and watch the prices come down in the South.

The UK stopped Mortgage Tax Releif about 10-15 years ago so all these things you keep throwing up haven't suddenly appeared.

An item that cost £1 a year ago in UK is now probably 90p so if that item were sold a year ago in ROI for €1.40 with the exchange rate it should now be €1.11 but it isn't...why not? Of course this only applies to items bought in from UK but when you consider that is a hell of a lot of products someone, possibly not the retailers, but someone somewhere is making some serious cash out of the current exchange rate but not out of me 'cos we'll be going up North again in about 4 weeks time for another 8 week shop.

kingshankly

ch750536 wrote: »

Had a fun trip the other day.

Parked my car in reading train station (£13 per day) for 2 days = £26
Train to liverpool ( return) = £119

Total = £145

Similar journey here:

Car park at Cork station = €1.50
Cork to Dublin = €71.00

RIPOFF UK!

imposible to compare the two.
in the uk the railway is privatised and there can be a big difference in prices for the same journey depending on times and which company you use while here our railway is state subsidised

ch750536

what on earth are you people going on about!

china is much cheaper than both, why is it not a ripoff if you charge more than china for goods?

Because it is a different country with a different cost base, thats why, just like the UK.

Keep people in the north in jobs if you like, they need them too. Keep giving the UK govt all your taxes too, they need it.

But, do not moan if you lose your job & do not moan if services start to be cut back more due to lack of tax coffers.

ch750536

Min wage ireland = €8.65 UK = £5.73
Dole money (fam of 4) Ireland = €320 UK =£121

If you insist on spending your money & taxes in the UK how about you give the difference back.

r3nu4l

Firstly, I don't agree with everything ch750...(the op) has to say.

greatgoal wrote: »

what im saying is,ok maybe the UK are ripping off their own,the same as we are being fleeced here,but crossing the border means half price shopping for irish citizens and as long as thats the case theyre going to travel.i couldnt give a toss if the UK are ripping off their own,all im saying is that theyre saving me a lot of money and thousands more like me.

Yup but the more you give your money to the UK, the more likely it is that jobs in Ireland will go (seriously, this is [very] basic economics). That doesn't bother me because I live in England so I'm happy to have more and more money pumped into the UK economy.

Highsider wrote: »

Are you honestly trying to say that prices in the UK are a rip of compared to here.

No. I'm saying you can't make a direct comparison! I've lived and worked in Ireland and lived and worked in the UK, paying taxes in both countries. Despite the appearances, the cost of living in the UK is far higher than you would think. Eating out is much cheaper in the UK as is drinking alcohol and other things but for example, motor fuel is far more expensive over here than in Ireland, you have it so easy in Ireland fuel-wise. Our tax bands are wider and seem more generous in the UK...until you take the council tax, National Insurance and water rates into account along with numerous other stealth taxes. Our money doesn't go as far, therefore many goods are that bit cheaper. So it makes sense for someone in Ireland to buy up North or in the UK but that does not mean the UK earner has (relatively) cheaper goods or more disposable income!

Sure anyone can find examples of higher prices if you look hard enough

You don't have to look hard and it's not just about it being more expensive penny for penny but more about the overall relative costs of living and disposable income.

but on the whole we are buttfu<ked by retailers in the Republic.

As we are in the UK. Bottom line, if you're not the one setting the prices, you're the one taking it in the ass.

Have been for years and even now when they need our business desperately the prices remain high. I will continue to do my monthly shop in the north until retailers down here stop treating us like suckers.

As I said, I've no problem with that a mate of mine has recently gotten a job in a supermarket in the UK having been laid off months ago from a builders merchant. The more money you spend in supermarkets, the more likely it is my mate keeps his job Win-win for the UK, pity the poor chump in Super-Valu in Ireland who will be drawing the dole as a result of the money spent in the UK.

darc

When the landlords of the shopping centres drop their rents, retailers can drop their prices.

Example - Main mall unit in Liffey Valley. Size 2200sq ft (average store). Rent = €420,000, rates = €45,000, Service charges = €35,000. Total = €500,000. About £440,000

Lakeside Thurrock in Essex - higher footfall than Liffey Valley. Rent for 2,358 sq ft on main mall, ground floor (prime space) £220,000. Rates £17,000, Services, £11,000. Total = £248,000.

Landlords, reduce your rents. Retailers can then reduce their prices, shoppers will spend their money, more people will be employed in retail.

r3nu4l

While I agree with you to a huge extent darc I do have to raise a point. Lakeside may have a higher footfall than Liffey Valley but the population in the catchment area is at least 12 times higher than that for Liffey Valley AND Lakeside has an IKEA as an added draw for footfall. Rates are so low in Lakeside because Bluewater is only a few miles away across the dartford tunnel and is a far, far superior shopping centre. Lakeside rates need to be lower. Lakeside = Chav shopping; Bluewater = Quality shopping

Therefore, competition* (as always) is the answer.


*real competition, not the cosy brown envelope relationships between government/retailers/developers that exist in Ireland!

ch750536

Purely for giggle factor, in Twyford station just now I bought a bag of crisps.

95p

Ripoff UK!

seamus789

ch750536 wrote: »

Min wage ireland = €8.65 UK = £5.73

Examples like this are not valid. When the €1 was worth £0.67 then the minimum wage was almost identical. The current exchange rate is an anomaly and will not be sustained over the long term (3-5 years). What do you expect?, governments to change minimum wage and taxes regularly based on currency?

I don't support widespread shopping in the UK, but I can understand why people would do it while the currency is as it is. I would rather see someone go to Asda in Strabane and buy a bottle of Pepsi that was made in Dublin than go to Lidl in Dublin and buy a bottle of Pepsi that was made in eastern Germany.

ch750536

seamus789 wrote: »

Examples like this are not valid. When the €1 was worth £0.67 then the minimum wage was almost identical. The current exchange rate is an anomaly and will not be sustained over the long term (3-5 years).

Its valid enough for the hundreds of people here complaining about 'Its £10 in the UK and €15 here, Ripoff Ireland'

Can't have it both ways.

ch750536

seamus789 wrote: »

....but I can understand why people would do it while the currency is as it is.

I can too, greed. Care about me and not my neighbour.

I can understand it, I just disagree with it.

rubadub

richardn wrote: »

Not only does shopping in the North save our family shed loads of cash but we also help the environment. When we do an 8 or 10 week shop iin the North it means a simple walk to the garage to get the items we require for that evening's meal instead of driving in to town every day so shopping in the North is Green!

Dunno if that is a joke or truely the most fu*ked up logic I ever heard in my life. If you did your 8-10 week shop in the local store it would be greener, as you would not have had to drive to far...

richardn wrote: »

with your feet get up North and watch the prices come down in the South.

darc wrote: »

When the landlords of the shopping centres drop their rents, retailers can drop their prices.

If some retailers here sold their stuff at cost they could not match UK retailers who are making a decent margin. ONCE AGAIN you are ignoring the fact that distributors & manufacturers have huge control over prices.

Stores here will just have to close down and find some other trade, it is not viable to sell certain goods anymore. I have been buying stuff via the internet for over 10 years now, its nothing new to shop online or abroad. It is ridiculous to expect people to support uncompetitive non-viable businesses. Sometimes the state steps in to ensure this ridiculous situation is forced upon consumers, like farmers being subsidised to grow overpriced sugar beet, which was lower quality and more expensive than the imported cane sugar. Now plenty of fruit & veg is imported, if the gov stepped in and forced you to buy only Irish mangoes then they would also cost a fortune and keep people in farming, but it is stupid to do so. The ESB had powerplants running which needed more power input than they outputted, just to keep the boys in jobs, unviable nonsensical crap.

darc

r3nu4l wrote: »

Rates are so low in Lakeside because Bluewater is only a few miles away across the dartford tunnel and is a far, far superior shopping centre. Lakeside rates need to be lower. Lakeside = Chav shopping; Bluewater = Quality shopping !

Dundrum & Blanch & Swords & City Centre are all even closer to Liffey Valley than Bluewater is to Lakeside.

Rental rates in Bluewater are approx. 15% higher than Lakeside according to Savills - still hugely cheaper in today's currency value.

But on currency, sterling is expected to move back to .76 - .80 over the next few months. - Maybe then this rip off harking will end especially after the already pre-warned large duty increases in cigs, fuel & drink in the upcoming UK budget.

mcwhirter

ch750536 wrote: »

http://listentotaxman.com/index.php?c=1&yr=2008&married=1&age=0&add=0&code=&pension=0&time=1&ingr=30000&vw[]=yr

http://www.taxcalc.eu/

Some examples:

---

Married couple earning £30,000 equivalent each.
UK Pays £12,000 more tax.

---

Single person earning £20,000 equivalent
UK Pays £2800 more tax

---

Also, water rates & council tax (£2000 per year per household)

Credit for health insurance that you have to pay in Ireland (gives a far better service than the NHS in the UK).

The UK taxes based on what you earn, Ireland taxes based on what you spend.

Take this in to consideration before you post another 'look at the price of this in the UK' thread.
:cool:

A few things need to be mentioned here.
For instance, nobody has mentioned VRT, house stamp duty rates, car tax rates, drugs costs, doctor charges.

I have lived in UK on similar earnings to here and I felt a lot better off there, even with paying council tax and water rates.

ch750536

mcwhirter wrote: »

A few things need to be mentioned here.
For instance, nobody has mentioned VRT, house stamp duty rates, car tax rates, drugs costs, doctor charges.

I have lived in UK on similar earnings to here and I felt a lot better off there, even with paying council tax and water rates.

You only buy a car once, not really applicable to an everyday cost example, same for stamp duty.

Car tax, depends on the size of the engine, €100 a year difference is nothing.

Drugs, depends on who you know.;)

Doctors charges, I pay here but I get a million times better service, to be fair if I were back in the UK I would rather pay and get the good service. Can't really compare like for like but I see what you mean.

r3nu4l

A report says today that Britain has the most expensive train services in Europe.

My daily 50 mile commute by train 3 years ago cost me £3600 for the year. The same journey today would cost me £4500 for the year. You might think that British trains have a good service. I was delayed by 30 mins or more at least 3 times a week on that line. I also had to stand every evening for 45 minutes before I eventually got a seat for the last 30 minutes of my journey.

It's swings and roundabouts people. Having lived in England for 5 years and having lived in Ireland at the height of the rip-off Ireland debate I can safely say I don't see much difference at all.

We eat out and drink cheaper but we pay a lot more stealth taxes, higher fuel duty and we pay more for our water and government services. So cheaper cars and tax mean very little when every litre of fuel you add is costing you more.

EDIT: Another thing about rip-off UK is that it's difficult to avoid the rip-offs, for example fuel duty and train ticket prices.

In Ireland it's easier to avoid rip-off pub prices for example. Instead of paying €10 to get into a 'trendy' bar on a Saturday, go to a regular pub with friends. Instead of drinking a pint and whinging about how much it cost you, simply go somewhere else! I really admire the way British people will look at the price of something and say 'I'm not paying that, it's cheaper down the road', whereas in Ireland's CT years and even now to some extent, it's almost like a status symbol to say you paid over the odds for your beer, dinner, clothes etc. Until that attitude changes there will always be rip-offs.

mcwhirter

I find that general costs are much higher in the south of britain compared to north, and scotland.

I have lived in southern england, noerthen england and scotland, and general costa are far lower than here(except fuel).

In ireland, the costs seem to be the same no matter where you are, it seems the prices are fixed.

As for buying cars, not many people buy one car for life, every car they buy has had vrt added, plus no one pays car tax in uk that is anywhere near 2000 euros a year.
I like to have a choice in what I can buy, I don't need a government telling me what they think I should buy/afford.

ch750536

mcwhirter wrote: »

I find that general costs are much higher in the south of britain compared to north, and scotland.

There is a much bigger City vs Rural price difference in the UK, rural is very expensive.

mcwhirter wrote: »

As for buying cars, not many people buy one car for life, every car they buy has had vrt added,

Yes but its not an everyday costs, its a oneoff.

mcwhirter wrote: »

plus no one pays car tax in uk that is anywhere near 2000 euros a year.

No-one pays car tax in Ireland anywhere near €2000 a year.
My car is £97 per year less in the UK, nothing in the grand scheme of things. If you can afford a car that falls into the €2k bracket, frankly, what are you moaning for.

foxfordbuild

Where do the UK retailers in Ireland pay their corporation tax ? UK or Ireland

I am sure I have read that Tescos \ Dixons Group and the Debenhams group record substantially larger profits in Ireland compared to their UK stores despite the higher costs incurred here.

mcwhirter

ch750536 wrote: »

There is a much bigger City vs Rural price difference in the UK, rural is very expensive.

Yes but its not an everyday costs, its a oneoff.

No-one pays car tax in Ireland anywhere near €2000 a year.
My car is £97 per year less in the UK, nothing in the grand scheme of things. If you can afford a car that falls into the €2k bracket, frankly, what are you moaning for.

Well sorry to differ, but some people are paying 2000 euros a year.

Band A: cars that produce 0-120g/km CO2 - €100 road tax;
Band B: cars that produce 121g - 140g/km CO2 - €150 road tax;
Band C: cars that produce 141g-155g/km CO2 - €290 road tax;
Band cars that produce 156g-170g/km CO2 - €430 road tax;
Band E: cars that produce 171g-190g/km CO2 - €600 road tax;
Band F: cars that produce 191g-225g/km CO2 - €1,000 road tax;
Band G: cars that produce 226g/km CO2 and over - €2,000 road tax

As I said previously we should be able to choose the vehicle we want. When these large engine cars become older and cheap to buy for the regular person out there, no one will buy them as the car tax is too high.

It is okay when they are new as only the wealthy can afford them but a different matter when they are about 5-10 years old.


How is the vrt a oneoff, it is on every car you buy, every time?

I can't believe you actually agree with the vrt? I am astounded.

ch750536

Source

€2000?

Lets not feed the troll eh

ch750536

mcwhirter wrote: »

How is the vrt a oneoff, it is on every car you buy, every time?

I have never paid VRT in my life, if you have paid loads, well, thanks for paying my share.

Like I say, if you have the cash to blow on a new car and choose to buy one with a huge engine, go for it, you must be loaded.

Rich enough to pay £25 a day in London

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6146442.stm

mcwhirter

ch750536 wrote: »

Source

€2000?

Lets not feed the troll eh

The chart you have listed is for pre 2008 cars, the chart I listed is for 2008 onwards cars which go on C02 rather than engine size.
As for vrt, vrt is included in the new price of a car registered in Ireland and is then reflected in the 2nd hand car price.
If there was no vrt, the 2nd hand price price would therfore be lower. See the 'motor' forum for more on this.

ch750536

mcwhirter wrote: »

The chart you have listed is for pre 2008 cars...

Read between the lines bud. I have never, probably never will either, have the chance to buy a new car.

So, for you to be moaning about the VRT you pay each year, my heart bleeds.

ednwireland

http://www.rip-off.co.uk/

no-one ever happy - the main campaign i've seen is computer software prices been 3 times higher than the US

Head The Wall

ch750536 wrote: »

Read between the lines bud. I have never, probably never will either, have the chance to buy a new car.

So, for you to be moaning about the VRT you pay each year, my heart bleeds.

It's not all about new cars. If you buy a second hand car here it will contain the VRT in the price you pay for it, so unless you have no car, never plan on having one or the one you have is going to keep running till you can't drive anymore you will pay VRT. Fact!!!

Most people don't buy cars for cash from their weeks wages. They either save up or get finance. If thats the case it is an ongoing cost for most but not for all

ch750536

Head The Wall wrote: »

It's not all about new cars. If you buy a second hand car here it will contain the VRT in the price you pay for it, so unless you have no car, never plan on having one or the one you have is going to keep running till you can't drive anymore you will pay VRT. Fact!!!

Most people don't buy cars for cash from their weeks wages. They either save up or get finance. If thats the case it is an ongoing cost for most but not for all

I know how money works thanks. I would be saving for a long long time to buy a new car, more than a year anyway unlike some people.

By the time the car makes it's way down to me in the food chain (I drive a 96 nissan, a big upgrade from my 87 golf) VRT is irrelevant.

Head The Wall

NO matter how you say it even if it's only 20 out of a hundred euros you still pay VRT

ch750536

Head The Wall wrote: »

NO matter how you say it even if it's only 20 out of a hundred euros you still pay VRT

Zackly, irrelevant.

ch750536

Was talking to someone who works for wickes in the UK the other day, management position in store. Was a bit horrified to be honest.

They work for £8.21 per hour (management)?
Are on the rota for 'early' or 'late' shifts, which are both 10hrs plus, they get paid for 7.5 hrs only.
On a monday they have to come in between 9am and 1pm for management meetings unpaid.
At least 3 days a week they do not get their unpaid breaks (1.5 hrs worth) as there is not enough staff.

When I told them to go to the union they said they can't join one, they would get sacked.

Any wonder they are cheaper!

Any staff from wickes Ireland like to comment on their conditions?

lukasbasic

but who cares,
it is not about how much they pay tax, it is how much you can save by going shopping to NI
I don't give a sh**

ch750536

lukasbasic wrote: »

but who cares,
it is not about how much they pay tax, it is how much you can save by going shopping to NI
I don't give a sh**

Love it when the proud and patriotic take a bow.

Close the door behind you next time.

amacachi

ch750536 wrote: »

Love it when the proud and patriotic take a bow.

Close the door behind you next time.

Heh, no problem. I'm as patriotic or unpatriotic as the next person. Gonna go down to the picket lines over the next while and tell everyone to go back to work to keep the country going?

ch750536

eh?

amacachi

ch750536 wrote: »

eh?

Are you saying that people who spend their money in the north and therefore don't contribute to our exchequer are unpatriotic? If so, surely people striking are also unpatriotic, demanding to contribute less to the exchequer?

getz

amacachi wrote: »

Are you saying that people who spend their money in the north and therefore don't contribute to our exchequer are unpatriotic? If so, surely people striking are also unpatriotic, demanding to contribute less to the exchequer?

all of feb i was on holiday in ireland and i couldent understand why the prices in the tesco ireland were higher than tesco in the north or the uk [this was for the same goods]when we came back i asked my son who is a senior manager with tesco why- this is what he told me there is a tesco commitment to buying local goods-fair enought but i still cannot understand why a packet of irish butter is half the price in the uk than in ireland

ch750536

amacachi wrote: »

Are you saying that people who spend their money in the north and therefore don't contribute to our exchequer are unpatriotic? If so, surely people striking are also unpatriotic, demanding to contribute less to the exchequer?

I'm saying that people who spend their money in the north knowing that it will put their friends, colleagues and families out of work and then say 'I don't give a ****' are unpatriotic and frankly I would feel a lot better if they decided to make it a much longer trip next time.

With regards to people striking, it depends on the issue. I don't see why the bankers get bailed out and bonussed off when the people who did no wrong have to pay for it.

For reasons like that I would pick up a pitchfork and walk to Dublin.

I would give a **** too.

amacachi

ch750536 wrote: »

I'm saying that people who spend their money in the north knowing that it will put their friends, colleagues and families out of work and then say 'I don't give a ****' are unpatriotic and frankly I would feel a lot better if they decided to make it a much longer trip next time.

With regards to people striking, it depends on the issue. I don't see why the bankers get bailed out and bonussed off when the people who did no wrong have to pay for it.

For reasons like that I would pick up a pitchfork and walk to Dublin.

I would give a **** too.

What about the issue of trying to feed a family on a low income? Two kids in school and high electricity bills (pity we can't switch to a UK supplier) etc., doesn't leave a huge amount of money to play around with food and toiletries, so you object to that? Shall my family and I just go without toothpaste for a few weeks at a time?
Toiletries are probably the most offensive item when it comes to the price differential, some of them are over double the price down here. And the difference in operating costs in no way can justify such a difference.

parsi

amacachi wrote: »

d high electricity bills (pity we can't switch to a UK supplier).

BBC Watchdog the other night was giing out intensely about high electricity prices in the UK.

amacachi

parsi wrote: »

BBC Watchdog the other night was giing out intensely about high electricity prices in the UK.

Brits sometimes give out about high alcohol and cigarette prices, still cheaper than ours.

ch750536

amacachi wrote: »

What about the issue of trying to feed a family on a low income? Two kids in school and high electricity bills (pity we can't switch to a UK supplier) etc., doesn't leave a huge amount of money to play around with food and toiletries, so you object to that? Shall my family and I just go without toothpaste for a few weeks at a time?
Toiletries are probably the most offensive item when it comes to the price differential, some of them are over double the price down here. And the difference in operating costs in no way can justify such a difference.

even harder when you lose your job, think about us rather than you.