car tax & healthcare up north

donegal_road

last night I was talking with a woman I know from Tyrone, she told me her road tax for the year is £20. My road tax here is over €600 for the year.

She also told me that her monthly perscription from the pharmacy is free because a few years ago, the government decided to introduce universal healthcare. They did this because people who couldn't afford drugs were getting sick and over-crowding the hospitals.

Basic intelligence from the government in the UK

Hardonraging

you do understand the difference between northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland right ? I know you're from donegal and prob a bit slow, but ... come on chief !!

Valetta

Was she an old wife?

girl2

Who is this Tyrone woman?

phasers

If you love Northern Ireland so much why don't you marry it!?

westies4ever

the £20 refers to band b cars - pretty much brand new cars with ultra low emmissions - its not all cars; and as for the NHS - i've experienced it and it ain't all that.

Ghandee

Hardonraging wrote: »

you do understand the difference between northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland right ? I know you're from donegal and prob a bit slow, but ... come on chief !!

One charges domestic rates (equiv to property tax) which comes with a multitude of services attached to it, ie refuse collection/education/vastly reduced motor Tax (no tolls)/ fee health care for all, with minimum prescription fees (think it's £4 average) no metered water etc etc.

The other wants to introduce a property Tax next year, while still making us pay separately for the above listed services, offering no new ones, nor promising yo improve any of our existing ones. (which are already below par to the ones in the north that are either free/or considerably cheaper.

Come on chief. It's eye opening time.

Ghandee

westies4ever wrote: »

the £20 refers to band b cars - pretty much brand new cars with ultra low emmissions - its not all cars; and as for the NHS - i've experenced it and it ain't all that.

It's much superior (imo) to the hse.

Also, nhs consultants don't tend to put private patients first, while using the nhs equipment and facilities to do so.

Hardonraging

Ghandee wrote: »

One charges domestic rates (equiv to property tax) which comes with a multitude of services attached to it, ie refuse collection/education/vastly reduced motor Tax (no tolls)/ fee health care for all, with minimum prescription fees (think it's £4 average) no metered water etc etc.

The other wants to introduce a property Tax next year, while still making us pay separately for the above listed services, offering no new ones, nor promising yo improve any of our existing ones. (which are already below par to the ones in the north that are either free/or considerably cheaper.

Come on chief. It's eye opening time.

Me hole, The north has the uk backing them, we have FG ....and a bunch of whining cúnt's who complain about being taxed about everything, but want the best of services ..

And yes I do appreciate that we see a lot of waste here in the REP, and that there's a better way to do things .. but my point in general is that the North has better services thanks to the UK..

westies4ever

Ghandee wrote: »

It's much superior (imo) to the hse.

Also, nhs consultants don't tend to put private patients first, while using the nhs equipment and facilities to do so.

i've experienced both and i'll take the hse thanks; people also forget that there are lower wages and higher taxes in the uk;

sick of people bashing ireland and sayng how much better the uk is - go and live there if you think so. born and rared there and wouldnt go back for anything.

Ghandee

westies4ever wrote: »

i've experienced both and i'll take the hse thanks; people also forget that there are lower wages and higher taxes in the uk;

sick of people bashing ireland and sayng how much better the uk is - go and live there if you think so. born and rared there and wouldnt go back for anything.

You're entitled to your opinion.

However, there's not that much in the wages between here and there anymore.
What taxes are higher? Income tax is a bit higher, not much else is.

Ziegfeldgirl27

If your car has E600 road tax it must be because it produces way more emissions. My car is £20 for the year as well, but it's a new car and it's diesel. My fathers petrol car is almost £300 per year.

westies4ever

Ghandee wrote: »

You're entitled to your opinion.

However, there's not that much in the wages between here and there anymore.
What taxes are higher? Income tax is a bit higher, not much else is.

wages in in northern ireland are lower than the rest of the uk and still lower than here.

rates are expensive - my parents pay £700 per year - the only tangible benefit is bin collections.

income tax is still higher and fuel is more expensive than here at the minute, groceries, cigarettes, alcohol etc are on a par.

I note that vat is cheaper in the uk - and yet the cost of living is pretty similar.

girl2

westies4ever wrote: »

wages in in northern ireland are lower than the rest of the uk and still lower than here.

rates are expensive - my parents pay £700 per year - the only tangible benefit is bin collections.

income tax is still higher and fuel is more expensive than here at the minute, groceries, cigarettes, alcohol etc are on a par.

I note that vat is cheaper in the uk - and yet the cost of living is pretty similar.

I have to agree with all of this, I must say.

donegal_road

Hardonraging wrote: »

Me hole, The north has the uk backing them, we have FG ....and a bunch of whining cúnt's who complain about being taxed about everything, but want the best of services ..

And yes I do appreciate that we see a lot of waste here in the REP, and that there's a better way to do things .. but my point in general is that the North has better services thanks to the UK..

that was more or less what I was trying to say before you took a swipe in post #2

Celly Smunt

you and northern Ireland should get a room.

3GAINSBOROUGH

I live in North Dublin and use an NHS dentist and GP in Newry.
I find the standard of NHS Dentists and Doctors in the North to be far superior than the HSE in the Republic.
I had laser eye surgery in Belfast as it was 1000 Euro cheaper than having it done in Dublin by the same company.
On a shopping trip to Newry, I bought a new laptop, phone, digital camera, and the total savings were 250 Euro on Argos.ie/uk prices.
The thing is when you are within 1 hours drive of the border, you are better to avail of all the North has to offer.
Car tax is another story, I am limited to driving a 2.0 litre car here due to the heavy road tax. In the North I would be driving a 3.2 litre diesel.
The only good thing about the Republic is the dole is better!

westies4ever

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

I live in North Dublin and use an NHS dentist and GP in Newry.
I find the standard of NHS Dentists and Doctors in the North to be far superior than the HSE in the Republic.
I had laser eye surgery in Belfast as it was 1000 Euro cheaper than having it done in Dublin by the same company.
On a shopping trip to Newry, I bought a new laptop, phone, digital camera, and the total savings were 250 Euro on Argos.ie/uk prices.
The thing is when you are within 1 hours drive of the border, you are better to avail of all the North has to offer.
Car tax is another story, I am limited to driving a 2.0 litre car here due to the heavy road tax. In the North I would be driving a 3.2 litre diesel.
The only good thing about the Republic is the dole is better!

so why dont you just move there? its not as if you're making much of a contribution to irelands economy by the looks of it anyway.

i buy irish goods and do my shopping here on principal.

woodoo

Hardonraging wrote: »

you do understand the difference between northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland right ? I know you're from donegal and prob a bit slow, but ... come on chief !!

Banned

He is dead right though we are being screwed in this banana republic.

L1011

donegal_road wrote: »

last night I was talking with a woman I know from Tyrone, she told me her road tax for the year is £20. My road tax here is over €600 for the year.

She also told me that her monthly perscription from the pharmacy is free because a few years ago, the government decided to introduce universal healthcare. They did this because people who couldn't afford drugs were getting sick and over-crowding the hospitals.

Basic intelligence from the government in the UK

Said woman you know will also be paying fairly significant council tax, water charges, much higher social insurance, higher income tax, higher taxes on motor fuel; oh and the NI govt. relies on massive subsidies from the UK so it doesn't actually have to balance the books either.

Ghandee

MYOB wrote: »

Said woman you know will also be paying fairly significant council tax,

Which provides the following services.

Rates fund public services in Northern Ireland, both regional and local. Your rate bill is made up of two parts, the regional rate and the district rate.
Regional rate

The regional rate is set annually by the Northern Ireland Executive and is applied to each district council area in Northern Ireland. This pays for such services as:

education
emergency services
health
housing
roads
water and sewerage

Although a contribution is made by all ratepayers towards public services, there is no specific proportion that can be linked to the availability or usage of any particular public service.
District rate

The district rate is set annually by each of the district councils in Northern Ireland, and is used to fund services such as:

arts, events and recreation
building control
community centres
environmental health
leisure facilities
tourism
waste management

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/property-and-housing/rates/your-rate-bill/what-do-rates-pay-for.htm

Bargain if you ask me. Education fees/book fees alone would be worth it. (Free healthcare too you'll notice)

MYOB wrote: »

water charges,

No they don't

MYOB wrote: »

much higher social insurance,higher income tax

Minimal differnce tbh between National Insurance and our PRSI,
How are the lads up north getting on with the USC though?
Lower VAT too?

MYOB wrote: »

higher taxes on motor fuel;

I'll give you that one.

MYOB wrote: »

oh and the NI govt. relies on massive subsidies from the UK so it doesn't actually have to balance the books either.

3GAINSBOROUGH

westies4ever wrote: »

so why dont you just move there? its not as if you're making much of a contribution to irelands economy by the looks of it anyway.

i buy irish goods and do my shopping here on principal.

Not making much of a contribution?
Where do you think I pay my rent?
Buy my food?
Pay my car insurance?
Buy my petrol?
I worked full time from age 21 to 35.
I have contributed plenty to our economy in the 14 years I worked.

L1011

Ghandee wrote: »

Which provides the following services.

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/property-and-housing/rates/your-rate-bill/what-do-rates-pay-for.htm

Bargain if you ask me. Education fees/book fees alone would be worth it. (Free healthcare too you'll notice)

Its already clear they get more services - my point is that they pay A LOT more for the pleasure, as well as being reliant on handouts from Britain.

Ghandee wrote: »

water charges,

Ah yes, I forgot, they still notionally bill customers but the govt pays the bills to NI Water. From GB's money. They'll be paying them before we are though.

Ghandee wrote: »

Minimal differnce tbh between National Insurance and our PRSI,
How are the lads up north getting on with the USC though?

National insurance is still a good 2-3% above the combined PRSI and USC. Rates are higher, kicks in a lot earlier.

Ghandee wrote: »

The tax generated in NI is a fraction of the moneys spent in NI. If the Assembly had to live within the tax take, they'd need an austerity plan that makes ours look like a holiday. NI is completely reliant on GB support.

Alias G

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

I live in North Dublin and use an NHS dentist and GP in Newry.
I find the standard of NHS Dentists and Doctors in the North to be far superior than the HSE in the Republic.
I had laser eye surgery in Belfast as it was 1000 Euro cheaper than having it done in Dublin by the same company.
On a shopping trip to Newry, I bought a new laptop, phone, digital camera, and the total savings were 250 Euro on Argos.ie/uk prices.
The thing is when you are within 1 hours drive of the border, you are better to avail of all the North has to offer.
Car tax is another story, I am limited to driving a 2.0 litre car here due to the heavy road tax. In the North I would be driving a 3.2 litre diesel.
The only good thing about the Republic is the dole is better!

My advice would be go and live there as well. Your not much for contributing to the local economy anyway by the sounds of it, ergo you won't be missed much.

fasttalkerchat

£20 tax is for a fairly new clio/peugeot... normally people pay £120.

Anything health related is free except some people pay for dentist.

girl2

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

£20 tax is for a fairly new clio/peugeot... normally people pay £120.

Anything health related is free except some people pay for dentist.

By "some people" you mean the normal everyday working individual or those who fall outside the bracket of income support, job seekers allowance, pension or sick. And even in some of those cases, people from here have also to pay for it.

In terms of health related, yes all GP appts are free, all prescriptions are free and you can then go on lengthy waiting lists if you need further treatment etc. or you can opt to pay for private medical insurance. I personally don't agree with the free prescriptions, if people are able to work, they should be able to pay the price of a prescription, all of £6 that it was - and the govt should be putting this prescription money into the hospitals and the likes that need it.

Just my tuppence worth.

ancapailldorcha

I'm with girl2 on the prescriptions and I find the NHS to be an excellent service. I've met noone here who's bothered with private health insurance compared to back home where it's afforded the same level of priority as food.

K-9

Ghandee wrote: »

One charges domestic rates (equiv to property tax) which comes with a multitude of services attached to it, ie refuse collection/education/vastly reduced motor Tax (no tolls)/ fee health care for all, with minimum prescription fees (think it's £4 average) no metered water etc etc.

The other wants to introduce a property Tax next year, while still making us pay separately for the above listed services, offering no new ones, nor promising yo improve any of our existing ones. (which are already below par to the ones in the north that are either free/or considerably cheaper.

Come on chief. It's eye opening time.

Rates do not cover education or health, what makes you think they do?

Ghandee

K-9 wrote: »

Rates do not cover education or health, what makes you think they do?

Apart from outlining it on the website you mean?

what do rates pay for?

Rates fund public services in Northern Ireland, both regional and local. Your rate bill is made up of two parts, the regional rate and the district rate. Regional rate

The regional rate is set annually by the Northern Ireland Executive and is applied to each district council area in Northern Ireland. This pays for such services as:

education emergency services health housing roads water and sewerage

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/property-and-housing/rates/your-rate-bill/what-do-rates-pay-for.htm

K-9

Ghandee wrote: »

Apart from outlining it on the website you mean?



http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/property-and-housing/rates/your-rate-bill/what-do-rates-pay-for.htm

Odd given the subsidies they get from the UK.

It really is a shame Ireland reduced taxes to such a level from 87-07. People expected Northern Government services for no local Government tax, less Income tax and less Social Insurance, pampered really compared to the North.

petersburg2002

Was watching a piece on BBC news about the US Presidential election last night. A guy who had no health insurance was left with hospital bills totalling $150,000 after having a heart attack and prostate cancer. So we have it easy here.

fasttalkerchat

girl2 wrote: »

By "some people" you mean the normal everyday working individual or those who fall outside the bracket of income support, job seekers allowance, pension or sick. And even in some of those cases, people from here have also to pay for it.

In terms of health related, yes all GP appts are free, all prescriptions are free and you can then go on lengthy waiting lists if you need further treatment etc. or you can opt to pay for private medical insurance. I personally don't agree with the free prescriptions, if people are able to work, they should be able to pay the price of a prescription, all of £6 that it was - and the govt should be putting this prescription money into the hospitals and the likes that need it.

Just my tuppence worth.

The dentist part isn't perfect but you still get a lot more than down south.

Also, do kids get free dental and ortodontal treatment in the south?

Ghandee

K-9 wrote: »

Odd given the subsidies they get from the UK.

It really is a shame Ireland reduced taxes to such a level from 87-07. People expected Northern Government services for no local Government tax, less Income tax and less Social Insurance, pampered really compared to the North.

Still though.

The fact remains they do get a lot of services for their version of a property tax.

The UK, bar water charges get the same.

Why the reluctance by our govt to offer services that could be tied to charges?

K-9

Ghandee wrote: »

Still though.

The fact remains they do get a lot of services for their version of a property tax.

The UK, bar water charges get the same.

Why the reluctance by our govt to offer services that could be tied to charges?

Well you are getting your local council services, I know people give out but its really businesses that fund them now that the Local Authority fund is gone. I think it's unrealistic to expect extra services given the state of the deficit but that's me, Councils are under pressure to cut budgets, not increase them.

If we hadn't cut direct taxes so low we wouldn't need social charges and rates to plug deficits.

bilston

MYOB wrote: »

Said woman you know will also be paying fairly significant council tax, water charges, much higher social insurance, higher income tax, higher taxes on motor fuel; oh and the NI govt. relies on massive subsidies from the UK so it doesn't actually have to balance the books either.

No council tax or water charges in NI. It all comes under the one tax called Rates.

L1011

bilston wrote: »

No council tax or water charges in NI. It all comes under the one tax called Rates.

No, water is not covered under their rates anymore.

NI has water charges which, for this year, are being paid by the DRD. As in NI Water will generate bills and the DRD will settle them. Next year, unless their government chickens out again (SF know that introducing water charges up there will chronically damage them down here) the customers will be paying.

girl2

MYOB wrote: »

No, water is not covered under their rates anymore.

NI has water charges which, for this year, are being paid by the DRD. As in NI Water will generate bills and the DRD will settle them. Next year, unless their government chickens out again (SF know that introducing water charges up there will chronically damage them down here) the customers will be paying.

Commercial premises pay water charges in the north at the minute though.

dvpower

Ghandee wrote: »

The fact remains they do get a lot of services for their version of a property tax.

Bit rich coming from someone who has publicly stated an intention to evade the property tax when it comes in.

donegal_road

petersburg2002 wrote: »

Was watching a piece on BBC news about the US Presidential election last night. A guy who had no health insurance was left with hospital bills totalling $150,000 after having a heart attack and prostate cancer. So we have it easy here.

the Michael Moore documentary 'Sicko' is well worth a watch

fasttalkerchat

petersburg2002 wrote: »

Was watching a piece on BBC news about the US Presidential election last night. A guy who had no health insurance was left with hospital bills totalling $150,000 after having a heart attack and prostate cancer. So we have it easy here.

I Connolly Hospital chasing me up for ages for money after emergency treatment despite me giving my address as county Armagh.
Every time I called they said that I had to pay.
Eventually I got through to someone who apologised and said it was a mistake and I was covered under the "reciprocal agreement".
Healthcare in the USA is 3rd world standard unless you're rich and we shouldn't benchmark against them.

ancapailldorcha

Let's hope Enda doesn't start using that as excuse to let things slide: "Ah sure, we're still better off than the yanks".

Ghandee

dvpower wrote: »

Bit rich coming from someone who has publicly stated an intention to evade the property tax when it comes in.

Please, please for the love of God.

List the services we will get with our 'property tax'

Then, list the services provided in the north.

Btw, I'll not 'evade' it.

dvpower

Ghandee wrote: »

Btw, I'll not 'evade' it.

So you'll pay it so?
Or will you construct some fantasy where evasion becomes something else?

Ghandee

dvpower wrote: »

So you'll pay it so?
Or will you construct some fantasy where evasion becomes something else?

Please list services v services in the north.

Come back to me when you do.

We'll discuss it further then. .;)

dvpower

Ghandee wrote: »

Please list services v services in the north.

Come back to me when you do.

We'll discuss it further then. .;)

I can't imagine how you could possibly justify tax evasion in this country, no matter how much greener you think the grass is an another country.

Ghandee

dvpower wrote: »

I can't imagine how you could possibly justify tax evasion in this country, no matter how much greener you think the grass is an another country.

Please, list the services the property tax in this country will provide.

Last time I'll ask, or discussion over.

dvpower

Ghandee wrote: »

Please, list the services the property tax in this country will provide.

Last time I'll ask, or discussion over.

I'm sure you can find your way to the website of your own local council yourself.

http://www.dublincity.ie/Pages/servicespage.aspx

stoneill

The NHS can sing and dance at the olympics - can the HSE do that?

Yeah - so there!

dvpower

stoneill wrote: »

The NHS can sing and dance at the olympics - can the HSE do that?

Yeah - so there!

You've never been to Coppers?

gallag

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

Not making much of a contribution?
Where do you think I pay my rent?
Buy my food?
Pay my car insurance?
Buy my petrol?
I worked full time from age 21 to 35.
I have contributed plenty to our economy in the 14 years I worked.

Did you not say you got benefits for rent in the thread where you talk about illegally occupying a house and stealing electric, not to be confused with the thread where you are justifying the dissidents murder of a prison officer.

closing_bell

lots of ways of looking at both jurisdictions

the old age pension in the north is 102 pound per week and 170 pound for a couple on the state pension

here its 230 and 460 euro for a couple ( 219 + 438 for those on the non contributory )

dole is also lower in the north