Free food and Coffee for the Gardai in some establishments.

davet82 · 09-10-2012 12:34PM

Boombastic wrote: »

So there is no bother then with giving politicians, judges, develops and county Councillors free stuff either and if there is you're a begrudger

am I getting the hang of this now?

if you own a coffee shop near a courthouse then why not throw in a free cup of coffee for a judge when he is in buying a sandwhich lets say, the other judges will buy their sandwhich there too and everyone is happy

i'm not talking about giving the free TVs but if you are trying to drum up business then why not

Boombastic · 09-10-2012 12:36PM

davet82 wrote: »

if you own a coffee shop near a courthouse then why not throw in a free cup of coffee for a judge when he is in buying a sandwhich lets say, the other judges will buy their sandwhich there too and everyone is happy

i'm not talking about giving the free TVs but if you are trying to drum up business then why not

What if the man in the TV shop shop is trying to drum up business?

davet82 · 09-10-2012 12:36PM

kceire wrote: »

what about insurance companies offering preferential rates to union members such as TUI, Enginers Ireland etc etc

What about the water cooler in your office, should that be treated for BIK?
Where does this begrudergy/pedantry end

thats a good point i know certain brokers than give public sector unions discounts on various types of insurance, its good business sense the same why a free coffee for a guy who is constantly buying stuff in your shop would make him feel valued and return to spend more of his money

davet82 · 09-10-2012 12:39PM

Boombastic wrote: »

What if the man in the TV shop shop is trying to drum up business?

10% discount lets say, he'd probably give the discount anyways if you haggled but if you let people think they are getting a bargin then he spreads the word to colleges or comes back to buy a dvd player

i understand you are trying to say where do we draw the line but i think common sense can be applied to a free cup of coffee as oppossed to getting a free tv

Boombastic · 09-10-2012 12:42PM

davet82 wrote: »

10% discount lets say, he'd probably give the discount anyways if you haggled but if you let people think they are getting a bargin then he spreads the word to colleges or comes back to buy a dvd player

i understand you are trying to say where do we draw the line but i think common sense can be applied to a free cup of coffee as oppossed to getting a free tv

I don't see the difference, they should either be allowed to accept all gifts or none at all

09-10-2012 12:43PM

mathepac wrote: »

In this case there may be a tax consideration if an occupational group is given such discounts; these may be treated by Revenue as benefit-in-kind for taxation purposes, like the van-driver who takes his commercial vehicle home at night, or Guards using State vehicles to facilitate shift changes or taking them home for meal-breaks.

Your posts are like sticking pins in my eyes.

Discounts are an everyday thing, next you will be saying students should be doing a tax return for student discounts. Saying there should be some sort tax consideration for places giving discounts is absolute wankology.

DwightSchrute1 · 09-10-2012 12:43PM

Just wondering Boombastic do you have any problem with other emergency services receiving the same treatment from shops as the Gardaí?

davet82 · 09-10-2012 12:44PM

Boombastic wrote: »

I don't see the difference, they should either be allowed to accept all gifts or none at all

i think a token, like a free cup of coffee, can be applied to regular customers no matter what job they do

i think a cup of coffee being classed as a gift is silly although i do see the point you are making

Boombastic · 09-10-2012 12:50PM

DwightSchrute1 wrote: »

Just wondering Boombastic do you have any problem with other emergency services receiving the same treatment from shops as the Gardaí?

I have an issue with anyone in a position of authority accepting gifts which may affect impartiality. Garda, teachers, developers, judges, county councillors but as this thread is about gardai.....

@ Dave -what figure (cost of the item) should be the cut off point?

Teacher who are (will be) assessing the work of their students instead of the junior cert - will it be ok for them to accept gifts from the childs parents?

DwightSchrute1 · 09-10-2012 12:53PM

and you honestly think a cup of coffee will make a Garda impartial?

mathepac · 09-10-2012 12:56PM

davet82 wrote: »

i think the revenue have better things to be worried about than some taxi driver getting 30% off the price of a burger, well at least they should be!

Strangely enough they don't. I worked in a place (manufacturing facility, 24 x 6 operation) that the Revenue pounced on and wanted to levy BIK on the company subsidised canteen. They wanted to reduce every employee's tax credits by the taxable difference between the actual costs of the meals and the prices we paid in the canteen.

Boombastic · 09-10-2012 12:57PM

DwightSchrute1 wrote: »

and you honestly think a cup of coffee will make a Garda impartial?

It's not just 1 cup of coffee is it though? If the garda was to pay in full for the coffee it would be worth about €600/year to them

How about TV's jewelery, a bit of land, a house? - should the garda accept these because they are offered?

It's also about public perception

mathepac · 09-10-2012 01:03PM

DwightSchrute1 wrote: »

and you honestly think a cup of coffee will make a Garda impartial?

If it were just cups of coffee and stopped there, maybe not, but as I have pointed out from personal first-hand experience it doesn't.

The cops will soon be doing the cap-in-hand rounds of hotels bars and restaurants for their Christmas parties (often held in the Garda stations). They don't buy drink or food for these.

I shared a house with Guards once upon a time and the place would be packed to the rafters come Christmas-time with free booze and food for the station party and personal gifts.

davet82 · 09-10-2012 01:04PM

Boombastic wrote: »

@ Dave -what figure (cost of the item) should be the cut off point?

com'on a cup of coffee is a pretty shít 'gift' :pac:

i think common sense should be applied to any complaint made.

davet82 · 09-10-2012 01:06PM

mathepac wrote: »

Strangely enough they don't. I worked in a place (manufacturing facility, 24 x 6 operation) that the Revenue pounced on and wanted to levy BIK on the company subsidised canteen. They wanted to reduce every employee's tax credits by the taxable difference between the actual costs of the meals and the prices we paid in the canteen.

i think thats ridiculous when they have bigger fish to fry

Fishooks12 · 09-10-2012 01:07PM

MidlandsM wrote: »

...and yes, it's the establishments choice to award food and/or drinks to a member of the Gardai but my question is, should a member of the Gardai accept such like?

I was in a very busy Topaz filling station where I always see lots of member of the force having their "break" the other day. There was a long Queue waiting to pay for stuff at the tills, which I was in. I know the girl at one of the tills and I noted a discreet exchange between her and a Garda who just got a coffee and some sort of snack.....she said "you're grand,no charge" ....and he just said "thanks" .......lots of people noted the Freebie, and lots of eye's rolled to heaven....

Personally I think he should insist on paying for it.....it look like a "Stroke" Freebie to me......

what do you think?

You're more than likely a coward. Sitting behind your computer bitching about people who put themselves in harms way for ****e pay

I hate people like you

DwightSchrute1 · 09-10-2012 01:08PM

Boombastic wrote: »

It's not just 1 cup of coffee is it though? If the garda was to pay in full for the coffee it would be worth about €600/year to them

How about TV's jewelery, a bit of land, a house? - should the garda accept these because they are offered?

It's also about public perception

As you said yourself, this thread is about Gardaí receiving free food and coffee. i very much doubt that the majority of the public would perceive a Garda who may get a cheap cup of coffee as being in the same league as a Garda receiving a bit of land or a house

ceegee · 09-10-2012 01:12PM

If I had a late night shop/garage I'd offer free tea to gardai and taxi drivers. Handy to have a few sober people who know the staff knocking about the place at 3am if some pissheads start trying to cause hassle.

Companies like to be seen to support police/fire/ambulance in all countries, its good for public image.
The WWE give free tickets to members of the armed forces in the US. By some peoples logic in this thread this amounts to a backhander to stop them invading the royal rumble

SniperSight · 09-10-2012 01:18PM

We always give Gardai cofee/tea at a special price. Two main reasons for this...

We know the amount of sh*t they have to put up with and its simply a thank you....you know, we appreciate what ye do!!

Its a handy deterent to scumbags to see Guarda cars in and out of the place, the coffee costs nothing basically to make, better for us to give the special price than to loose out on stolen stock.

MLC61 · 09-10-2012 01:27PM

fishy fishy wrote: »

garda, taxi-drivers, emergency staff - they all get freebies in supermarkets - they always get free coffee in various supermarkets and take-aways. its because they are out doing a job that they get no thanks for, just abuse.

Why not give them free coffees.

Did you not know that taxi-drivers/emergency staff get them also, or did you just want to highlight gardai getting them.

Ignoring the debate on the rights and wrongs of Gardai and emergency services staff getting free coffee and snacks, why would Taxi drivers get free stuff?

mathepac · 09-10-2012 01:31PM

davet82 wrote: »

i think thats ridiculous when they have bigger fish to fry

Well write to the Revenue about it then. Meanwhile, the salesmen attached to that company were filling the gluttons in Revenue, Finance, Health etc with free food and drink, days at golf, days at the races, week-ends at the rugby, etc as part of their "relationship management" obligations.

mathepac · 09-10-2012 01:34PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

You're more than likely a coward. Sitting behind your computer bitching about people ...

I hate people like you

Yeah, when the cap fits bud, you wear it.

_feedback_ · 09-10-2012 01:34PM

MLC61 wrote: »

Ignoring the debate on the rights and wrongs of Gardai and emergency services staff getting free coffee and snacks, why would Taxi drivers get free stuff?

In a petrol station I'd imagine it is for the same reason. They are regular customers.

MidlandsM · 09-10-2012 01:34PM

davet82 wrote: »

com'on a cup of coffee is a pretty shít 'gift' :pac:

i think common sense should be applied to any complaint made.

As a garda, so how would free coffee and snacks for life @ €2.50 a pop, be a sh1t gift??

Feeona · 09-10-2012 01:37PM

MidlandsM wrote: »

As a garda, so how would free coffee and snacks for life @ €2.50 a pop, be a sh1t gift??

The Garda in line in front of you told you he gets free coffee and snacks at 2.50 a go for life?

davet82 · 09-10-2012 02:27PM

mathepac wrote: »

Well write to the Revenue about it then. Meanwhile, the salesmen attached to that company were filling the gluttons in Revenue, Finance, Health etc with free food and drink, days at golf, days at the races, week-ends at the rugby, etc as part of their "relationship management" obligations.

i think its you who needed to write the letter :rolleyes:

Boombastic · 09-10-2012 02:29PM

1 cup of coffee might be seen as a sh1t gift, but over time it all adds up, along with all the other perks, free in to night clubs

The court heard that a group of up to 15 gardai from Dublin arrived in Galway for a Christmas party and were given free admission to the club.

These are just the gifts that are made public. All those justify why they give gives to the Gardai because they feel safer etc. this flies completely in the face of the code of ethics which the Gardai subscribe to.

Feeona · 09-10-2012 02:38PM

Boombastic wrote: »

1 cup of coffee might be seen as a sh1t gift, but over time it all adds up, along with all the other perks, free in to night clubs

The court heard that a group of up to 15 gardai from Dublin arrived in Galway for a Christmas party and were given free admission to the club.

These are just the gifts that are made public. All those justify why they give gives to the Gardai because they feel safer etc. this flies completely in the face of the code of ethics which the Gardai subscribe to.

Can you not see how mean and petty it is to complain about one garda getting a free cup of coffee which he tried to pay for? If I so wished, I could complain about the tax breaks private companies get, and as such the bonuses, perks and nights out enjoyed by people working for those companies.

But I don't because I understand (like most of the people in this thread) that a few simple perks keep the machine running, and it's all a definitive part of social grace too.

Boombastic · 09-10-2012 02:40PM

Feeona wrote: »

Can you not see how mean and petty it is to complain about one garda getting a free cup of coffee which he tried to pay for? If I so wished, I could complain about the tax breaks private companies get, and as such the bonuses, perks and nights out enjoyed by people working for those companies.

But I don't because I understand (like most of the people in this thread) that a few simple perks keep the machine running, and it's all a definitive part of social grace too.

It's not about 1 Garda getting 1 free cup of coffee:rolleyes:

Why do they need perks to keep the machine running? It is their job

Feeona · 09-10-2012 02:44PM

Boombastic wrote: »

It's not about 1 Garda getting 1 free cup of coffee:rolleyes:

Why do they need perks to keep the machine running? It is their job

This thread was started because a garda got a free cup of coffee. Why do private company employees need perks to do their jobs?

Free food and Coffee for the Gardai in some establishments.

Comments