Are you aware of this, Londoners?

[Dragon]

£33 to fund the Olympics.

The 2012 Olympic martyrs: 'We'll go to jail rather than pay £33 Games tax', say pensioners

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ell-jail-pay-33-Games-tax-say-pensioners.html

 

[Londonscottish]

Yeah it's a bit rich. London already pays significant subsidises to the rest of the UK. I'm not sure on what basis London should subsidise a national sporting event.

(I'm just being a Victor Meldrew because I'm not that interested. I accidentally watched a few minutes of it on TV and I found the blanket newpaper coverage very dull).

Hrumph

 

[hitenhirani]

Isn't Counil Tax suppsoed to be based around the services you receive in your borough, i.e. street cleaning, refuse collection, recycling, Emergency Services, etc.?
If so, why should we have to pay for the London Olympic's? What 'service' is being provided to house, or the people living within the property?

 

[st4]

If Carsberg made Londoners they'd be it.

Honestly, having to pay a tax for your tele to have boring athletics on it, and subsidise one of Nu-Labours biggest wasteful projects. I don't blame them and I hope more do the same.

 

[Ade B]

Moan groan moan

Its not even half a tank of petrol...

At least we know where its meant to be going


Ade (looking forward to the olympics)

 

[st4]

Moan groan moan

Its not even half a tank of petrol...

At least we know where its meant to be going


Ade (looking forward to the olympics)

Its the principle of the matter.

 

[Londonscottish]

Isn't Counil Tax suppsoed to be based around the services you receive in your borough, i.e. street cleaning, refuse collection, recycling, Emergency Services, etc.?
If so, why should we have to pay for the London Olympic's? What 'service' is being provided to house, or the people living within the property?

Yep that's what council tax is for. Local service. In what way does this constitute (a) a service for me and (b) something local?

 

[Ade B]

Its the principle of the matter.

which is exactly?

 

[Londonscottish]

Moan groan moan

Its not even half a tank of petrol...

At least we know where its meant to be going


Ade (looking forward to the olympics)

I did admit bias - if they were creating a London street circuit for something I am interested like F1 then I might turn a blind eye. It would still be wrong (WHY LONDONERS?) but less less likely to irritate me.

 

[Mudster]

I can't complain, I'm supplying a lot of limestone tiles and granite counter tops to buildings in and around Stratford all going up for the games (upwards of 600 dwellings currently through one of my contractor customers).

It's good for the economy, I just think London was a dumb choice when there are so many more suitable plces in the UK for the event.......but then they aren't "London" are they......

 

[Londonscottish]

which is exactly?

The principal as pointed out above is that council tax is supposed to be for local services - ie, bins, streetlighting, whatever.

Not for hopping skipping and jumping. In E17 or wherever

 

[Ade B]

Perhaps the question requires refining.

Are the olympics provided by the state or is there a significant chunk of private sponsorship?


Ade

 

[Londonscottish]

Perhaps the question requires refining.

Are the olympics provided by the state or is there a significant chunk of private sponsorship?


Ade

Ah now this is a good question. Firstly different countries have spent vastly different amounts on the games. Secondly the split between public and private funding has been vastly different. Thirdly some left behing a very useful legacy (Barcelona is the best exapmple) Other haven't (Greece....).

In Montreal in 70's the state paid in full I blieve and it was an unmitigated financial disaster. The state (ie national tax payers) took something like 30 years to clear the debt. The only paid it off three of four years ago. Greece has generated a vast national debt too - it too will take decades to clear. And most of the infrastructure left behind is junk.

LA ran at a profit as did the other recent-ish US one - Miami? Florida? I can't recall as I was asleep on the sofa that three weeks.

Anyway. LA showed how to do it. Re-use a lot of stuff you already have. Sponsor it to the hilt. Move on.

Here we seem less keen on the sponsorship thing and the poor taxpayer will get hit. I'll get hit twice; once in central govt tax, and once council tax.

Besides all that I still think it's not fair to overtax Londoners on this one. Was Wembly paid for by Londoners? Nope. So why should the Olympics be?

 

[Londonscottish]

I can't complain, I'm supplying a lot of limestone tiles and granite counter tops to buildings in and around Stratford all going up for the games (upwards of 600 dwellings currently through one of my contractor customers).

It's good for the economy, I just think London was a dumb choice when there are so many more suitable plces in the UK for the event.......but then they aren't "London" are they......

It's good to hear some good news and that someone on the forum is benefiting directly.

Re other venues I've no idea where would have better that London. What were the other choices?

 

[e55]

I really am looking forward to the Olympics.........

More congestion on the Tubes and trains. The transport system barely copes with a normal working day in Central London. What is it going to be like with a few hundred thousand extra people? Heathrow.........they cant even run it properly now without major problems.

I can see some tube union will probably strike to get what they want around the Olympics as well.

Sorry but Great Britain used to run an empire now....... they cant even run an airport or transport system

Sorry just my rant!!!

 

[oldcro]

London is getting Millions/billions of pounds worth of sporting facilities and accommodation. At £33 it sounds like a great bargain every Londoner should be happy to pay.

 

[Howard]

Are you serious ?

Ten years down the line , the Olympic stadiums and village will be just as vandalised and in as poor repair as the rest of the area they are sited in , because once the Olympics are over , no one is going to fork out millions every year to maintain them.

Sorry .

 

[crammy69]

Well I resent paying it, its yet another example of the government deciding how to spent our money without consultation, on things that make it look good. Its appalling that childrens hospices have to get the begging bowl out to provide an essential service, whilst the 'powers that be' waste money on non essentials such as the olympics.

Rant over.

 

[Londonscottish]

London is getting Millions/billions of pounds worth of sporting facilities and accommodation. At £33 it sounds like a great bargain every Londoner should be happy to pay.

Well I guess the question is; what exactly will be left over and what will it be used for? I haven't seen any detail on this. All I've see is Sebastian Coe gurning at cameras and waving union jacks. Then refusing to hand over one of the new stadia to a football club who WANTS to pay for on the basis that "it must have a running track round it". What utter b***cks. Millions of people watch football every week unlike track sports. Get real Mr Coe.

I've seen at first hand the decaying buildings in Athens and it is shocking. I think all that Athens ended up with that was any use an extension to the public transport system and a few new roads.

After the debacle of the Dome here I am naturally sceptical.

Ask me for £33 for something that I KNOW will benefit London (I along with 10 million other Londoners have been waiting two decades for Crossrail for example) and I wouldn't mind.

As far as the Olympics go I have no idea how much leagacy we'll get for our £10bn. I'll be pleasantly surprised if there is a lot of useful and lasting regeneration. Until then though I am not happy at the prospect of slinging more cash at it.

 

[st4]

Why should the state fund the Olympics, did they fund any of the euro 96 for instance or even would they fund any other football event, which would be far more popular.