The BBC and The Telegraph both spouting bollocks about council tax.

by | Mar 9, 2011 | Economic Intrigue, Just plain weird, Laugh? I pissed myself, Please fuck off., Politics, Sloppy Reporting, Strange Thoughts, UK Misery, Well I never.

I can think of four possible alternatives for the following stories being written : –

1, They are short of news to fill their pages (the sheeple are obviously not allowed to read too much about the various riots in the world of course).

2, They are mathematically challenged and believe what they are writing.

3, They are taking the piss.

4, They are copied straight from government press releases by hacks who couldn’t care less.

Exhibit A – The BBC.

Their main news pages carries the following item link :

Whilst the business page has this one :

Falling taxes in the UK? Surely not?

Clicking through gives this pitiful excuse for a story:

Average council tax bills for homes in England will fall slightly this year, a survey suggests.

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy found the average Band D household would pay £1,438.87 – down 35p on the 2010 level.

The government has supplied £650m to allow local authorities to ensure a council tax freeze.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said “real help now to assist with the cost of living” was being provided.

Real help with the cost of living Eric?

Do you really mean that?

He must think we are all as thick as pigshit.

Thirty five fucking pence – you can’t even buy a fucking Mars Bar for 35 pence!

Exhibit B – The Telegraph

An article from this mornings print edition (online here) which had my blood pressure up before I got past the front page (emphasis mine):

As a result of inflation, families in a Band D property, who paid £1,439 last year, will be better off by around £72, or just under £300 if the freeze continues as planned until 2015.

In a victory for the Government, every local authority in England is expected to give in to pressure not to put up bills, even though they will see their funding fall by an average of 5.5 per cent next year.

Instead, and despite calls by ministers to protect frontline services, cuts will be made in areas ranging from libraries to leisure centres and back room staff.

While the Government does not have the power to impose a council tax freeze on local authorities, George Osborne, the Chancellor, used last October’s Comprehensive Spending Review to formulate a heavy incentive for them to comply.

Councils were invited to share in a £650 million grant pot, which ministers said would be sufficient to ensure that they froze bills, and would only be available to those which agreed.

The claim of being better off coming from the same school of thought which tells you how much money you have just “saved” when buying an item in the sales.

How this cockwaffling journo can possibly describe something remaining at the same price to be a saving is beyond satire.

For most people who are actually employed in the real (private sector) world rather than simply relaxing in the feather bedded state benefit nest, wages are falling when our hideous inflation levels are taken into account (and personally speaking,  I am into the second year of no increase and it is starting to get painful).

I think this article has to be reason number 4 in the list above because I cannot believe any sensible person would actually have the balls to write that and stick their name and picture next to it :

Wanted for peddling cockwaffle and utter tripe.

Time for a stiff drink and some calming thoughts before I blow a gasket.

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