What can you get away with on your expenses?

Now MPs are demanding a ?23,000 lump sum to cover their 'second home' expenses. By making it an unreceipted lump sum we can no longer see what they've spent it on. This seems absurd to me, how can they claim for every journey they make, their rent/mortgage, ?4500 a year for food, Sky TV rental, decoration, window cleaning, gardening... The list is endless. Isn't this what you EARN your wage for?! Could you imagine having to explain these expenses to your boss or having all of your expenses covered for you?

With an average salary in the UK of ?23,700 it seems utterly unthinkable that these ?"eft wing" politicians could summon such a salary. Currently they get (amongst other allowances):

- Annual salary ?61,820
- Second-home allowance ?23,083 (maximum)
- Travel 40p per mile for up to 10,000 miles; 25p after that
- Pension 1/40th of salary
- Resettlement grant up to 100 per cent of final salary, with first ?30,000 tax free

No wonder they tax everything to the hilt as their expenses are covered. Does any MP feel the current pressure experienced by us when they've never paid for a tank of fuel? Travel first class of trains for free? Have an ?86 a week subsidy for their food?

It's a poor state of affairs folks And one I can't see getting any better. Mr Cameron is also an advocate to this dishonest theft from an over-worked, over-taxed police state.

[G]

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

It's a poor state of affairs folks And one I can't see getting any better.

It wont thats why.......

Every forum chat and every real life dicussion is usually about the sorry state of this country now.

It can only ever go down hill in my eyes, unless someone gets ruthless.......again.......

[the_lone_wolf]

resurrect maggie thatcher...




just joking, she was dead the first time

[G]

In answer to your original question.......about +10 miles per journey lol.....at a stupidly small pence per mile so it still doesnt cover the cost of the journey.

[Biker Biggles]

Salery ?62000.There the problem.Look at what comperable jobs command elsewhere and its double or treble that.Hence we fudge it by having a ludicrous expenses system that looks bad and leads to a Prescotian "must claim for everything" mentality.The answer is to pay them the going rate and nothing more.They then live on that.

[Skip]

It is a sorry state of affairs and in answer to your question absolutely nothing here!

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Salery ?62000.There the problem.Look at what comperable jobs command elsewhere and its double or treble that.Hence we fudge it by having a ludicrous expenses system that looks bad and leads to a Prescotian "must claim for everything" mentality.The answer is to pay them the going rate and nothing more.They then live on that.

So THEY claim it's not comparable. But for the crap job they do, in other industries they would have been fired a long time ago. Being an etonian is not a qualification and as such should not command you a position in to old boys club government. I wouldn't trust these guys to hold their own d!cks never mind hold a reasoned debate.

As another figure for you:
There are over 1000 unregulated government quangos
Last year they spent over ?60 billion!

Why do they get a second home allowance at all?

[G]

Originally Posted by Grinch

Why do they get a second home allowance at all?

Because of the time they have to spend between London and their constituency.

However if any other mortal took a job like that, then they knew what they were doing before they took the job....so tough.

If you live in manchester, you dont take a job in london without expecting to have to relocate.

I wish I could get a grant like that, I have to pay extra rent to stay in London and fund my travel up there.