Howick

Those of you familiar with Peter Bills- of The Independent, a rugby writer, wrote an article several months ago about the cost of living, or, more specifically, the cost of being a tourist in NZ……has now had a pop about the cost of living in the UK.

Here’s the link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/ne...ectid=10725843

He was scathing of NZ, in particular, the service industry & what bars & restaurants were charging currently & then extrapolated these costs out of the Rugby World Cup & came to the (accurate) conclusion that those who are planning on charging like wounded bulls during RWC will do irreparable damage to the tourism industry here in NZ. It also triggered significant opinion & almost without exception, kiwis who had returned to NZ after living overseas (such as Justin Marshall), were staggered with how much costs had risen. I thought it was a brave & timely article & subsequently listened to him on the radio justifying his comments- he is a rugby man first, but was on the money with how much more expensive NZ had become & the long term damage this was doing, all for short term gain.

Anyhoooo, he’s turned his sights on the UK. I write this piece because we see a few expats longing for the prices of the UK. Well, apparently, it’s getting worse in the UK, too. One example, which I don’t even think NZ could match is a 500% increase in council tax in just a few years.

Assanah

Food prices in Germany rose up to 43% last year and it was announced that the times of cheap food prices are finally over. I don't want to think about energy or gasoline prices :-(
But Berlin is still a cheap tourist destination. However, in terms of numbers of visitors per year it comes right behind Paris and Berlin. Visit Berlin guys

Leither

The article is a piece of nonsense. He has quoted random prices such as a glass of wine for £7. What is the price for a normal glass of wine in a normal pub? A lot less than £7!!!

As for the part I have highlighted in bold. An increase from £300 to £1,600 in a "few years". Perhaps if he had defined what a "few years" was it might have more credibility. I lived in Oxfordshire 20 years ago and my Council Tax was in excess of £400 for a 2 bedroomed house so he is talking sheer unadulterated nonsense to say the CT on a 3 bedroomed house was £300 a "few years" ago.

I have no idea how much Council Tax has risen in England (part of the UK) in the last "few years" but in Scotland (also a part of the UK), Council Tax has been frozen for the last 4 years.

The man should be writing for the Daily Mail.

Woodlea

It must have risen heaps in England to subsidise the freezing in Scotland!

Leither

That is the point: it has not risen "heaps" and Council Tax in England does not in any shape or form subsidise Council Tax in Scotland.

Go back to reading your Daily Mail and thinking how awesome it is that you no longer live here.

Perhaps when you are better informed you will be better placed to express an opinion rather than soputing off and looking like a buffoon.

Woodlea

How rude!

chocolate cake

I read the article earlier, I agree totally with your comments, the guy's grasp of facts is pathetic, even worse research than his article on NZ. He should stick to rugby maybe he knows something about that.

Leither

I certainly hope so as he will never make it as a current affairs or economics journalist.

I'm not sure it's even a pathetic grasp of facts or the fact that he has picked worst case scenarios and exagerrated them or just plain lied. In the Council Tax example I would say it was a lie as it has never been possible to pay £300 in Oxfordshire.

Most of the people commenting on his article seem to have seen through his horsepoop.

Howick

Leither,

Wind your neck back in, mate- it's a commentary. I suppose the Lonely Planet are talking out of their collectives arses, too?

Buzzy--Bee

A lot of how expensive a country is to visit is to do with the current exchange rate more than relative actual costs between the two countries.

BB

Leither

Wind my neck in??

I don't think so. Not when I see blatant crap posted susch as Council Tax rising from £300 to £1,600 in a "few years" and people believing it.

Batty

The UK is also going to seem very cheap in comparison to many European countries. I've just looked at a catalogue for Tesco in Ireland and their prices are twice our normal prices here e.g. one sirloin steak was 5 Euro - on special!

Expat Kiwi

Exactly where was this 500% increase in council tax?Anyone who believes that sort of rubbish needs their head examined. Next they'll be telling us that it gets dark at 3 in the afternoon in Britain and everyone talks like they do on Eastenders.

Last time I was in Britain I was stunned at how cheap everything was (except petrol of course) but that could be because of the excellent exchange rate at the time, food and clothing was practically given away.

Bills is obviously trying to buy himself back into favour to score a commentator's free ticket at the world cup. And with the prices that are being charged, who can blame him?

simonsi

Good luck, there is an awful lot of "blatant crap" on the internet, make a list and work through it one by one

Leither

I've just started on the list. I am going to divide it into chapters and will hopefully have the first chapter completed around about 2045