Originally Posted by FishermansFriend

You sound like a spin doctor from Britains NuLabour party who's equating Gross Domestic Product (£notes) to Quality of Life (err...quality of life).
The two are not the same at all and the UK, for all it's economic success, is rated down at number 28 whilst New Zealand comes in at 15. So, if you just want to stick to statistics, NZ's almost twice as nice

http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf

I think you'll also find that the UK has slipped even further down this index since 2005.

You'll also find that most of the UK's 'economic success' is enjoyed disproportionately, mainly by the 'top' 10 or 20% .

Originally Posted by TeamEmbo

Sadly, it isn't just urban areas that are affected though. Many rural places just aren't the same. Whole families used to be able to stay together in the same village, now when the kids grow up they can't afford to buy in the same village so the family group has to be split, leading to a decline in the family support network. Big corporations have all but closed out the little corner shop, local produce, the traditional village high street. Yes, some of these are still around but the prices are higher and the supermarket giants have the buying power to undercut and hence many small family businesses go to the wall. The once affordable village housing is bought up by those with money from the cities, either for second homes, to let, or for a 'better lifestyle', with a commute of work from home.

The whole fabric of what made England what it was has been eroded beyond repair.

The discipline of children is now left to the children to decide, they seem to have more power than their parents or teachers and there is very little respect left for the police.

I'm not that old! But this decline seems to have only taken 20 years or so. What chance was there for my kids in a country that seems to have lost all sense of values, community spirit, respect, etc.

And as for the taxes! The harder you work, the more you try to improve your lot, the worse off you are! What was it being banded around before we left, tax on having a patio? or summerhouse in the garden? so you work hard but can't even have a nice garden without paying through the nose for it!

You wait, there's some bod right now working out lung capacity so they can tax you on your air intake and probably a separate CO2 emission tax

Originally Posted by uk+kiwi

I too do not understand your point about taxes? The UK is much more generous than NZ.

Originally Posted by TeamEmbo

Maybe for income tax, but UK has a lot of other taxes, other than income tax there's National Insurance

Originally Posted by TeamEmbo

Maybe for income tax, but UK has a lot of other taxes, other than income tax there's National Insurance, that's supposed to cover you for NHS and state pension, but NHS has been in crisis for years and state pension is such a joke you're 'encouraged' to top up with private plans and AVCs. If you work hard and progress up the ladder and earn a decent salary you get taxed at, what, 40%(?), (never earnt that much so not sure!) There's car tax, tax on insurances, 5% on each of your household contents and building insurances, in fact any insurance you take out which is a bit unfair as you have to have them. VAT (UK's GST) 17.5% on all goods and services. Council Tax - like the rates here, tax on petrol, diesel, tax on wine, beer, spirits, tax on cigarettes, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, stamp duty... I'm sure there's more and like I said before there was talk of taxing you if you had a patio/decking or a summerhouse in your garden, which is just ludicrous!

That's it really, rant over

Originally Posted by brussels_sprout

The very rich in U.K have several jobs (at least 6 directorships is quite common) and they do not want to pay N.I on all of them, so they invented the N.I and made a law saying that they only have to pay it only on their highest salary. NZ has just the same number of taxes ! Taxing from first $, hmmmmmmmmmmmm !

Great wise, post, UK+Kiwi, yes there are rates here instead of council tax, and very high in places, and the Kiwis always complain about the increases being much more than inflation, now where have i heard that before ?
Yes, i am watching the moon, a shadow moving 0.0001 mm per minute has not quite the same pulling power as Ugly Betty and N.E , of course

Originally Posted by brussels_sprout

The very rich in U.K have several jobs (at least 6 directorships is quite common) and they do not want to pay N.I on all of them, so they invented the N.I and made a law saying that they only have to pay it only on their highest salary. NZ has just the same number of taxes ! Taxing from first $, hmmmmmmmmmmmm !

Great wise, post, UK+Kiwi, yes there are rates here instead of council tax, and very high in places
Yes, i am watching the moon, a shadow moving 0.0001 mm per minute has not quite the same pulling power as Ugly Betty and N.E , of course

Originally Posted by uk+kiwi

And also I thought there was a cap on the NI level so that it is not paid after a certain salary level, which would be well below director level salary.

Originally Posted by Dandy Dan

Your dead right, we have crime here, we have a drug problem and like every other country on the globe we aint perfect, but the airs clean, the scenery cool, the people are friendly and bourbons cheap

Originally Posted by colandros

I guess that makes me a negative defeatist
But i do have a very positive attitude to life, its just that i just have morals and standards
and i find it difficult to accept the social and moral decay i see all around me.

Originally Posted by kato33

Cheap Bourbon.............I am gonna love this place.

Nici

Originally Posted by lardyl

check out the woodstock pre-mixed bourbon/coke - comes in cans, bottles and an amazing variety of ABVs. the favoured tipple of some of my Kiwi mates!

Originally Posted by Cape Blue

giving points for Church attendance does not seem especially positive to me - with that measure Saudi Arabia would score well on the "community life" score.