Cost of living crisis.

[Legend_in_blue]

 

Interesting watch.  

[fox_favourite]

Apple sales in biggest fall since 2019 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64506940
 

This shows how much life is squeezing people. Even Apple are feeling the pinch. 

[Jon the Hat]

15 hours ago, yorkie1999 said:

Must be a well run company with a superb business model to be able to generate such amazing profits in these times of hardship, makes you wonder how they do it.... 

I think given than there was no obvious way for them to sell under market rates to support the UK market without breaching competition laws (ie we are where we are), the issue now is that perhaps only 5% of Shell's profits relate to the UK, but there is no current mechanism to ensure the other 95% are taxed appropriately.  No doubt they have benefitted from an exceptional structural change outside their control. 

The counter arguments against some kind of windfall tax might be that 1) Shell might then argue if it all goes to shit and they are loss making due to a similar structural / out of their control event, that the Government should bail them out, and 2) DO the UK government have jurisdiction over the 95% generated offshore under the law, or can they apply some retrospectively.

Edited 3 February 2023 by Jon the Hat

[ozleicester]

Shell and other oil majors are avoiding hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes in countries where they drill by shifting profits to thinly staffed insurance and finance affiliates based in tax havens, according to a Reuters review of corporate filings and rating agency reports.


https://www.reuters.com/article/global-oil-tax-havens-idUSKBN28J1IK


 

Edited 3 February 2023 by ozleicester

[Leicester_Loyal]

32 billion pounds profit, Christ.

 

Jeremy Hunt saying the public sector can't have a decent wage rise because it'll fuel inflation...

[dsr-burnley]

22 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

32 billion pounds profit, Christ.

 

Jeremy Hunt saying the public sector can't have a decent wage rise because it'll fuel inflation...

It puts into perspective just how big the government is.  If the entire worldwide profit of one of the biggest, most profitable companies in the world, was taxed by the UK at 100%, then it would run the NHS for 2 months.

 

Alternatively, if the entire UK element of their trade was taxed at 100%, it still wouldn't be enough to meet the teachers' pay demands.  Most of that income is earned abroad.

[Daggers]

16 hours ago, ozleicester said:

Shell and other oil majors are avoiding hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes in countries where they drill by shifting profits to thinly staffed insurance and finance affiliates based in tax havens, according to a Reuters review of corporate filings and rating agency reports.


https://www.reuters.com/article/global-oil-tax-havens-idUSKBN28J1IK


 

Genuinely thought everyone already knew this?

[ozleicester]

BP’s annual profits more than doubled to $28bn (£23bn) in 2022

[FoyleFox]

Ofgem announce the next new prices in 2 weeks. Wholesale gas is lower than it has been for 15 months. Reduction in bills? I'll bet not. 

[Lako42]

4 hours ago, ozleicester said:

BP’s annual profits more than doubled to $28bn (£23bn) in 2022

My Jan bill was £265

 

I feel so lucky seeing as my Dec one was £306 

 

 

 

[Dames]

3 hours ago, FoyleFox said:

Ofgem announce the next new prices in 2 weeks. Wholesale gas is lower than it has been for 15 months. Reduction in bills? I'll bet not. 

No of course not. At this point with the profits these companies are making its legalised theft.

[Daggers]

Second client lost in 2023 now due to increased costs. If this carries on I'm going to have to get a normal job again - and that would be beyond miserable.

[Lako42]

40 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Second client lost in 2023 now due to increased costs. If this carries on I'm going to have to get a normal job again - and that would be beyond miserable.

I'm currently sat here trying to work out how I can quit my job and live on no money. 

[Izzy]

44 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Second client lost in 2023 now due to increased costs. If this carries on I'm going to have to get a normal job again - and that would be beyond miserable.

I’m in a similar position. My two biggest clients have said they’ve got no budget to spend with me this year which accounts for over 50% of my revenue.

Need to delve into the reserves I’ve squirrelled away over the years but that won’t last long.

No way I could ever get a normal job again though. I’d rather sell up and downsize than work for someone else.

[Finnegan]

On 02/02/2023 at 19:47, Legend_in_blue said:

 

Interesting watch.  

 

Excellent watch. 

 

And I absolutely don't want to distract at all from what he's saying because it's extremely valuable but I spent the whole time listening to him trying to work out why his face felt so familiar. 

 

And I've concluded it's because he's an exact DNA splicing of James Acaster and Stephen Merchant. 

[filthyfox]

Brexit is a good thing for all people.  You lot saw that in 2016, and you can bally well see it now! 

Edited 8 February 2023 by filthyfox

[ithuriel]

Just had an Email detailing my water bill for April, gone up a fair bit from last year.

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, Lako42 said:

I'm currently sat here trying to work out how I can quit my job and live on no money. 

Sex worker? 

 

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

I’m in a similar position. My two biggest clients have said they’ve got no budget to spend with me this year which accounts for over 50% of my revenue.

Need to delve into the reserves I’ve squirrelled away over the years but that won’t last long.

No way I could ever get a normal job again though. I’d rather sell up and downsize than work for someone else.

Luckily they account for small part of my income, but it got me thinking about whether or not I could teach again - and remembered how I love having a work-life balance firmly tilted into the "life" side. I could never give that up. Concerns me that I am now relying on a handful of clients to pay the bills mind.

 

Or sit and take instructions from a complete moron. I've never worked anywhere where I wasn't having to report to a complete moron.

[Bordersfox]

35 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Sex worker? 

 

Luckily they account for small part of my income, but it got me thinking about whether or not I could teach again - and remembered how I love having a work-life balance firmly tilted into the "life" side. I could never give that up. Concerns me that I am now relying on a handful of clients to pay the bills mind.

 

Or sit and take instructions from a complete moron. I've never worked anywhere where I wasn't having to report to a complete moron.

Possibly should have a thread of its own along the lines of 'how has your business been fvcked?'

 

We lost 30% of our customer base immediately upon Brexit (it will never come back).  

 

Were basically shut down for 18 months because of lockdown (hospitality supply business) with about 50p worth of assistance from Sunak and so lumbered with a huge loan we never wanted and have also destroyed our savings.

 

Now the cost of living crisis means people are, understandably, going out less so our customers are struggling, closing or reducing opening hours.      

 

Oh and as we manufacture we are quite a high energy user for a small business. 

 

All of that said the thought of working for any one of the twunts I once worked for keeps me grinding at this until the bitter end arrives or things miraculously improve.  The only miracle currently is that we are still going. 

 

Hope that's uplifted everyone.

Edited 8 February 2023 by Bordersfox

[Izzy]

10 minutes ago, Daggers said:

 

Luckily they account for small part of my income, but it got me thinking about whether or not I could teach again - and remembered how I love having a work-life balance firmly tilted into the "life" side. I could never give that up. Concerns me that I am now relying on a handful of clients to pay the bills mind.

 

Or sit and take instructions from a complete moron. I've never worked anywhere where I wasn't having to report to a complete moron.

I think you might be my brother from another mother.

 

My thoughts exactly

 

[FoyleFox]

Just had an email from our energy supplier wanting to increase our payment, we need to keep our account on track, because "From April, we expect the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme — monthly credits of £67 — to come to an end, and for energy prices to change again".

 

We only owe £70 and are on a fix until October. They can bog off.

[Parafox]

3 hours ago, filthyfox said:

Brexit is a good thing for all people.  You lot saw that in 2016, and you can bally well see it now! 

Brexit alone isn't to blame for the situation we're currently in. It's a worldwide economic crisis caused by various factors, including and most seriously, the pandemic that the whole world has had to deal with. Also and not least, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Brexit certainly hasn't helped, I'll give you that. But your post is very simplistic. 

[Tommy G]

We are trying to recruit 10-15 people across 2 different locations and it's hard. Just no-one out there.

[kenny]

5 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

We are trying to recruit 10-15 people across 2 different locations and it's hard. Just no-one out there.

Different I suspect, but im getting lots of staff being offered at the moment.

 

If we had the work on recruitment for anything except top-level staff is reasonably easy at the moment.

[Tommy G]

1 minute ago, kenny said:

Different I suspect, but im getting lots of staff being offered at the moment.

 

If we had the work on recruitment for anything except top-level staff is reasonably easy at the moment.

Very lucky - we need skilled factory floor workers, machine operatives, welders etc....