Everything is going up except our income.

the Scottish government raised council tax on band e and above that puts about £30 a month on my bill .I'm happy to pay as we earn a reasonable living...we dont have to worry about heating or eating ...like some.But the amount of abuse on the SNP website about it amazing,people I know who are earning a very good living complaining that after a 10 year FREEZE of council tax they'll need to pay a wee bit more than folk who can barely make ends meet.I wonder how they think services should be paid for ,I know SNP said they abolish council tax and they haven't and thats mainly because people dont want a local income tax...well not the people who would have to pay it.

gillybob if wages are a problem, get a different job. There must be something that keeps you self employed rather than seeking outside employment. Make the jump IF you truly are unhappy. My husband moved up in employment quite often, worked for him instead of complaining.

£3.25 for butter? It's £1.09 in Tesco.

I have a limited choice of supermarkets unless I travel 20+ miles but I haven't noticed prices going up much.

Rigby
Council tax is not an income tax, it's a tax on the value of property.
There's no need to feel guilty about your less-well off neighbours as they won't be paying as much income tax as you, will they? It's also quite possible they make greater use of council services than you do.

What about VAT? Is that unfair too? Poor people pay the same as rich people, when they buy goods and services.
There are going to be winners and losers in any form of taxation.

That doesn't do anything to increase the number of healthy small businesses in the country though, the little acorns from which grow the big oak trees of manufacturing and commerce. It just increases the gap between employed and employer. all those global enterprises which we so deplore as monopolies are there because people like gilly and her husband have been squeezed out of being independent manufacturers.

We can't have it all ways, either we want giant monopolies or we want independent enterprises. If the independent enterprises can't make ends meet, we will get nothing but the Exxons and Trumps of the world.

That was for Norah

FYI I am not self employed Norah. My DH and I run a small business and we are both on the payroll and pay PAYE just like anyone else. It's fine changing employment when you are young and healthy but both DH and I have serious ongoing health problems which is the ONLY reason we started the business in the first place. The alternative could/would probably be sickness benefits.

For the record the band A council tax in our borough is £1025.44 and the band D is £1538.16. In Kensington & Chelsea it's £708.01 (A) and £1062.02 (D).

Elegran point being IF small enterprises can't make ends meet, one need to earn a living somewhere else OR not complain. It's a choice freely made.

gillybob I'm sorry, I thought you owned and ran a business, thus self employed by definition.

My "free" choice would be to work for someone else Norah believe you me this is no fun. DH working 15 hours a day for less than our lowest paid employee. However our only REAL alternative would be to go onto permanent sickness benefits.

We do own and run a business Norah so your apologies are not necessary. We are not self employed though as I pointed out earlier. We pay NI and PAYE just the same (and at the same rate) as everyone else.

The confusion is easy, DH sent me here (he was lastly a self employed owner) to this site.

You’re probably self-employed if you: run your business for yourself and take responsibility for its success or failure, have several customers at the same time, can decide how, where and when you do your work, can hire other people at your own expense to help you or to do the work for you, provide the main items of equipment to do your work, are responsible for finishing any unsatisfactory work in your own time, charge an agreed fixed price for your work, sell goods or services to make a profit (including through websites or apps)

Many of these also apply if you own a limited company but you’re not classed as self-employed by HMRC. Instead you’re both an owner and employee of your company.

You don't need to lecture me on my employment status Norah. I do not pay tax or NI as Self Employed and neither does DH.

My DH and I started a small business after we both suffered (and lost jobs) due to ill health. Me in my late 20's and he in his 30's. Believe you me if either of us could have worked for "someone else" we would have.

Anyway as no-one else seems to have recognised (or be suffering) a problem with price rises in general, council tax rises, fuel rises, electric, gas, water price rises, rent rises, food and fuel price rises I will leave this thread alone. Norah seems to have turned it into a "lets knock hopeless small businesses* thread, which was nothing to do with my OP.

Thank you for coming to the defence of all small business enterprises Elegran

Some price increases on fruit, vegetables etc are due to the poor weather on the Continent (and not just the storms that wiped out the courgettes and iceberg lettuces recently).
Whilst we are complaining about prices going up, some farmers are going out of business. What happens if a crop fails for whatever reason? The income for the year may be lost, it cannot be insured. Bills have had to be paid and will have to be paid with no result from the outgoings.

ps I include some farming amongst 'small businesses' gillybob so that is not an attack on small businesses.

No, I was NOT knocking your small business. I was pointing out that I think it's unnecessary to keep doing something that one admits isn't working for that person. And I originally said that I see no price increases as I shop carefully at cheap stores, on offer. My taxes are not up appreciably. I'm quite glad to help provide social services to the less fortunate. End of.

It feels as if you have a slightly chipped shoulder. It's silly to be mad at wealth.

ps and of course, the food producers have to bear the cost of the increases in all the commodities you mention in your post and need to pass them on to the consumer or else go under.

Plenty of jobs out there gillybob, apparently, for older people - just carry on and do as Norah suggests, it's so easy.

Of course, as DH would say, some people are very well-balanced because they have chips on both shoulders

DH gets whichever butter is on offer (within reason, there are one or two I wouldn't buy)

That seems very expensive even for a larger pack.

An economy where a small business employing people and supplying parts to larger businesses is not viable is not a successful economy, nor does it bode well for the larger businesses who need the parts. Of course, the larger business would probably be able to get supplies from elsewhere - China perhaps - where the national policy is to nurture exporting enterprise and do their best to establish essential supply chains to other countries and increase their balance of money in/out. Very nice for the Chinese.

It doesn't bode well for those made redundant by business failure in a less buoyant job market either, or the cost of welfare for those redundant workers if they can't find employment because other firms are equally feeling the pinch.

janea I know council tax isn't income tax - I was pointing out the unfairness of it. Over the years, the balance between income tax, which is progressive, and other types of taxation, notably VAT which is regressive has shifted increasingly towards regressive taxation. This is a political decision and not one that has to be made. How much people pay in in proportion to what they take out isn't relevant as far as I am concerned. i don't care whether my next door neighbours take out more than me or that I pay more than them in income tax - the overall tax burden on them as lower earners than us is unfair - we pay proportionately less even if we actually pay more in real terms. Gillybob is absolutely right about life being more expensive but for the harder up its worse. As for the better off using private services - only 7% of children are educated privately - I don't know what proportion have private health care and anyway - you'd need to know what that covered.

Whilst I agree I am probably mad as the proverbial hatter i am not mad at wealth and nor do I have a chipped shoulder whatever that is supposed to mean Norah

Yes Jalima I'm sure both DH and I could walk into well paid jobs tomorrow.

Now shall we make our 7 staff members redundant before we do that or not?

....oh and its' not me that buys the bloody LURPAK butter either it's my dad. He neither drinks, smokes or drives so his butter and his Ice Cream (Cart D'Or mind you) are his only luxuries.

I do like Lurpak but can be persuaded to try other brands if the price is right.
My DM would never have any butter except Lurpak.

Icecream (not eaten very often these days ) has to be Kelly's or that Scottish one - Mackies? - or Tesco Cornish at a pinch.

My bottle of wine is my luxury , only once a week and it does last two or three days.