Have the Conservatives hit an all time low ...

Yes, the staff cuts are generally known. However, if HMRC took on more staff to claim back unpaid tax, the money gained would outweigh the cost of the staff.
The Tory government would rather cut staff than get their friends to pay more tax. It is an election year, after all, and they need all the friends they can get.

<sighs>
Oh dear, I used an emoticon <slaps wrist>
OK for s2B to "pull a face" though? Or is the use of emoticons only for the few?
Please elucidate anya?

Yes, I have noticed soontobe as I'm sure others have.

Are the staff cuts generally known?
I only know because I know people who work in the tax office.
If it is not generally known, I think I ought to get my post removed.

Thank you for your posts Anya.

Ah so [ confused{ or because the relevance was not immediately clear to me constitutes "pulling a face?
What about or ?

Do all the emoticons have a pejorative connotation, or just the faces?

soontobe is correct about cuts to staffing levels in HMRC. I find it petty that Soutra has to pull a face at this, but then......

Cameron is trying to get Lansley appointed as the next humanitarian ambassador at the UN. Avaaz has a petition to stop it. If you think this is a bad idea, sign the petition.
This really would be an all time low.

Confused about the 'petty'. Could you explain what you mean please?

Who's petty? What's petty?

eh?

?

Petty

?

As I understand it, the tax office has been having staff cuts. Not staff increases in numbers.

Cameron seemed to admit today that the minimum wage isn't really enough to live on when he asked companies making profits to pay the living wage.

Not really about the Conservatives, but I find this very interesting by Archbishop John Sentamu.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/01/17/our-duty-to-engage-with-politics/

There is also a very interesting article on taxresearch which claims that for every £1 spent on new tax officials there is between £18 and £97 gained. Why are the Conservatives not putting as much money as they can into getting more tax into the exchequer?
I think I know the answer.

Oh dear, thanks Gracesgran- will have to wait for more detail on the news tonight at 11 (we are an hour ahead)- unless, like Andrew- it's all hushed!

We will no doubt hear more detail but, as I understand it, the Tory's have got the Treasury to produce figures about the cost of Labour's 2015-16 spending plans, using tax payers money for their own campaign.

Interestingly they haven't ask the Treasury to do the same for the Conservative "promises" and the "promises" they have use don't appear to be promises at all - just comments. They have not actually asked the Labour party for details.

It would be good if the - I would think OBR - produced papers to show what both the main parties costings would be - having been told by each party - as this would show us exactly what they intend to do and what is just rhetoric.

Gracesgran, would you mind enlightening us with a bit more detail, thanks. I do not have access to UK newspapers-

It will get worse