Governments First Budget

For those that aren't familiar with Community Diagnostic Centres the attached may be useful. It also discusses staffing.
www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/community-diagnostic-centres/

Casdon

Unfortunately the nature of farming is that there’s always one plight or another - taxes, IHT, weather, livestock and crop disease, land prices, food prices, competition from abroad etc. etc. I’m not being critical when I say this, but I’ve never heard a farmer say there’s been a year without major challenges.

True and yes, there are many challenges which is why there have been threads on farming previously.

However, farmers have been dealt one hammer blow after another recently.

I hope there's more positivity in the NHS than there is on this thread. Of course staffing is going to be a problem, so the solution won't be in the short term, but they've got to start somewhere. The alternative is to say they won't bother and leave the situation as it is now.

Unfortunately the nature of farming is that there’s always one plight or another - taxes, IHT, weather, livestock and crop disease, land prices, food prices, competition from abroad etc. etc. I’m not being critical when I say this, but I’ve never heard a farmer say there’s been a year without major challenges.

As stated by the government AI technology will reduce staffing necessary to operate scanners
The current trial in Scotland will be rolled out to other health authorities.
AI, like it or not, is the future and the government gave said they will invest in AI computer technology used by public services.
www.nhsggc.scot/uk-first-queen-elizabeth-university-hospital-implements-ai-ct-scan-technology-to-help-reduce-ae-pressures/

Allira

^There were no posts about farmers and their plight until the new governmen brought them into line with IHT in this budget^.

I believe there were but perhaps you didn't see them.

A quick search brings up ten pages listing threads about farming; not all threads will be about the difficulties farmers face and did face but many do.

There were no posts about farmers and their plight until the new governmen brought them into line with IHT in this budget.

I believe there were but perhaps you didn't see them.

There will be some returners, because there are hundreds of thousands of disillusioned ex NHS professionals working in other sectors now, and overseas. It won’t be anywhere near enough to shore up the service in the short term, particularly in diagnostics. My hope is that more people can be attracted into training, because the longer term problem is the inability to fill training places.

Mollygo

^and where will all the highly qualified staff to operate them come from? It takes years to train staff to operate scanners, they are very highly trained and not well paid, and there aren’t enough staff to fill the vacancies now^
Give them a chance!
There’s no rush. They have a ten year plan . . . So can claim success anytime, right up to 9 years 364 days.

I guess we’ll need people from the EU. Oh, hang on a minute……

and where will all the highly qualified staff to operate them come from? It takes years to train staff to operate scanners, they are very highly trained and not well paid, and there aren’t enough staff to fill the vacancies now
Give them a chance!
There’s no rush. They have a ten year plan . . . So can claim success anytime, right up to 9 years 364 days.

MaizieD

^How will NHS staff manage to find the extra staff needed for the proposed extra beds and diagnostic tests? Medical staff take years to train.^

Perhaps the wage increases will entice back some of the already trained practitioners who have left the NHS over the past few years?

No I doubt the wages will bring back a vast amount of staff.

I included myself here, once you're abound 58 - 60 ish, you take your NHS pension work just a couple of days.
All NHS professionals start out as a Band 5, if you have been there years like I was, your progress though the payscales. Basically with your NHS Pension you will earn more for doing less.
Me I left and was asked to join the Hospital Bank and I'm still working, but without the pressure and grief.
In my field we have at least 6 - 7 Bank or agency staff daily.
There is just not enough full time /permanent staff to function, this has been happening for about 20 years.

There were no posts about farmers and their plight until the new governmen brought them into line with IHT in this budget. Just as there was little traffic about the WFP until it was means-tested.

I don't claim to know much about any of it, but Mr Dog is from a farming background and worked n the food industry for most of his life.

I've never been one to claim to understand the ins and outs of everything to do with the sectors my husband/children/hypothetical grandchildren work in, as it's so tedious to hear second-hand reports on things that have little to do with modern situations, but having listened to family discussions for years I was inclined to believe RR when she said that only a few family farms would be impacted by her budget.

Of course I am interested in hearing from farmers about how this matters to them, but as with moans about means-testing the WFP from people who can still buy clothes from Joules or holiday in second homes abroad it is just white noise.

Sorry David I see you just said this!

According to Gov.UK 2022-2023 tax receipts

Income taxes (PAYE and self assessment) £255 billion
National Insurance £178 billion

The above were 42% of total tax receipts.

The remaining 58% is VAT, Fuel Duty, Road Tax etc.

I imagine those who stay home and rear the future generations, care for parents and/or other family members. Contribute to the 58% of taxes collected every time they open their purse.

Those who are fortunate enough to have a partner/wife/husband who earns enough to enable them to do the above are equally valuable to society and should be just as respected as those who work outside of the home.

There are apparently loads of celebrities and people with lots of cash buying up vast tracts of land and saying they are "farmers" and aed apparently doing it for IHT purposes.
This is a cheap alternative to putting money elsewhere.

Also, at present, 88% of farms pay no inheritance taxes at all.

There was a table put out recently showing how much was paid on various estates last financial (recorded) year. It wax quite interesting.
I'll see if I can find it.

Farmers have had it very good for a very long time regarding IHT exemption. Now it’s time to welcome them to the same rules as everyone else.

Oreo

I agree with others on here that saying we’ll have hundreds more experts in whatever field doesn’t mean they’ll magically appear, if only!
As for farmers, why is RR going after them this way? Farms aren’t just businesses they’re a way of life and so important for our country to produce our own food rather than import everything.Now we will see demonstrations by farmers and small farms could decide to throw in the towel.
I find all this scraping about for cash is the result of saying income tax and NI won’t go up as an election promise.It needed to go up and it should have gone up.

Because she can see a lot of money being invested in land to get the tax concession, however, just like shares value can go down as well as up, if farmland ceases to be be an attractive investment fewer will want it and prices fall.

I doubt there will be any additional IHT collected, falling land values used as security for loans will cause problems with negative equity and loans being recalled.

Are you producing food for the Nation? I’m not.
Farmers pay tax like everyone else but this on top seems like a big mistake to me.

Why is it that whenever a demographic is expected to contribute to the collective good they are being ’targeted’ ‘hit’, ‘gone after’?

Doesn’t it suggest that they have been spared the obligations that the rest of us have had until now?

I agree with others on here that saying we’ll have hundreds more experts in whatever field doesn’t mean they’ll magically appear, if only!
As for farmers, why is RR going after them this way? Farms aren’t just businesses they’re a way of life and so important for our country to produce our own food rather than import everything.Now we will see demonstrations by farmers and small farms could decide to throw in the towel.
I find all this scraping about for cash is the result of saying income tax and NI won’t go up as an election promise.It needed to go up and it should have gone up.

growstuff

Surely tenanted farms wouldn't have to pay IHT (correct me if I'm wrong - I'm reading this thread with interest and learning).

They would, it would be the total of all the livestock and dead stock when it is sold, the IHT changes don’t affect them it’s only the land which they don’t own, that gets the 50% allowance .
Most tenants retire and buy a cottage so are not likely to be paying IHT

An example is in the next village 2 tenanted farms owned by an Oxford college, both around 200 acres.

One retired and sold his stock, the buildings are being developed, the land contract farmed on short term agreement.
The second farm, the son was allowed to continue, and spends about half his time working elsewhere, again traditional buildings being developed

MaizieD

^How will NHS staff manage to find the extra staff needed for the proposed extra beds and diagnostic tests? Medical staff take years to train.^

Perhaps the wage increases will entice back some of the already trained practitioners who have left the NHS over the past few years?

I doubt that very much, and in any case those medical practitioners who left the NHS won’t be sitting around doing nothing in the years since they left, they’ll all have other jobs now.

Allira

MaizieD

Why would 200 acres be a hobby farm?

Because, if David49 is correct, it wouldn't be providing a living for the farmer.

It depends what they are growing.

If you keep a few alpacas on a few acres then that's a hobby farm.

If it’s 200 acres it’s a small one man 60+, probably livestock farm making a marginal profit, most likely living from the wife’s wages outside the farm.
From the food production aspect they are working for nothing

A lot of the farms I know, if they have multiple family members working on the farm, that can work out better than employing too many people.
Family members, working for themselves, will weather the rougher years better.
They will put up with a lot more.

Surely tenanted farms wouldn't have to pay IHT (correct me if I'm wrong - I'm reading this thread with interest and learning).