"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 9 Jan 2003 15:41:34 -0000, "Michael Saunby"
wrote:


"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 9 Jan 2003 11:20:46 -0000, "Michael Saunby"
wrote:
"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
.. .
.. in some areas
of Liverpool or Birmingham more than half of households have
managed
to cut their total annual living expenses to less than £10,000.

I imagine that all such households are heavily subsidised snip

Quantify your claim.

I expect all households where one or more person receives income support
will snip

Michael, it should be easy, a one liner, to quantify that claim.


Torsten, I can't even see why the question might arise. Do you not believe
that such households are heavily subsidised? Where else might our taxes go?

As for quantifying - the UK spends about 2,000 per adult on social security
payments. If we take it that roughly 50% of the population pay, and the
other 50% receive, then your lowest spending 50% are already in receipt of,
on average, 4k per adult. The other benefits they receive in education and
health provision are roughly matched to these, but everyone - rich and poor
gets the same. So they get 4k each in spending money and at least another
2k in free services - some will get a great deal more.

Not that I mind paying taxes to help these folks out, but it's stupid to
imagine that they somehow represent the true cost of living in the UK.

Michael Saunby