CONUNDRUMS (or how to get screwed over)
I recently received my rates notice which is an annual charge for local services and is administered by a local council,its a 3rd tier of government.
They have an option of paying it in full,monthly or quarterly and failure to do so will attract a penalty interest charge of 6.15%.The notice is issued late August and payment in full in a lump sum is due halfway through February.
I asked of our local elected councillor,why do people get penalised at 6.15% if not paid by due date even if opted for monthly or quarterly payments,the reply was that if the rates are not paid then the council has to borrow funds to make up the shortfall,I think they borrow at a little under 4%.OK I says,I`ll pay my rates as soon as I get the notice which would be just over 5 months in advance.I ask,do you borrow in advance or arrears,oh its always in advance,OK I says,if I pay my rates straightaway you wont have to borrow my due rates of $1300 which I`ve paid and you will save 4% on $1300 so I`ll be financing you and you owe me a refund of 4% of $1300 as you wont have to borrow what you already have in the bank.Oh he says,it doesn`t work that way,I ask,how does it work?,its all tied up in legislation,then shouldn`t it change to benefit your ward ratepayers?,hmmmm he says,I`ll have to get back to you with that.At this stage I suggested he read the book Catch 22.
Another one,Telcos offer prepaid phone and data products which expire after 28 days ???Does the product have a use by date,does it go off or does the unused 500mb or 30mins talk time evaporate into the atmosphere ??OR is it just the telcos way of perpetually renewing their cash flow each 28 days.What a load of cudswulup,you`d think if a person bought a product it would be to use as seen fit without a time limit,they should watch the movie Dr Strangelove.
Another one,supermarkets offer specials ??? they are intended for the gullible shoppers,trouble is you have to buy 2 or 3 to get the discount price.Instead of paying say $2 for a single item you can get a bargain and get 3 for $4,a single item of the “special” is priced at the maximum retail price.It means that if I wanted one it might cost $2,how can they sell 3 for $4 in that case ???is it another way to have a bigger cash flow ?I think their management read MAD comics.
Another one,this morning petrol was at $1-13 per litre,just after lunch it had risen to $1-39,a rise of 26 cents or about 25%,how can this be justified and how come all outlets change their prices simultaneously even when they are in completion to each other ???,too many vampire horror movies for them.
OK I`ve had my whinge, but it just goes to show you that weak government is powerless over lobby groups and their masters who`s interest is in devising ways to screw the consumer over,it just doesn`t seem right.
Hi Sylvester,well maths and figures were never my thing,but even I know there are no such things as a free meal on supermarket ” deals ”
As for the credits, arrears and advances, I know whose favour they are always in and it isn’t mine….I get screwed daily, and not in a pleasant way i hasten to add ……hahahaha……….
hahahahaah Star,keep focused on the bright side.
Never mind Star…I,m sure he has many pleasant attributes that make up for that.. 🙂
Sylvester. A very good blog. We all can have a WHINGE or just “not sweat the small stuff”. At our age, we don’t want to get upset and need medication. In the USA that is where the real robbery is. We all need to focus on being aware and working and doing something about the grossest of these abuses.I just got a renewal notice for my health plans and naturally I still have to pay up to $5000.00 almost so that is a big problem. I take few meds and I try to stick with generic. Try not to take new drugs. I don’t want to be a guinea pig. Well, thats my WHINGE. I am working Wed, at my political office. We all need to put our mouth where it will do some good.
You said it Rose,we all need to be aware of everything around us and question the things that need an answer.
Sylvester ,also why do our local Governments increase rates by as much as 6% each year without doing any council works except patching up what is already there…Our local Council also stings all ratepayers of which there are aproximately 100.000 an extra 2% annualy for Tourism costs on top of the usual fee….. it gets better,now there’s discussions about an extra 1% for the parks and gardens upkeep around our lake and Botanic gardens …. which are already included in the rates and taxes. double dipping again …..
I agree lani,the council to which i pay my rates spends squillions on prettying things up for the weekend tourists to attract them to the benefit of local business and food outlets.
Good blog sylvestercat. You may got and get informed about the refugee situation here in Germany. For the case I’m right, 1.000.000 will have crossed the German border by the end of this year.
I’m anxious getting to know which duties the official will raise and which new will come up on us.
You know here in Germany the officials as well as the politician are very, very creative in finding ways to siphon off our pensions and/or wages.
But they are less creative ( I like to avoid the word stupid ) in solving problems, old one ore new ones that doesn’t matter.
Thanks VM,it sounds like the pollies in Germany are the same as here,they all seem to have misdirected priorities.I`m aware of the refugee crisis,not only in Europe but down here also,our gov has a very tight policy regarding asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.Billions are spent to keep them from our shores and the people smugglers are not treated leniently.I hope the countries in Europe can continue to cope with the influx of so many refugees without screwing their citizens due to the increased costs,perhaps the oil rich Middle East countries should take more responsibility as they are of the same faith either financially or accomodation wise.
Hello Sylvester,
have you heard of the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila yet?
No.
Alright than let me tell you this. Aeromonas hydrophila is a
carnivorous bacterium which, once contagious with, erodes the
human body from inside to outside.
So far, so bad, cos the same strategy ( could stand behind !? ) could be used by the ISIS in paving its way into European countries.
Nearly 4/5 month ago Al Jazeera released a video in which ISIS promised the European countries to send more than 1.000.000 people over to Europe.
IT’s up to you now to tell me Who is Who? I have not found an answer to this question yet. Michael
Hi VM,Its a complex situation and it`s beyond me to come up with a suitable solution.Maybe the boys with guns should consult WHO and and adopt their protocols for isolation and containment where contributions from around the world and ideologies successfully halted the recent Ebola menace in Africa,perhaps similarities if applied could work.
Sylvester, good blog and clever calculation. Yet no conclusion, let alone solution.
This morning, we, my former colleagues and I, chatted in the newspaper room about our presidents’ generous behaviors in un and usa. Yes, usa people are rich, and we Chinese are chasing up behind you this way. Yet the rich has their cares and wears, like yours about the taxes and vw’s about the refugees.
I guess it is the same all over the world. And yet the rich of the rich really don’t need to worry about things like that. Poverty, absolute or relative, runs after people like wild dogs to make them bark at each other instead of at the real cause.
Yes, like my colleague says, we have more money than the North Koreans, but they sent their children to kindergartens for free the way we were when I was a boy in chairman Mao’s time. At that time, you worked hard and that’s all. The party took over everything, education, profession, for you and for your next generation. You don’t worry about taxes or immigration. That’s what you westerners hatedly called socialism, which I miss very much, lost like a lamb in the new dreams congested with insatiable desires and money-stinked alienation.
Hi xiaofeng,I dont mind paying taxes or costs but at times I like to question their validity,purpose and justification,I can also question their necessity and decide whether I agree or not,nevertheless I still have to pay them and get screwed over.I think its a necessary evil for the good of the whole.I dont feel alienated from the wants,mores and desires of a society in which I live,those triggers are governed by the way I live and I have no wants or mores or desires other than those necessary for my happiness or those around me.I wish you wellness and happiness.