Sanitary wear

Ok.  Not your usual subject and probably a bit of a turn off. But we were watching that BBC Parliament live again this week and the subject came up in a debate. I know. We are sad. But we have fun rating the MPs performances (marks out of 10 for speaking clearly, saying something sensible, etc).
Anyway, back to the subject. I vaguely remember some time ago the debate on VAT being on these ladies products (including incontinence) and thought it had all been sorted. There had been a TV campaign recently on in-affordability but I thought that was about poverty and food banks etc. So I was surprised to learn the UK still charges 5% tax for being a woman!!!!

Apparently, we got into this mess because the EU made us charge VAT on luxury goods and these products according to them are a luxury item.  Gordon Brown (good lord, I am praising HIM?) went against the EU and reduced the rate to 5% but as we are still under EU regulations and cannot just get rid of it until we leave the EU (roll on March). The EU promised reform years ago and have done nothing about it.  Some supermarkets apparently absorbed the tax and have not put prices up. No one would know what we are paying since the VAT is not marked on the goods or on your receipts. We were in Ireland recently where the supermarket did show taxes paid, and it did show with a star which items were solely produced in Ireland and which were imported. What a good idea!

The debate this week was about UK taking back and reforming our VAT legislation. There were lots of other "daft" things that needed reform and would not cost the government but would make the general public a lot better off. One was scrapping the 5% tax on heating fuels. We paid £60 tax on our last purchase of heating oil.  A weeks grocery money.

I am not in the consistency of the proposing MP for this Bill in Parliament (Christchurch in Dorset) but if I was he would have by support. I may write to my MP and demand he supports this Bill for VAT reform!!

The BBC have an article and a calculator in it about how much tax you may have paid since 1973 on these products. I think it is a bit under calculated but I would not mind having my £200 contribution back (please).

Electrify rates

So we agreed a 2 year deal based on our last 2 years usage.  We have a Smart meter so we can check usage and keep within budget no problem.

• After 6 months they wanted to change the monthly agreed amount upwards. Disputed.  
• After another 6 months they wanted to reduce the monthly agreed amount. Disputed.
• After another 6 months they wanted to change the monthly agreed amount upwards. Disputed.
• After another 5 months our deal is coming to an end, would you believe, they inform us our unit price will be more or less the same for our more or less the same usage band but the standard charge is going to increase by 25%. But if we change to a new tariff it will save us £3.50 a week. Not saving on the old agreement, of course not. Saving on the inflated threatened new rates. Annoyed rant at Customer Service ensured - how can you be sure of what you are offering us if in 4 years you can't make up your own mind???

Switch?  Possibly but we may have to have a new smart meter installed and it means work trolling through reviews and recommendations. Even the industry watchdog said the other day that the cheapest deal is not necessarily the best deal if you take into account time and money wasted on poor customer service. Putting by a day, and 2 packets of chocolate biscuits, to tackle this problem.

I don't need electricity supplier I could be supplied by the steam from my head!

Solar Grill?

I was reading about an environmental project where soft plastics were melted by villages in the sub India continent to make bricks and those used to make houses! (web site of Doingyourbit)  Wow. I read the details and they mentioned using a "solar grill" designed by a Danish (woman) engineer to make the bricks. I have never heard of such a thing and today when googling the net I read more about this idea.     I want one!

(picture from a UK supplier web site, not promoting them and there are others available in the world).

Pity they are still fairly expensive, large, and don't work as well in UK - but can you just imagine if someone improved this thinking and gave us fuel free cooking!!!

Our frugal community would all be customers!

Fuel poverty

Still under the weather.  If only I could stop coughing long enough to sleep.

While sofa surfing yesterday I caught up with the Panorama special on Poverty and Fuel. Hated the production values (perhaps I was not in the mood for the patronising tone) but I learnt three things (new to me).
1. If you buy £10 for a prepaid meter, they take £3 off the value immediately to your debt and the remaining £7 buys fuel at the top unit price.  Can't choose to pay the debt as well as can't choose value. How does that help?
2. If you get in so much trouble with an Energy company they WANT you to have a prepaid meter they can go to court, get a warrant, break into your house, supported by police, and put it in. They do this in batches of a hundred warrants at a time with no real checks on vulnerable or disabled status. Not fair.
3. The committee/working party on Fuel poverty is made up of energy company big wigs, any voluntary consumer representative or academic expert on poverty has been excluded.

Its been many years where fuel poverty stared us in the face that badly (and it has in the past), but I am acutely aware as my children struggle with problems. One of the reasons we got a wood burner and LPS stove was that we could get off the energy grid if things went drastically wrong for us on a state pension.

A truly tragic situation for people in the UK.

My fond memories of Brussels, flying in and out of that airport, using the metro and enjoying the beautiful city and the wonderful friends I made in Belgium.  Sad.

OK. trying to be more cheerful; I am going to try Honey for the cough, make a quick soup and retire back to the sofa to watch "Follow the Money" on BBC 4 where this cheating Energy company boss is likely to get his money grabbing investments exposed.   Husband is gamely keeping out of way (500 yards away) planting parsnip and carrot seeds in the veg garden.