Tax....

One of those worrying brown envelopes fell on the door mat this morning from HM Revenue & Customs, aka the Tax Man. Always worrying but this one was quite benign. It was a summary of how much tax I had paid in the last year. Surprisingly it wasn't as much as I imagined.

What was really interesting was that they broke down where all my money went. The biggest sum went on Welfare. Could have done with a bit more detail there. While I don't mind helping people temporarily down on their luck or people with genuine health problems that mean they can't work, I do object to my cash being used to featherbed the bone idle.

Health was the next biggest proportion with me paying about £600 for the year. An Amercian follower and I talked about how Americans, even with health insurance, could be bankrupted by a serious illness. I did a bit of research. In the UK I pay a shade under $900 for my total healthcare package. If I lived in the States I would be paying $5000! Bargain!

Bottom of the list was the £18 I contribute to the European budget. We are led to believe they are bleeding us dry. But I spend more on a bottle of wine in a Manchester restaurant.

It was an interesting read.