The capital or the interest?

If they live off the capital and give away the interest, that'll be diminishing, year on year.

But some of that money is the taxmans, they are free to do what they want after tax just like everyone else can.



We both know there are those that abide by the spirit of legislation and those that push it to the limit.

Dally - the only way to do that is by making a gift of qualifying investments (broadly, quoted shares or land and buildings) equal to the full extent of your taxable income above the personal allowance. These investments will have been presumably been bought out of income which was taxed in the first place.

Simply handing over all your income to charity does not make that income tax exempt in your hands. If you gave every penny you had in income next year to charity, you would still be liable for any tax due on that income to the extent it exceeds your personal allowance.

What would you know, taxma.... Oh

Agreed. I was trying to illustrate the extreme case. People do, as you know, give qualifying investments away in said fashion.

I see Unite have called a strike at BMW, Oxford. Is there no end to their efforts to take Britain back to the past?

Terrible isn't it. Hopefuly BMW will be allowed to beat their workers soon.

Any idea/link as to why they're calling a strike?

www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/ar ... threat.htm Read past the sub-headline though, which has clearly been written by someone with an agenda.

www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/ar ... threat.htm Read past the sub-headline though, which has clearly been written by someone with an agenda.

We are often told on here that German manufacturers liaise well with Unions / employee representatives to create a positive envirnonment. Are we to suppose they act differently here in the UK? Of, just maybe, could it be that our great Unite union has its own politically motivated, destructive agenda? They've been offered a modest pay-rise (good in current conditions) and to be paid pro-rata for working a few extra minutes per day. Quite frankly, if they are the key issues then they are non-issues. The Union alleges there are more strings attached than there are to a puppet but if that's the biggest string it would seem hardly worth closing the plant over.

If 'The Sun' is to be believed, the main reason they're going on strike at BMW is that, in exchange for an improved pay deal, BMW want the workers to cut down on the number of tea breaks they take.

Sounds like something straight out of 'Carry On At Your Convenience'

And before you all start, no I don't believe that this is anything other than an attempt to sensationalise.

Yes Dally, Unite's agenda is to close down BMW in Oxford and for all its employees there to be made redundant, thereby losing themselves revenue from their subscriptions.

According to the Daily Mail it's about having to put your hand up to go to the toilet (which would seem very sensible on a continuous production line).

The company I work for has clients at sites in the Midlands which are involved in motor production (I'm saying no more) and we have experienced workforce problems reminiscent of the 1970s on these sites in direct contrast to the three vehicle manufacturing sites in other regions which are generally recognised as being Japanese owned.

Maybe its a Midlands thing ?

Wouldn't a strike close down the factory?

The ghost of Red Robbo?

How about: one lot of management doesn't behave in an antagonistic manner towards its employees while the other does, eh?

thought he was still with us ?

must be getting on a bit now ?

Derek is still alive; 85 this year.

I'm saying nothing, I know someone who knows him



One of this country's best selling vehicles, one which is in full production and is fully sold out for several months, has a very volatile workforce.

You getting the picture yet? Honda, BMW and Nissan can build cars in this country, using the existing workforce and do it without workers striking all the time, losing money or producing poor cars.

And people still think it is the unions that caused the UK car industry to go under...

and good luck to him - quite a character in his heyday

could such a figure survive in todays industrial world ?

Yes, the legislation in place now preventing unofficial disputes would mean he had more time to concentrate
on his real role rather than having to firefight problems caused by individual shop-stewards.

maybe that's what the uk needs,a few Derek Robinsons to shake things up a bit ?

Could also be that the like of Honda have a single union on site and the union is prepared to make concessions in Sunderland that it fights everywhere else. The site has fully flexible labour that can have their shifts altered at short notice - i.e. matching demand and supply!! It works in Sunderland because the AEU know not to rock the boat.

Ask Unite about flexible labour!! they will fight you all way until you threaten to close the site and then they cave in. Shame they can't take a more reasonable view - this intransigence has cost thousands of their members their jobs as senior management don't need the grief and transfer production to other sites.

Andy do you honestly think Unite care about their members? Unite is a very political union that wants to influence government. Workers are mere pawns in their hunger for publicity. Their membership numbers have been falling for years - has that affected the likes of Whelan, McCluskey, Sibbald etc? They are still drawing their fat salaries - Simpson was on £186k!! and driving their Beamers. Still spouting their Socialist clap trap!! hypocrites if ever there were any.