how do you budget things here in UK

[Gavanddal]

Same thing in this country now, people are having to cut back on food so they can still afford the fags & booze......I do hope Africa will have a whip-round for them

Amazing how the dole scroungers always manage to have fags and booze while the rest of us can't afford such indulgences. (Not that I want fags,Yuk, disgusting!) I resent paying over £2 for a beer, now it's over £3 and the pubs wonder why they're losing business! I don't go to pubs anymore. Me, the missus and the kids, two drinks each- that's £25 gone!!

So if less people drink, the government lose tax and duty revenue, so they'll put it up to claw it back, so people can afford it even less--vicious circle?

..And back to fags..At what price will smokers deem it too expensive to smoke? Apparently they're nearly £6 for 20. If they were £20 for 20, would that stop people? Personally I'd just ban them. Pussy governments scared of losing more tax revenue.

[keithAngel]

Amazing how the dole scroungers always manage to have fags and booze while the rest of us can't afford such indulgences. (Not that I want fags,Yuk, disgusting!) I resent paying over £2 for a beer, now it's over £3 and the pubs wonder why they're losing business! I don't go to pubs anymore. Me, the missus and the kids, two drinks each- that's £25 gone!!

So if less people drink, the government lose tax and duty revenue, so they'll put it up to claw it back, so people can afford it even less--vicious circle?

..And back to fags..At what price will smokers deem it too expensive to smoke? Apparently they're nearly £6 for 20. If they were £20 for 20, would that stop people? Personally I'd just ban them. Pussy governments scared of losing more tax revenue.

Quite agree ban fags and alcohol and raise the lost revenue from err fuel prices oh and bus fares