[IP2]

*In cinematic voice over mode*

Just when you thought it was safe to sell a torch or a musical greetings card...

The Government strikes back with WEEE 2 - The Son of WEEE!

[/End cinema trailer voice over]

In September this year, another piece of legislation will be unleashed to tax businesses that sell anything that needs or contains a battery, probably to be based very much around the existing WEEE directive for sellers (at any level) of electrical goods.

Now for many of you, I am sure you think that WEEE is a superb way to help save the environment and in principle it should be, but the Government is far less interested in Eco issues than raising taxes. WEEE is not about recycling it is about adding to the tax burden of any business that sells anything that needs electricity to power it and while you may think these sellers are now being forced to recycle all your unwanted used electrical items, the truth is far from that.

WEEE does not lead to more items being recycled, it leads to a lot more paperwork and ultimately a tax for the right to be able to tell people how to recycle.

Governments across Europe have made a small fortune out of WEEE, while if you read the small print admitting that almost all of electrical waste will continue to be put into landfill!

Chuffed with their success of raising more money, by doing nothing, but appearing to be green, they now plan to extend this to every company that sells anything that may require batteries...take a walk down your High Street...see if you can find many shops that do not sell something that needs batteries?

But not missing an opportunity, they don't wish to lose out on those already paying for WEEE, so this will be a new tax, potentially costing a minimum of £400 p/a to every newsagent, electrical retailer, card shop, gift shop and that is before they get into the serious money of distributors and manufacturers...

And how will this help us cut our carbon footprint?

Well, it won't... but it is great for PR and it looks green!

[Chubster]

Bugger.......I was thinking a great NEW console was coming out :sad1:

[IP2]

:LOL: Need to practice those vowels Chubs!

[Andy Trish]

Originally Posted by Chubster

Bugger.......I was thinking a great NEW console was coming out :sad1:

me too

why don't they just say give us all your money, we pay 99% in tax anyway

[IP2]

Originally Posted by Andy Trish

me too

why don't they just say give us all your money, we pay 99% in tax anyway

Aye just a little bit more and we can live in Communist Britain and have the once in a lifetime experience of ..."a holiday of a lifetime, learning how the soviets lived through the cold war. Now you too can experience this great sensation of the 20th Century and live life under communist protection at no extra cost to paying your taxes. The British Labour Government has gone out of it's way to provide this experience free of charge to every UK Citizen"

Well thanks Brown!

[boxby]

It's sealed battery units, that this legislation relates to. Not (yet) ordinary batteries.

[IP2]

Originally Posted by boxby

It's sealed battery units, that this legislation relates to. Not (yet) ordinary batteries.

Not from what I have just read Boxby.

[boxby]

Originally Posted by IP2

Not from what I have just read Boxby.

What, where?

[Kent Tiger]

Originally Posted by IP2

Aye just a little bit more and we can live in Communist Britain ......

There is a point of view that we are already. All that remains is to dot a few i's and cross a few t's. Get everyone on the databases, get the cameras into every home. Don't worry, if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear!

My thanks go to David Davis for at least trying to stop us sleepwalking into serfdom. Shame on the media for pouring scorn on that effort.

Sorry, way OT.

[Nick Dyer]

We need more gadgets that run on dynamos - like that radio and the wind-up laptop.