But having to size up the size of the text in an HTML web page and then add that to the size of all the images for each and every web page you visit and then have to write it down could get a little tiresome. You could get this: DU Meter Home Page instead ;-)

Disneyland Paris in the snow? How fantastic!

Yes, I was already angered by the currency fluctuations and oil prices already...just wait until we invade an oil rich country like Iraq; then all petrol will cost next to nothing....oh, hang on...... Just to keep within the chearyness, here is a list of the first 90 (yep, just the first 90) tax increases since 1997: July 1997 01 • Mortgage Interest Tax Relief At Source (MIRAS) reduced from 15% to 10% 02 • Dividend Tax Credits for pension schemes abolished 03 • Income tax relief on health insurance abolished 04 • Insurance Premium Tax extended to some health insurance 05 • Road Fuel Tax escalator increased to 6% 06 • Vehicle Excise Duty increased 07 • Tobacco duty escalator increased to 5% 08 • Stamp Duty raised to 2% 09 • Carry back of Corporation Tax losses limited to 1 year 10 • Windfall tax on utilities March 1998 11 • Tax relief for the married couple's allowance (MCA) cut to 10% 12 • Top rate of Insurance Premium Tax extended to travel insurance 13 • Exceptional increase in tobacco and alcohol duties 14 • Duties on casinos and gaming machines raised 15 • Road Fuel Tax escalator increase brought forward 16 • Tax on company cars increased 17 • Tax relief on foreign earnings abolished 18 • Tax concessions for certain professions abolished 19 • Capital gains tax imposed on certain non-residents 20 • Restriction of Capital Gains Tax relief on reinvestment 21 • Corporation tax payments on account brought forward 22 • Stamp duty increased again 23 • Certain hydrocarbon duties increased 24 • Additional diesel duties introduced 25 • Landfill Tax increased 26 • Double tax credits on certain dividends restricted March 1999 27 • National Insurance Contributions earning limit raised 28 • NI Contributions for self-employed increased 29 • Tax relief of Married Couple's Allowance abolished 30 • MIRAS abolished 31 • Self-employed contractors to pay NI and income tax as if employees 32 • Company car business mileage discount limited 33 • Double escalator on tobacco duties 34 • Insurance Premium Tax increased to 5% 35 • Vocational training relief abolished 36 • Employer NI Contribution base broadened to include all benefits in kind 37 • VAT on some banking services increased 38 • Tax on reverse premiums paid to tenants by landlords introduced 39 • Duty on domestic fuel oils up 40 • Vehicle Excise Duty for lorries increased 41 • Landfill tax escalator introduced 42 • Stamp Duty rates raised again to 2.5/3.5% March 2000 43 • Tobacco duties increased above inflation 44 • Stamp duty raised for 4th time, scope of duty extended 45 • Extra taxation of life assurance companies 46 • Rules on tax havens tightened up 47 • Company car taxes raised 2001 The Chancellor gives the exhausted nation a year off – no new stealth taxes! April 2002 48 • Personal tax allowances frozen 49 • National Insurance threshold frozen 50 • NI Contributions for employers raised 51 • NI Contributions for employees raised [Class 1 up 1%] 52 • NI Contributions for self-employed raised 53 • North Sea taxation increased 54 • Duty on some alcoholic drinks raised 55 • Stamp duty thresholds frozen 56 • Tax relief on investment in film industy restricted 57 • Rules on corporate debt tightened 58 • Nil-rate threshold for inheritance tax raised by less than the rate of inflation April 2003 59 • VAT imposed on electronically supplied services 60 • Domestic staff on £89/week to pay NI & income tax, employers to pay NI 61 • Betting duty increases 62 • Tax on red diesel and fuel oil increased 63 • Anti-tax haven rules tightened to cover more UK firms with Irish subsidiaries 64 • Vehicle excise duty raised 65 • Personal tax allowances frozen again July, 2003 66 • £35 added to all fines and £3 added to the cost of a home insurance policy September, 2003 67 • Price of petrol raised 7p per gallon (with the VAT) October, 2003 68 • Up to 8 times increase in the stamp duty on leases for retail premises 69 • Airport Tax doubled December, 2003 70 • 40% extra Council Tax on second homes was sneaked in while the Westminster Wonders were breaking up for their hols a whole week before Xmas. Additional info : It has been pointed out that a number of councils gave an even bigger discount for second homes and the increase for some people can be 80%. Plus the usual 6-18% annual rise, depending on how bloated the council's operations have become. Exemptions may be granted if the second home owner (1) has to live somewhere because of his/her employment, (2) the dwelling comes with the job, or (3) there are special threat/security reasons involved. All of which excuses apply to 10, Downing Street, the home of a certain Mr. Anthony B. Liar. (Thanks to M.K.) January, 2004 71 • £60 per day fine for late submission of self-assessment income tax forms 72 • Traffic wardens to receive powers to impose fines for a whole bunch of offences to keep poor people off the roads. The offences will include parking more than 19 inches from the kerb (£100) and dithering by people who are lost over, and who don't know whether to make a turn or keep straight on 73 • A 'Victims Fund' surcharge fine on everyone who passes through the courts. £5 for speeding up to £30 for murder. 74 • Legal Aid for the middle classes abolished February, 2004 75 • £40 per week charge to middle-class parents for formerly free nursery places 76 • £200 per year charge to middle-class parents for places on formerly free school buses 77 • £250 per hour charge from the fire brigade for non-fire-related call-outs, e.g. clearing up after road accidents and rescuing pussy cats from trees March, 2004 78 • £550 tax rise (at standard rate) for people using a company van or people-carrier out of work time 79 • Council Tax will rise at least 7.4% next year (according to the Budget) 80 • The tax incentive for owner-operator small businesses to become companies abolished 81 • Tax on cross-border payments for goods and services between multi-divisional companies extended to transactions within the UK 82 • Tax on trusts up from 34% to 40% 83 • Duty on red diesel up 1p/litre above inflation (57% rise) 84 • Duty on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used as fuel up 1p/litre above inflation (45% rise) 85 • Personal allowances for taxpayers under 65 frozen April 2004 86 • PEPs and ISAs containing shares lose their tax break on dividends and the annual ISA allowance cut by £2,000 to £5,000 87 • The 100% tax allowance for small businesses & self-employed on new computer/advanced telephone equipment cut to 50% for 2004/5 tax year 88 • Passports – in addition to costing twice as much as the present price of £42, the new 'biometric data' passports will be valid for half as long. They will have to be renewed every 5 years instead of every 10 years, which doubles the cost yet again. 89 • £100 per year 'lighthouse tax' on small boats over 8 metres long. Commerial shipping lines think they should pay £2.6 million per year towards the annual £73 million cost of maintaining lighthouses and navigational equipment. May 2004 90 • Council Tax bills to rise a further £110 in the affected areas to pay for 'Two Jags' Prescott's regional assemblies

Does anyone use, or know any more about this: About cashplus prepaid credit cards | cashplus I'm considering getting one as I need somewhere to pay my wages into, sadly, they will not give me them in cash.

I too have a TV set that is used just for an XBox (admittedly it is a 'hacked' xbox), and I have since been informed by the TVLA over the phone that I do not need a licence - in fact I actually received a refund from them. However, I am still bombarded with phone calls and very threatening letters, but I just ignore them. As yet, I have not had the TVLA at my door, but I don't see why I should allow a stranger into my house and then demonstrate that a piece of my private property is not being used for something they accuse that it is. I don't bang on their door or write letters to them asking to see their gun licence or failing that demand entry to their private property to see if they are lying.

..some hope!

Ha - fraid not! It's looking like the 21st now, so I have a little leway!

methinks some people are a little miffed at having been caught out ;-)

Because it's before midday, and it's a joke. I'm not the British government - where the minority bleat on about something and then the majority have something imposed upon them because it it.

Seriously, I don't know why you are laughing?? ;-)

Eh? What do you mean? I'm currently eating caviar for breakfast and connecting from my laptop wirelessly whilst telling my captain to raise the anchor on my yacht.

They really do not do themselves any favours do they? They wonder why there is no respect for law and order in the UK any more and they continue to act like spoilt children. If the speed camera was big and visible, only a fool would speed past it - and thus, job done - people slowing down (which has actually INCREASED accidents on our roads, but that is for another thread and another time). Hiding it shows one thing: it's there as an extension of the inland revenue. You'd think with coppers being stuffed over by this govt. when it lied about the pay rises they were going to get, that they would be on our side as well. Of course, they are not - and any respect that they might have earned goes straight out of the window with stunts like this.

Sadly no cinema listed is withing 100 miles of me Thanks anyway though.

Ahh yes. ;-) Every year, the firm I was working for at the time would take all the employees away at Christmas as a 'present' - with free beer and food for the whole 3 days. Went to S.France one year, S. Spain, Boston, and EuroDisney twice. They would put shows on too - Victoria Wood, Fat Boy Slim and things like that. I can't really remember most of the trips, but I have photo's so I assume they really did take place!!!

It is fantastic, been twice now - mind you, we did have exclusive use of the park for 2 of the 3 days we were there (both times)....oh, and free beer...and all the restaraunts were free too! ...but even on the Sunday when we had to queue up it was still excellent.

Are you still having trouble getting in?

So presumably their breach of the DPA will be taken into account as well then? 6 years is the minimum, in the insurance industry it's 7 years. Oh dear, how have we allowed the banks to get into this position -where their incompetence can dictate the timescale of a ruling on the judiciary. Unbelievable! What's worse is that they probably believe that this is a decent excuse. ...still, it's a good sign; in a way. It looks like they expect to lose, but there are deals going on that mean that they will only lose a certain amount due to their incompetence.

Just bumping it up, in case people missed it.

by far the most bizarre so far! It don't 'arf 'urt when you land though, I can tell ya!

I also invented the MIDI standard. I'm like that you see.

..."Should 5% appear too small..." 5%!!!! I wish!

No proplem Cheryl.

...well, a bit of moonlighting never went amiss!

I've already had man flu this year - not fun at all!

Yep, I have a bloody sore throat too that's crawled round to my ear. I'm not much fun at the moment either.