Horrified at the prices for sand and cement at B&Q yesterday. Am I just out of date or has there been a 50% increase nationally? I just need a car load at a time so not in the bulk discount area. Is it worth shopping around for 25kg bags?
Same goes for salt tablets for a water softener.
Green energy prices really hit hard on stuff that is 'all energy, sod all labour'.
And of course there are green taxes on digging stuff out of the ground as well.
"Very substantial sums are paid these days for the extraction of minerals from the ground and it is quite easy to overlook some tax planning opportunities in this area.
In tax terms, mineral deposits include any natural deposits capable of being lifted or extracted from the earth and also geothermal energy which, in this context, is treated as a natural deposit. Some of the most common minerals which landowners may be able to sell are gravel and other materials of use to the construction industry, but all other materials which can be taken from the land are equally classed as minerals for tax purposes."
In short, if it is fixed the ground (houses) tax it. If it moves, tax it.
Ok, so I AM out of date :-)
What did you pay OOI?
In a similar vein, there has been massive inflation in all sorts of things I only occasionally buy but that don't get measured in the "basket of goods" that they use to calculate official inflation figures[1].
Seems to be down to companies are playing the "times are hard card" and getting cleverer at advertising discounts and telling us they're prices are low, while bumping everything up willynilly. Screwfix went through a phase where catalogue after catalogue seemed to have a 20% hike across the board.
[1] Like bloody house prices 10+ years ago while that idiot Brown kept standing there saying we had really low inflation.
Grabbed some patching plaster there for convenience while shopping for something else, ISTR that even with pensioner discount it would have been cheaper at Wickes.
the easiets way to reduce peoples incomes without them knowing is to create measures that indcrease the cost of gerneral goods - especially those NOT in the RPI - and divert some of that flow into indirect taxation.
I didn't. Just happened to notice the prices when buying something else
B&Q is an expensive hole. Ring round a few local builders merchants. Do NOT visit, if you ring they know you are ringing round and they need to come up with a good price. When you turn up to collect don't look too affluent.
If you have a lot of work, set up an account. They love accounts. They think they have you by the bollocks. But ALWAYS ask for a price before you order anything the first time, even if you have an account. That price goes on your record. They will let you know any special offers too.
If you can get to the minimum order, delivery is free. (Find out what it is) After this you just pick up the phone and they will deliver. Save a fortune in petrol and f***g about. Wonderful, some othe bugger does all the heavy lifting..
Just as well heartbeats are not taxed then. Have they taxed pets yet?
Brian
I'll check but, for half a dozen bags? Last thing I want is leftover sand
I normally find for basic materials like that Wickes is pretty good - either that or our local independent wood merchant strangely.
It's the cost of energy. Blame Ed, but also blame Thatcher for firing the starting gun in the first place.
As soon as anyone blames Thatcher for anything, you can be certain they're talking bollocks.
As soon as anyone leaps to defend Thatcher you can be certain they're talking bollocks.
Because, of course, "leaping to defend" is the only alternative to blame. A quarter of a century later.
Actually our B&Q never could organise the heavy stuff. Fork lifts tore half the bags and the customers tore the rest by dragging them off the racks. The place was always a mess. I'll try Wickes but it's not quite so local for me
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