The State Is Subsidising Our Largest And Most Profitable Retailers.

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32272817

Aso the Sunday Times :::: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1542849.ece

These firms are able to pay their workers below the living wage, knowing that us, the taxpayers, will have to subsidise their poor wages with "in work" benefits.

This isn't a Party-political issue, as its been going on for years. How can this be right ? Why should my hard-earned wages go into the coffers of already wealthy companies, like Tesco, ASDA and Amazon ?

[tamborine]

It makes me sick hearing of subsidised housing, care homes, free vehicles, medic & dental etc. All the things employers & employees pay for & taxed on, while the 'great unwashed' busy their days on the latest IT gizmos, beauty products, tattoos, boob jobs.

Most enhance income on their backs.....how else do single mums quantify enlarged families?

[mikey4444]

tamborine....I have a lot of sympathy with your sentiments ! But this is essentially about people in work, not the feckless, lazy gits !

[mushroom25]

at the end, whilst you might consider the retailers' stance to be immoral, they will point out they are complying with the law. if you don't like it, you have the opportunity in a few weeks to vote in a government pledged to increase the minimum wage to the hypothetical "living wage" level. but i note that your party don't have that pledge in their manifesto.

so how will you vote Mikey - with your conscience, or your traditional affiliations?

[tamborine]

If/when the minimum wage is increased, it follows with increased retail costs, cost of living etc. Typical of Ed not thinking this thru.

[-Talbot-]

Retailers don't decide what the minimum wage or a living wage should be, the state does.
So your rant should be aimed elswhere.




where does it say Tesco received £364m in public subsidy?

[retrocop]

-Talbot-
//Retailers don't decide what the minimum wage or a living wage should be, the state does.
So your rant should be aimed elswhere. //

We are playing by mikey's rules. He doesn't think this is a party-political issue but hasn't answered my previous post as to who does he actually believe is going to address his concern. As you say "the state decides" and by that I take that to mean government which is a political party or coalition political partys. I do not understand how you can create this OP and don't expect party politics to enter the debate.

[Baldric]

Nor does Mikey, obviously!

[fiction-factory]

I think mikey just means that it's not an issue of Labour v Libs v Tories as the issue has been present irrespective of which parties were in power

[Svejk]

he would say that. It was Labour introduced the minimum wage and in-work benefits.

[sevenOP]

State supported Capitalism is the only game that will keep the 'globalisation' financial trap effective.

When they talk of less government they mean they want us to 'find out' less about government help they depend on.

Walmart is the largest private employer in the US and its employees receive billions of dollars in public assistance

http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/15/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-in-public-assistance/