Lappy new year!

Evidence?

I've been through a point where my family has had no savings and no one working due to illness and always been able to afford reasonable things.

If you spend all the money on drinking and smoking then perhaps not.
 
[TW]Fox;15421787 said:
And why laptops? Low cost desktops would be cheaper? A laptop is a luxury good.

I do agree with this.

There must be thousands of old dells from when schools upgraded their pc's that could be used (unless there's some sort of contract where they are returned to dell for resale/destruction as i suspect there might be), they're good enough for office and internet applications.
 
[TW]Fox;15421670 said:
Why dont people who pay more tax get free stuff as well? Why do some people have to work really hard to be able to buy what others can get free?

I don't know about you but I can't say I'd be overly happy if the positions were reversed, being poor with the chance of some free stuff as a handout or earning my own money and possibly getting taxed a bit more for the privilege. For me it isn't a difficult choice, I'll accept the relatively small amount of extra taxation because I understand that I'm comparatively pretty fortunate.

Because we need to stop spending, we as a country cant afford it, i do want to have some money to spend after my taxes.

Do we know how much the computers will be discounted by from the big suppliers (if at all)? While it's a big headline figure I don't think we yet know the total cost or indeed what the mooted benefits are which will always be difficult to quantify.
 
I've been through a point where my family has had no savings and no one working due to illness and always been able to afford reasonable things.

If you spend all the money on drinking and smoking then perhaps not.

With the attitude from your previous post I hardly feel for you here. Your example doesn't mean everyone else can afford one. Every family has different circumstances and I doubt you are the hardest hit family in this country. A lot of people would benefit from this so give them the benefit of the doubt.
 
It does though, it's not possible to have less than nothing unless you're heavily in debt as well as earning nothing, in which case you probably deserve it.

And if you are at that point you probably don't want a laptop :p

I agree this would be well recieved by a lot of people...I don't doubt that some folk need more help but is this the best way? I dunno.
 
To be honest, I think there should be a lot more to the scheme, ie. the family has no pc or internet connection and whatever.
Giving away second hand pcs (better than binning them, environmental brownie points) and whatever.

But it's a good idea nonetheless.
 
I do agree with this.

There must be thousands of old dells from when schools upgraded their pc's that could be used (unless there's some sort of contract where they are returned to dell for resale/destruction as i suspect there might be), they're good enough for office and internet applications.

its a tax thing more than anything else.
 
I don't know about you but I can't say I'd be overly happy if the positions were reversed, being poor with the chance of some free stuff as a handout or earning my own money and possibly getting taxed a bit more for the privilege. For me it isn't a difficult choice, I'll accept the relatively small amount of extra taxation because I understand that I'm comparatively pretty fortunate.



Do we know how much the computers will be discounted by from the big suppliers (if at all)? While it's a big headline figure I don't think we yet know the total cost or indeed what the mooted benefits are which will always be difficult to quantify.

total cost would be around £150 million, money that can be used in other areas.
 
I don't know about you but I can't say I'd be overly happy if the positions were reversed, being poor with the chance of some free stuff as a handout or earning my own money and possibly getting taxed a bit more for the privilege. For me it isn't a difficult choice, I'll accept the relatively small amount of extra taxation because I understand that I'm comparatively pretty fortunate.

I waited years before I could justify the financial expenditure of buying a laptop to go alongside my desktop though :confused:
 
Free laptops for poor families? Personally I don't see a problem with this and for the people crying outrage over this at least if you do have to pay something extra in tax later on at least it was for a good cause.

There is plenty of more worthy causes that we should be spending money on.

Eleven more NHS hospitals at centre of safety scandal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/29/nhs-hospitals-safety-report

Last message of TA soldier shot in Afghanistan: 'Still waiting for new body armour'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/17/killed-ta-soldiers-last-message

And when we're done with that we need to sort out our massive debt. Much more pressing concerns that dishing out free laptops.
 
There is plenty of more worthy causes that we should be spending money on.

Eleven more NHS hospitals at centre of safety scandal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/29/nhs-hospitals-safety-report

Last message of TA soldier shot in Afghanistan: 'Still waiting for new body armour'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/17/killed-ta-soldiers-last-message

And when we're done with that we need to sort out our massive debt. Much more pressing concerns that dishing out free laptops.

if i were in the army i would really be teed off.
 
total cost would be around £150 million, money that can be used in other areas.

I can do the sum, that's not a problem but a headline figure like that isn't necessarily the final total. For the sake of £150m the benefits in allowing people easier access to computers might well outweigh the cost, it's a very difficult thing to quantify but just because something doesn't have an immediately recognisable end product doesn't necessarily make it useless or a waste of money.
 
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