麻豆约拍

Today's budget day!听听I will, of course, be glued to my radio, but that鈥檚 just because of an accident this morning with some evo-stick鈥μ�听Anyway, every year we all want to know "What's in it for me?"听We all fear what The Two Ronnies once joked about, 鈥淭he government is about to introduce听a new three part tax form - what have you听earned, what have you spent, send us the rest!鈥澨鼴ut isn't it funny that so many of us resent paying taxes and yet every year when Children in Need, for example, comes around we give so much.听听听Maybe it's just that "running the country" is very hard to imagine, while a starving child or a community project right there on our screens we can understand much more easily.听听

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Of course, through tax we help those at the bottom of the pile, here and abroad.听听But we鈥檙e still not terribly keen on paying it. I keep coming back to听what Jesus said about love, he didn't say "love the world" or 鈥渓ove the whole country.鈥澨�听He said, "love your neighbour."听听听Through tax I help with the NHS, I support the poorest, I even help with the climate emergency - Cop 26 is about to start just up the road from me - tax is one way to love my neighbour. But I听can do stuff on my own to help:听I can stop fighting with those whose views aren鈥檛 the same as mine, I can help the family next door, give stuff away.听听听Budgets are for the big picture 鈥� but I believe love is for the person you see beside you.听听

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So, I reckon every day can be a budget day, where I remind myself to budget my time, my care and my money for others. Today, however, like most, I鈥檒l still be wondering what鈥檚 in it for me 鈥� and I personally will be especially looking at tax on鈥�.booze.听听It raises so much tax I tell myself that I should drink more - it's patriotic!听听And it is 鈥� my eyeballs end up red white and blue!