The broads pound

[Wonderwall]

Financial expert I certainly am not.

I have recently wondered if this is a viable idea, let me know what you think , or more probably the huge elephant in the room I'm not seeing!!!

Many people holiday outside the uk. Spending billions I would imagine on flights, hotels, eating and drinking, and all different types of activities. All taking much needed cash and ultimately employment and wealth from our purse.

If let's say you purchase a family cruiser in peak season for £2000 , the government could give you a rebate of say 500 " broads pounds " which could be spent in participating businesses in the leisure , food and drink industry. They maybe then receive 90 pence in the pound from the government when cashed back in.

That's all maybe a bit simplistic, but surely everyone's a winner?

More boat yards , more moorings, more pubs and restaurants , more entertainment venues would be encouraged to invest in the area.

No doubt it has been trialled elsewhere, but I'm not aware of it.

What do you think folks? What glaring fault am I missing?

[jeffbroadslover]

Hi Wonderwall,

 

At first I thought this an interesting idea, but then I thought "How many people are going to pay £2000 for a holiday on the broads then go somewhere out of the area if they want to buy a paper or a pint?"

 

 

Jeff

[Soundings]

Not sure I understand, Wonderwall  . I hire a boat for £2k and I pay that money to the boatyard, yes? So where does the good old UK Gov get the money to underpin the Broads Pounds and why would profitable businesses want to sell their products at a discount?

[dnks34]

Sounds like a perfectly good idea to me aslong as at the same time they put on free flights to Faliraki in the hope all the numpties go there instead

[SteveO]

I  would put our expecting the UK Government (a.k.a the taxpayer) to subsidise our holidays in almost the same league as Johnny Richb*stard expecting the Government (a.k.a. the great British public) to pick up the tab for dredging his private Broad.

 

Good luck if you can get away with it.

 

 

Steve

[Wonderwall]

Hi Wonderwall,

 

At first I thought this an interesting idea, but then I thought "How many people are going to pay £2000 for a holiday on the broads then go somewhere out of the area if they want to buy a paper or a pint?"

 

 

Jeff

It might encourage them to come here in the first place. Or eat and drink aboard rather than pay pub prices.

I did say it was a flawed suggestion

[Wonderwall]

Not sure I understand, Wonderwall  . I hire a boat for £2k and I pay that money to the boatyard, yes? So where does the good old UK Gov get the money to underpin the Broads Pounds and why would profitable businesses want to sell their products at a discount?

I repeat I am no money whizz kid!!!

The government would receive a pay back in tax and vat on otherwise money not spent here at all.

Nobody would be forced into the scheme, but 90% of 500 is better than 0% of 0 ?

The area ( well the whole british holiday resort) could do with a shot in the arm of some kind.

Just a crazy ill thought idea!!!

[Soundings]

This is a free economy and no Govt is going to subsidise uk business. If , say, Broads boatyards want to encourage visitors then they will have to drop their own prices and therefore increase competition - it is not for the Govt to give some sort of cash back. As for spending the "tokens",  90% of 500 might be better than nothing (if it does not create a loss) but it is not better than 100% and if a business is achieving that why would it want to take less.

 

In any event people go abroad because they get some sun. I for one would not spend £2000 on a holiday in England that is totally reliant on our weather. Look at the last week! 

I do take your point about the UK holiday industry, but the weather here is just not reliable enough and overseas breaks are not expensive (comparatively). There are though some holiday centres that do quite well I believe - like London where there is plenty to do in the rain  

 

Tradition is that Govt stimulate business areas via tax breaks and the like which achieves the same objective that you are after. That IMO is not going to happen given the economic climate and the fact that UK holidays are just not so popular now that cheap package deals are the norm.

 

Anyway the Broads are busy enough at this time of year!

[Wonderwall]

This is a free economy and no Govt is going to subsidise uk business. If , say, Broads boatyards want to encourage visitors then they will have to drop their own prices and therefore increase competition - it is not for the Govt to give some sort of cash back. As for spending the "tokens",  90% of 500 might be better than nothing (if it does not create a loss) but it is not better than 100% and if a business is achieving that why would it want to take less.

 

In any event people go abroad because they get some sun. I for one would not spend £2000 on a holiday in England that is totally reliant on our weather. Look at the last week! 

I do take your point about the UK holiday industry, but the weather here is just not reliable enough and overseas breaks are not expensive (comparatively). There are though some holiday centres that do quite well I believe - like London where there is plenty to do in the rain  

 

Tradition is that Govt stimulate business areas via tax breaks and the like which achieves the same objective that you are after. That IMO is not going to happen given the economic climate and the fact that UK holidays are just not so popular now that cheap package deals are the norm.

 

Anyway the Broads are busy enough at this time of year!

You make very sensible points, but the uk gov do subsidy other industries. Many many others. The broads is only busy for 6 weeks a year.

You only have to look around the pubs which are no longer there to come to the conclusion that something needs to be done before it's terminal.

The broads without holidaymakers would be a very grim place IMO .

The idea would not be specific to only the broads of course. Many companies large and small need a helping hand. Not handouts, a help.

[dnks34]

I can think of one industry that's heavily subsided, bus and coach companies recieve hefty fuel subsidies, I imagine haulage does to?

Without these subsidies these businesses might not be viable either.

The Broads would not be such a Grim place without holiday makers, yes it might affect the purse strings but a lot of people do still live here and make lives!!

[JanetAnne]

Would the government not be able to finance such a scheme from the money it would save by not paying benefits to those that would be now employed in the area as a result of the scheme?

 

Simples...

[JanetAnne]

The broads without holidaymakers would be a very grim place IMO .

 

Here here!

[Viking23]

Rather that the government put money into such areas, quite the opposite has happened in Great Yarmouth.

Great Yarmouth Council have had to make cuts in their spending, one of the targeted areas for cost saving has been the reduction of rubbish collection in many Broadland areas.

This can only have a negative effect on tourism, and has been discussed many times on the Broads forums.

[Hockham Admiral]

I think that, to some extent, any suggestion that any government will subsidise holidays is rather pie-in-the-sky....

[ranworthbreeze]

The Broads would not be such a Grim place without holiday makers, yes it might affect the purse strings but a lot of people do still live here and make lives!!

 

Hi Dan,

The Broads would be a very lean place to live without the tourist revenue, be they on land or on boats.

Without the boat hire companies it would be doutfull that other boat users would be able to afford their passion, service companies would struggle or may go out of business.

I wonder how many jobs are involved in the Broads boat hire companies and the companies that service them?  

Would Pubs and shops remain open? more than likely the river based ones would close.

 

Regards

Alan

[Soundings]

Would the government not be able to finance such a scheme from the money it would save by not paying benefits to those that would be now employed in the area as a result of the scheme?

 

Simples...

I think the employment bit would be better if there were not so many non-locals employed by some of the service providers here. And I am not prepare to expand on that in open forum

[Soundings]

I really would to see the tourism numbers and just how much comes from the Broads and how much from the the likes of Cromer and the North norfolk area. The season is very short and riverside pubs are struggling anyway - the only one's that do not are those that can muster some local support.

 

In any event it is not for the Govt to fund business. It either washes its own face or goes belly up. That is the way of the capitalist world and whilst it is not always nice I cannot think of a better system. To be honest it is all this building that is probably going to help the pubs more than the holiday traffic - there are more pubs than just the riverside ones and they are struggling also.

 

Yarmouth is an awful place. Could be great but probably needs knocking down and starting again. I hear the inner harbour is up for sale as it has not realised its potential. Was that not a local authority funded initiative? 

[Soundings]

And paying working persons Tax Credits to people paid minimum wage by Multi National companies that declare tens of Millions of Pounds profit isn't subsidising business?

 

Dave

Yes it is indirectly I suppose. The company pays a wage and people are willing to work for it. That is choice, although I accept that the employees concerned are probably, for what ever reason, restricted in the type of job available to them. Understandably some believe the answer might be to set the minimum wage higher but the probability is that these companies would not employ them at the higher wage - thus the tax payer helps balance the books by making a contribution to the the employee not the company. The alternative is the low earners end up unemployed and the bill to the tax payer increases. I know which I prefer.

 

We must not forget that these multi -million pound companies (that are usually global) pay a not inconsiderable amount of tax. Make the environment hostile and those that are global are likely to up sticks and re-domicile themselves.

 

In any event it is not just the "big boys" that pay a minimum wage. Many much smaller holiday businesses do as well, so it across the spectrum.

[Soundings]

If you believe that you will believe anything. They will find other ways, the really big outfits are already doing that by outsourcing to third world countries. Globalisation changes the drivers significantly. It also impacts on marginal (small companies) and if you push the wage up too much they will fold. That means the jobs will be lost altogether and that really will cost the taxpayer - it is a fine line and I think the Govt has got it just about right.

 

Political persuasion apart, I do not think the Govt necessarily owes people a living and nor do companies. I do believe Govt should help those that are genuinely disadvantaged. Companies on the other hand are for profit organisations and they are funded by shareholders. It is proper that those companies should do what is right for their owners.

 

In addition, the British public do not help. We all want things as cheaply as possible and that drives prices down. Profits still have to be made so the only way to reduce prices is to reduce costs by a corresponding amount. 

 

We all tend to think taxpayers are the individuals that wander around the shops, work for companies etc., but corporates are also tax payers. They contribute also. That is capitalism and it is also modern socialism.

[Wussername]

Is this political debate really in the interest of The Broads and this forum in particular?

[ranworthbreeze]

Guys,

If you want to talk politics go to an appropriate forum or just send PM's between yourselves.

Regards

Alan

[Soundings]

Don't think it is, or was, politics so much as economics, Alan. But yes I think I need to butt out of a socialist environment. I am probably right of Gengis Khan and have no truck with Daily Mail politics or its interpretation of the real world. 

 

Welcome to capitalism guys. Get used to it or emigrate to somewhere where it is better!

[Wonderwall]

Don't think it is, or was, politics so much as economics, Alan. But yes I think I need to butt out of a socialist environment. I am probably right of Gengis Khan and have no truck with Daily Mail politics or its interpretation of the real world. 

 

Welcome to capitalism guys. Get used to it or emigrate to somewhere where it is better!

You've not exactly covered yourself in glory with that quote.

[Soundings]

I am only saying it as it is. Nothing is going to change materially - if it does the beers are on me (if the pubs are not all closed)

[JanetAnne]

The season is very short...

Back in the day the average season for a hire boat was 20 to 22 weeks. I think Hoseasons used to guarantee 18 weeks to yards within their 'fleet'. At 25 weeks (and thats a hard season for us boats, believe me) our owners would start to celebrate.

 

Is the season now really so short? The year seems to have just as many days in it as in the old days....