Disappointing - Parliamentary Expenses

[Benny]

http://www.parliamentary-standards.org.uk/SearchFunction.aspx

Nothing I didn't expect. Noticed on the BBC News site today that Liam Fox has claimed as little as 18p for 0.8 of a mile. Either I'm a schmuck as I don't claim half of what I do (can't be bothered, admin overhead and I'm paid quite well) or I'm normal and the politicians really are a despicable waste.

Don't answer that.

[T-Bag]

Personally I don't see what's wrong with it. If he if his car needs to be moved from point A to C via point B which is only 0.8 miles away, then it's claimable. I read the story on BBC and it came across as 'Look at this politician claiming what he's legally entitled to claim...what a prick".

I'd have a bigger problem if it was a sunny day and he decides to drive 0.8 miles instead of walking, regardless of whether he claimed the mileage or not.

[Benny]

And the pens, paper, Netgear Home AV plugs, £450 per night hotels, wifi keyboards, iPad word processing software at £6.99. All fair game right? If it was a privately run organisation, then fair enough, but I pay more than my fair share of tax (more as it seems to fluctuate with the weather and my code never changes) and I don't like the fact that their homes and offices have more than they need. (It's also not a bad gig when you're getting 50p per mile)

The amount of admin for what is a trivial amount is wrong. When you get paid £65k+ you shouldn't be claiming for odds and sods.

[smilodon]

The amount of admin for what is a trivial amount is wrong. When you get paid £65k+ you shouldn't be claiming for odds and sods.

Err yes you should? If you pay for something out of your own pocket to do work for an employer then it's down to the employer to foot the bill. If I as a tax paying member of the electorate, send Liam Fox off to some location on my behalf then I don't see why he should have to pay to get there? Regardless of whether it's a hundred miles or one. The question that the BBC seems to have ignored is at what point is it Ok for him to claim? If we agree that we're going to carefully create a set of rules and allowances about out of pocket expenses and then immediately ignore them, at what arbitrary point should he be allowed to claim? A pound, a fiver, ten quid?

In the bad old days, like many in the private sector, I'm sure MP's would have rounded everything up to the nearest ten miles or so and overclaimed. But as soon as an MP does exactly what we demand he/she does i.e. only claim for what is due and not a penny more, then it's a bit rich if we complain.

[Benny]

and there we have it folks, a difference of opinion. Can I now resort to personal insults like every other forum?

I shall sit, happy in my disagreement and continue to believe that the reimbursement I receive for my job, includes incidentals. That said, I suppose I should pay for my GEA connection at home...perk I suppose. My moral compass, defined by me alone, sits happy on 'sleep at night'.

[albert]

It cost the tax payer many times more for him or his lachy to make the claim in the first place. Give him a fuel card and have done with it.

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[sulky_uk]

its crazy as a civil servant i cant claim for any fuel thats less than 9 miles, but our lords and masters can :ranting2:

and i can only claim for it if its specific job related things and

a) no mil transport is running there
b) the mil cant provide a hire car or mt car
c) i have a form saying both of the above isnt avail

[smilodon]

And here's another thought. It's far from clear if the claim for a few pence was a single claim or just an itemised line on a much larger claim. When I had a proper job I used to claim for parking. I'd claim for 20p here and 50p there. Over the month I'd end up shoving about £20-30 into parking meters and machines. I was quite well paid but I wasn't going to pay those fees out of my own pocket. So I itemised each ticket, regardless of the price and claimed for everything. I also added all the other out of pocket expenses for the month and put in a single claim for £100-200. So while there was an itemised claim for 20p it was bundled into a much larger claim and so admin costs were irrelevant. I assume the BBC has simply picked out a couple of items on a single larger claim and kicked off. Such is the squalid state of our public funded 'news' provider. A story made from nothing.

[Benny]

Young Smilo, you are correct, I've looked at it was a longer day, £30 ish for the day. Doesn't cover the homeplug network gear and wireless keyboard and mouse though

[T-Bag]

I was quite well paid but I wasn't going to pay those fees out of my own pocket. So I itemised each ticket, regardless of the price and claimed for everything. I also added all the other out of pocket expenses for the month and put in a single claim for £100-200. So while there was an itemised claim for 20p it was bundled into a much larger claim and so admin costs were irrelevant.

It doesn't matter how much you're paid, if you're doing something for work then it's refundable. If your boss ever asks you to use your own money for something because he pays you well then that would be unacceptable to me. Sometimes I don't bother claiming because the amounts are so small I don't think it's worth my time, but if I had an accountant every single bit of paperwork would go past him. Doesn't matter to me if it's 8p of £800.

Bigger question as Albert points out, how much did it cost for his accountant to go through his expenses, and who paid that bill. If he's being given a free accountant, while the rest of up are left fending for ourselves, then that's obviously wrong.

[albert]

I claimed for a toll in Thailand once which turned out to be about 8p.

The receipt was metallic embossed and must have cost well more than the toll itself.

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