I object

[ACE2M]

Can someone offer any sort of reasonable argument for why this should continue?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5123580.stm

[Claw75]

In a word - no. 

[matt674]

According to the article the amount works out at an average of 62p per person.

As i'm in one of the lower tax brackets and will probably never catch the likes of Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand in the tax paying stakes then chances are my share is probably somewhere around the region of 10p a year.

To be honest that doesn't even buy me a banana.

The money could be better spent on hospitals and education - but then thats the governments job and they seem to make a pigs ear of that on their own, giving them more money to waste is just as bad as the royals wasting it - but at least the royals manage to generate some money back into our general economy due to tourism which is more than can be said for our politician friends.

[Wardonkey]

I'm no royalist, but I think this is actually quite cheap.

The Royal family spend far more of their own money on things like maintaining historic buildings and hosting events. This money would have to come out of the public purse if we sacked them. Not to mention the money generated by tourism.

On economic grounds the Royal family are excellent value. There are however plenty of idealogical and political arguements for removing them that hold far more water.

[TheWhisper]

We actually make a profit from the Royals.
The Treasury is in receipt of money from the Crown Estate, surrendered by the Queen each year in exchange for Treasury funding

[Rod Paradise]

Where does the private income come from as well - Charles - £14m??? from land he was granted cause he's a royal.

It's not just what we pay (won't add the repainting, policing, etc for their visits).

Waste of money - basic salary is all they should get.

[Trace]

Where does the private income come from as well - Charles - £14m??? from land he was granted cause he's a royal.

It's not just what we pay (won't add the repainting, policing, etc for their visits).

Waste of money - basic salary is all they should get.

Hear Hear - let them live off 12,778 a year like I do     <<<<  crap cos I only work 38 weeks a year btw

[thetank]

Worth every penny for Prince Philip alone.

That guy is gold dust.

[Graham C]

I have no objections to the Royals, they do a lot more for the country than they take back.  Charles did get £14m last year but he also raised over £110m for his charities which is obviously a good thing. 

They do a good job imo and Gawd Bless em

[Rooky9]

62p to have a continuing tradition that has served us well for years seems like decent value to me. PLus £37m wouldnt even scratch the surface of the problems with health and to a lesser extent education.

[ifm]

When you weigh it against the money wasted on red tape by this useless government and the subsidies for the EU then it's fine.
So they take 62p per year, i pay £800 per year council task and i still have to take my bin bags to the end of the street!!

[snoopy1239]

What exactly does the Royal family do?

[booder]

Worth every penny for Prince Philip alone.

That guy is gold dust.

 

[booder]

When you weigh it against the money wasted on red tape by this useless government and the subsidies for the EU then it's fine.
So they take 62p per year, i pay £800 per year council task and i still have to take my bin bags to the end of the street!!

you have bin bags in birmingham?            next thing you will be telling us you have running water and indoor toilets

[Bongo]

I have no objections to the Royals, they do a lot more for the country than they take back.  Charles did get £14m last year but he also raised over £110m for his charities which is obviously a good thing. 

They do a good job imo and Gawd Bless em

I think i'm more inclined to agree with this view. Yes they seem to cost us a fortune but do we get good value from that?

The benefits to our economy from tourism and other royal work are probably worth it.

Taking Charles for example - using rough figures from here and my memory he made £14million profit from his estate last year, paid £3million in tax, raised £110million for charity and attended something like 500 public engagements.

These stories always seem to play up the costs while never mentioning any of the benefits we get from the royals.