Poor old Gordon Brown; now
even the gardeners who organise the Chelsea Flower Show
want to sink their pitchforks into him. The Royal Horticultural
Society has launched a petition headed: "Let's turn
Brown green" - calling for VAT on all ornamental plants
and seeds to be cut from 17.5pc to 5pc. Inga Grimsey, RHS
director general, panted: "Gordon Brown has already
set a precedent for reducing VAT on goods credited with
'green' status, including wind turbines and solar panels,
but plants and seeds are conspicuous by their absence.
"If every person was given the means to plant up their
garden, window box or patio tubs, just imagine what could
be achieved. Unless more people are encouraged to grow plants,
the Britain that was once known as a nation of gardeners
faces the likelihood of a bleak, brown future." Sadly,
the Greenies have about as much chance as a lily in the
Sahara; this particular tax break would cost the Exchequer
£175m a year.
Carl Icahn has been a busy man of late. What with intervening
at Motorola, BEA Systems, and now Yahoo!, the activist investor
has obviously had too much on his plate to blog. Keen readers
will remember that at the end of January, the $14bn man
promised to thrill the world with his views on corporate
governance and proxy battles. Since then, not a single entry.
Come on Carl - the blogging world needs you. |
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