Society & Culture1 min ago
Richard Branson Space Flight
53 Answers
He aims to be in suborbital space for four minutes. This will cost approx £434 million. I know it is his money and he can do what he likes with it but I can’t help feeling how this sort of money would pay for new hospitals, new prisons, etc in this country and so much more instead of an idiotic flight which will achieve nothing. What a plonker.
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//Since 2010, the UK Government have given £2Billion to Branson’s Virgin HealthCare company to carry out NHS work.
And Virgin HealthCare hasn’t paid a penny in Corporation tax.//
A few matters arise from that:
1. The sum represents about 0.2% (and probably less than that) of the NHS budget over the last ten years.
2. I doubt that Virgin Health Care makes more of a dog's breakfast when providing its services than the NHS does when providing those services directly.
3. All companies and individuals have a duty to reduce their tax bills to the absolute minimum. I assume VHC's tax matters were legitimate so if the government wants to extract more money from them it will have to change the tax laws.
And Virgin HealthCare hasn’t paid a penny in Corporation tax.//
A few matters arise from that:
1. The sum represents about 0.2% (and probably less than that) of the NHS budget over the last ten years.
2. I doubt that Virgin Health Care makes more of a dog's breakfast when providing its services than the NHS does when providing those services directly.
3. All companies and individuals have a duty to reduce their tax bills to the absolute minimum. I assume VHC's tax matters were legitimate so if the government wants to extract more money from them it will have to change the tax laws.
Nobody should be voluntarily paying more tax than they need- that makes no sense.
But maybe it shouldn't be voluntary. The biggest difference seems to be to mid/ high earners. But this is ultra-high.
If I ever got to a point where I was willing and happy to spend £434m on a little adventure for myself, I would either be having serious words with myself- or sincerely hope that someone else does.
But maybe it shouldn't be voluntary. The biggest difference seems to be to mid/ high earners. But this is ultra-high.
If I ever got to a point where I was willing and happy to spend £434m on a little adventure for myself, I would either be having serious words with myself- or sincerely hope that someone else does.
//"there's nowt there!"
Ah, but there is! The first company to find a practical method for harvesting the resources in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will be wealthy beyond belief.//
There are untold resources going begging on Earth in remote parts of Asia & under the icecaps that are too expensive to extract. The asteroid belt seems a step too far!
Ah, but there is! The first company to find a practical method for harvesting the resources in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will be wealthy beyond belief.//
There are untold resources going begging on Earth in remote parts of Asia & under the icecaps that are too expensive to extract. The asteroid belt seems a step too far!
//Didn't Chuck Yeager do this sort of thing about 50 years ago.?//
Not quite, webbo.
Chuck Yeager was the first pilot to break the sound barrier in 1947 in his Bell X1 rocket plane. He then went on raise the record speed to Mach 2.44 by 1953. In 1959 NASA began a programme with its North American X15 rocket plane (as I mentioned in my earlier post). A dozen pilots (including Neil Armstrong) carried our 199 flights between 1959 and 1968. It reached a speed of 4,520mph (Mach 6.7) and a height of 67.0 miles (107.8km).
Not quite, webbo.
Chuck Yeager was the first pilot to break the sound barrier in 1947 in his Bell X1 rocket plane. He then went on raise the record speed to Mach 2.44 by 1953. In 1959 NASA began a programme with its North American X15 rocket plane (as I mentioned in my earlier post). A dozen pilots (including Neil Armstrong) carried our 199 flights between 1959 and 1968. It reached a speed of 4,520mph (Mach 6.7) and a height of 67.0 miles (107.8km).
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