This is what they call research in the public sector...

What better way for our council workers to spend our council tax than to clock up 200,000 miles around the world to pick up tips on increasing bills for homeowners!  At least the trip will pay for itself - though I think I'd rather they'd just stayed at home.  The fact that they have visited Europe, North America, Asia and Australia not only suggest there are a disproportionate amount of bureaucrats with free suntans lying around our council buildings this summer but also that we should expect some pretty hefty and sneaky tax increasing in the coming months or years. 

Anyway, it is nice work if you can get it.  It is reported officials from the Valuation Office Agency have attended conferences and meetings in countries as far a field as Canada, USA, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Spain, France and Belgium at taxpayers' expense.  It does surprise me however, as these countries are all mere amateurs when it comes to taxation compared with the UK.  The Brit councillors are also world leaders at getting freebies too, it seems.  The agency's director of modernisation was a guest at an eight-course dinner in a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur.  Nice.

How about you pen pushing jobworths stop going on world tours with stop offs at the premier holiday destinations on planet earth (Belgian apart), moaning about needing to put up taxes and reduce CO2 emissions and just get on with your jobs.  Whatever that is.