If you have a piggy bank you’re just asking for bankrupt siblings to steal your money.Can money buy happiness? No, definitely not – you can have all the money in the world, but you can’t buy real friends, or people who really care about you.Do you think you should have to earn your keep? I suppose so. I don’t, though.Have you got a credit card? No, but I have a cash card so I can get my money out of my account. It keeps it safe but it doesn’t stop me spending it.Do you worry about money? Yes, but then everyone does, don’t they?Name your number one object of desire.The things I want can’t be bought, anyway.Do you know what an ISA is? A what? No, I really don’t. Should I know?If you were Gordon Brown, what would you tax to raise more money? I’d tax rich people. Especially rich people who didn’t earn their money themselves, so don’t even deserve it.Should cigarettes be heavily taxed? No, I don’t think it’s fair to exploit what is in many cases an addiction, just for money.Do you trust Gordon Brown with our money? To be honest, I don’t know the first thing about what he’s doing with our money. I don’t have any reason not to trust him, though, I don’t think.Alex Ward, 17 What’s your monthly budget, and it is enough? Allowance! I support my parents with my dot business empire and occasional stock-market speculations If that fails, they give me an allowance of £40 a month.
It’s about as much as I deserve for doing nothing.How do you spend your money? Ninety per cent beer, 10 per cent women, 0 per cent fast cars In all honesty, a fair amount of my money does go on drink. Apart from that, I buy clothes (people tend to complain if I don’t) and CDs, and save.Are you a saver or a spendthrift? I’m 100 per cent a saver, although I rarely have any money left by the time I get to the bank.Can money buy happiness? Up to a point. People tend to be happier if they have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. Above the essentials, no amount of material possessions will ever satisfy you emotionally.Do you think you should have to earn your keep? In general, yes, as long as I don’t feel I’m wasting my time and being distracted from my studies and consequently my future earning potential.
In financial terms, this is called investment.Have you got a credit card? If you can’t scratch a window with it, I don’t accept it.Do you know what an ISA is? An investment savings account. I prefer a fixed-interest capital account offering at least 3 per cent over base rate.Cash or credit? Credit is more convenient, but the interest charge on longer-term borrowing is prohibitive, as suggested by the head of Barclays Bank.If you were Gordon Brown, what would you tax to raise more money? I would tax people for wearing their caps at an angle greater than 15 degrees. This would ensure that townies with too much money have to sell their bling and annoying little cars.Should cigarettes be heavily taxed? Yes. I also think that high tax on petrol is a good idea, as it encourages people to use public transport where they can.Should cigarettes be heavily taxed? We cannot claim that smokers do not know the full extent of the damage that cigarettes can do to their health.
They should take responsibility for what they are doing to themselves and pay for the treatment of smoking-related health issues if their income allows it. Their care should not be considered of equal importance to that of someone who is in bad health through no fault of their own.Do you trust Gordon Brown with our money? Ignorant as I am, I’m relishing my last year of being free of fiscal worries. As a result, Gordon Brown is presently a figure whose policies I know little about.Chris Kidd, 13What’s your monthly budget, and is it enough? £30. My parents put it into my bank account, which I withdraw with my bank card. If I want to withdraw more than £50, I discuss it with my mum.