*Loathe* them? What harm do they do? Yes,they get lots of taxpayers' money...but it can't come to much more than 5 or 10 pounds per taxpayer per year.IMO,if you want to look at it from a "value for money" standpoint I'll bet that the Queen,due to her "image" and notoriety,brings more money (specifically,tourist money) into the British economy than they take in the form of paychecks from the government purse.
OK, GSC, I am with UKrepublican on this one. No person in a republic has the right to “just 5 or 10” quid just for being who they are. That is taxation by royal right. Until relatively recently, the monarch was not required to pay taxes. This goes back to sovereign law, where the sovereign cannot tax itself. Rex Gratia Dei is no longer the law, and Dinero Gracia Dei (for my Spanish speaking friends) should not be the law either.
Given everything the more recent generation of royals have done (including the drugs/sex scandal tied to an blackmail attempt thwarted by Scotland Yard), having these folks with their hands in your pocket is ... well ... un-American.
UKrepublican for PM!
Like I said they take my money,
I don’t carw HOW much it is - it could be once singly penny for all I care.
The point is, they are an unelected head of state.
I have no personal gripe - mostly they are decent people, and I have much admiration for those in the royal family that have served their country. It is a sign of real personal class.
HOWEVER my issue is with the institution of the monarchy. It is outdated. Sure foreigners love it, but I don’t care, I believe in complete democracy, and while my tax money is paying for them to live a life of luxury, I won’t be satisfied.