The health secretary is introducing curbs on the use of employment agencies, some of which he says are "ripping off" the NHS by charging "extortionate" rates.
In fact, the "property" market described here sounds as extreme, if not more so, than that of London, with extortionate rents, a paucity of social housing (a pitiful 3% of all construction) and, most of all, the use of apartments and houses as investments – it is normal for middleclass Chinese to borrow their way into owning several unoccupied flats, even if they don't have one to live in.
Charging for the use of a road has long antecedents in this country – notably the turnpike trusts, which in their final days were loathed for levying extortionate tolls and which led to the Rebecca riots in south Wales in the late 1830s and early 1840s.
The only thing that appears to unite the Gurkhas is the fact that they all accuse the British government of extortionate visa fees of between £585 to £870 for each veteran and dependent wanting a settlement visa.
Instead of the normal teeth grinding and forking out the extortionate cost of a paper ticket, she informed me nonchalantly that she'd use her bank card.
"People must avoid using these loan sharks as in some extreme cases they've been known to charge extortionate rates of interest and they feel no guilt about their immoral dealings even when it can lead to a life of financial ruin for some families".
With the analyst investigation almost over, Spitzer's officials are now examining other parts of the financial industry, including hedge funds that use their vast purchasing power to influence stock prices, and finance companies that lend to the poor, sometimes at extortionate rates of interest.
Loan sharks, charging extortionate rates of interest, thrive.
One is the extortionate costs of a legal education.
