There are plenty here who are saying PAYD is a terrible thing, not in my day, eroding etc etc. I'll echo what a few have said and say the troops wanted it!
Rather than saying 'it is cr@p', tell me how you would make it work? Either you pay for everything (which isn't wanted) or you pay for what you consume (which is PAYD). What is your answer?
I have my own thoughts on this, but how would you solve it?