Benefits for the well off

[HeyWayne]

Nothing in this world seems fair if we personally are on the wrong side, so to speak. Swings and roundabouts comes to mind.

Swings and roundabouts will soon be means tested if the communists get their way - the rest of us will have to provide our own.

[stupot]

One half of my street is new housing given over to the council. The other half, like me, paid through the nose for a house in the over-crowded South East. All my neighbours are lovely, apart from the odd bad egg. I go to my local pub occassionally and its not full of the mortgage payers- most are either too careful with their cash or its streched too far by the mortgage. My neighbours from the council house end are always flush, some are in the pub 2-3 times a week, spending £40-50 a night. Its a little bit sickening that they live in a bigger house than mine for almost free (though I suppose at one point I will own the house for what that's worth!). one of my neighbours boast how well they do off the system. Does make me think, what's the point?

That aside as I said they are nice people and good for laugh on a night out.

[organic]

Yet more evidence that the system just does not work.
At least those who "gain" the most are also paying in the most.

The thing that really sickens me is when topics like this and tax cuts come around, people always talk about the rich or the middle class being "given more money" (my local MP said exactly that in a recent "newsletter" [propaganda sheet] he sent around) which is a truly disgusting view. They are not being GIVEN more, they are having less TAKEN AWAY.


"Why should I work? If I get a job I lose benefits X and Y so would need to be working full time and on more than minimum wage to cover the loss I make. If I stay on benefits I can keep doing what I do and not be any worse off."
Quoting a personal friend.

Many benefits are a DISincentive to work, others are an incentive to breed like rabbits.

Seeing people who work hard pay for their own way in old age and people who did nothing but sponge getting the exact same in old age FOR FREE is sickening and morally bankrupt.

Personally I prefer the "libertarian" way. Anyone who's currently reliant or built their finances based on state support should be supported. Anyone who is NOT YET reliant should never have that "opportunity". From school age people should be taught to build for the future and take responsibility for their own finances, security and welfare.

Unfortunately it will be a long time before there's any chance of me voting for someone to represent my views (and the sound ones that encourage society to do better) but you never know... one day we might get a genuinely liberal (contrast: "socialist") government - that'll be a happy day for all but spongers and predators.

Reliance on the state is a disgusting thing to encourage.

[pigletwillie]

I quite agree, a lot of flack is aimed at those who bothered at school and got good jobs and hence a better rate of pay. Why should you be penalised for hard work, and in my mind, having to pay 40 or 50% tax is being penalised.

Being from humble origins, yes I was born in a council house along with 4 siblings and we have all moved up the social ladder by taking the opportunity of education, running with it and getting a well paid job. It really p@sses me off to see the slackers I went to school with having more disposable income than me when they dont work or do work but get a very healthy "top up" from the state. For being bothered I pay a higher rate of tax and have to pay for things like perscriptions and the dentist and hence am worse off.

Perhaps we should remove tax all together and just increase VAT to a level that compensates for the tax loss.

We save billions on collecting tax
We wipe out the black ecomomy
And the guardian readers will be happy cos if you earn more, you spend more, so pay more, if you earn less, you spend less and pay less.

[petal]

This is a tricky one. What benefits ?????- we certainly don't get any and seem to live hand to mouth?!!!- working our backsides off into the bargain whilst others get free housing, free prescriptions, free this, free that..... I would rather have my self worth - I am proud that I have worked hard to get my education and to set an example to my children, benefits? what are they?

[MrsC]

How can you get family credit (maybe I've read this wrong?) and earn 35k a year? We get nothing and certainly don't even earn nowhere near that amount and we are both working?

[Alison]

Benefits will never be fair, there will always be somebody somewhere who abuses them and cases where many of will think that somebody should or should not be entitled. Me and OH are fortunate enough to earn pretty well and are able to afford our bills without too much worry. We however don't want to live an extravagent lifestyle and have no need for expensive holidays / nights out as we prefer a quieter life. I have been lucky enough that I've never had to claim for anything and don't suffer from ill health. Furthermore, we have made the positive decision not have have kids so are never going to claim maternity, paternity, child benefit, child education etc etc yet pay for these for others. However, that's how it works and I'm very glad that we have a safety net in place in this country, even though it is flawed in many ways, not to have it would be far worse.

[Capsid]

How can you get family credit (maybe I've read this wrong?) and earn 35k a year? We get nothing and certainly don't even earn nowhere near that amount and we are both working?

I think this happens where one of the parents does not work. So the beneft is in recompense for not taking a lot more money (and a pension) through employment. The idea being to maintain the family unit.

[Pies]

How can you get family credit (maybe I've read this wrong?) and earn 35k a year? We get nothing and certainly don't even earn nowhere near that amount and we are both working?

Just read down at some of the examples,you'll see the amount of earnings people make and are still entitled to benefits.As i said i have no problem with people claiming what they are entitled to,but I think the system is wrong to allow them

HM Revenue & Customs: Interaction of tax credits and childcare vouchers

[Pies]

P.S dont forget the tax office doesn't normally tell you what you are entitled to,you need to apply.To check if your entitled to anything check here

Benefits Check Up: 5 mins to get what you're entitled to...

Its fairly simple and accurate

[MrsC]

Thanks for the links, we are entitled to nothing, and earn way, way less combined than 35k and pay childcare costs

[Hilary B]

Yet more evidence that the system just does not work.
At least those who "gain" the most are also paying in the most.

The thing that really sickens me is when topics like this and tax cuts come around, people always talk about the rich or the middle class being "given more money" (my local MP said exactly that in a recent "newsletter" [propaganda sheet] he sent around) which is a truly disgusting view. They are not being GIVEN more, they are having less TAKEN AWAY.


"Why should I work? If I get a job I lose benefits X and Y so would need to be working full time and on more than minimum wage to cover the loss I make. If I stay on benefits I can keep doing what I do and not be any worse off."
Quoting a personal friend.

Many benefits are a DISincentive to work, others are an incentive to breed like rabbits.

Seeing people who work hard pay for their own way in old age and people who did nothing but sponge getting the exact same in old age FOR FREE is sickening and morally bankrupt.

Personally I prefer the "libertarian" way. Anyone who's currently reliant or built their finances based on state support should be supported. Anyone who is NOT YET reliant should never have that "opportunity". From school age people should be taught to build for the future and take responsibility for their own finances, security and welfare.

Unfortunately it will be a long time before there's any chance of me voting for someone to represent my views (and the sound ones that encourage society to do better) but you never know... one day we might get a genuinely liberal (contrast: "socialist") government - that'll be a happy day for all but spongers and predators.

Reliance on the state is a disgusting thing to encourage.

I can agree with a lot of that!

[Two_Sheds]

The Emergency Budget

I think these benefits will soon be subject to means-testing

Well I was wrong: child benefit is to be frozen for 3 years, but not means-tested. Presumably because it will cost as much to do the means-testing (forms, staff, bureaucracy, whatever) as to just pay it to everyone.

There's a new medical/interview for new disability claimants as of next year. I don't know how that will differ from the one you already have to have?

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Well Mr Frosty is happy (makes a change) Personal tax allowance increases from next year so he will no longer pay tax on his pension. Doubt if it'll make any difference to me - isn't NI contributions due to increase? They give with one hand and they take away with the other

[lindyloo]

it would just be fairer and cheaper to admin. if they would just do what i keep saying: up the minumum wage to about £12- £15 per hour and then pay the companies a "benefit" so they can afford to pay the wage at that level. they will never solve the benefit system, if they dont get wages inline with mortgages and rents. and the new tax threshhold is a joke- s, you are £200 pounds a year better off if you are a low earner, and then if they increase vat, everything will go up anyway, soon gobbling it up.

around here you would be lucky to rent an average house for £885 per month, and purchase costs are in line with that high rate, too. yet most ordinary jobs around here are paid at the minimum wage or just above it, which means that poor people are proportionately far worse off, than they were in edwardian times!

one thing i cant understand, though is where they dig up the people that they interview, when they talk about people being better off on benefits- something i saw on the news a vcouple of weeks ago- the woman was getting disability allowance, and then child and tax credits on top + housing, which brought her up to 24k per year. surely if you are disabled, and in need of the allowance, you shouldnt be working? i mean, it should be one or the other, surely.

as to child benefit, well- i have known people, in the past , who have thier kids in private school, and the child benefit pays the cleaner!! and to be honest, i dont think that is right.