What cuts are you prepared to personally suffer to repay the deficit?

beecher2

carolt wrote: »

All fair points - but you cannot call me greedy and selfish for not wanting to give up cash without being prepared to give up cah yourself.

I take it you have no plans to draw down your state pension when it is due, and plan to repay the full costs of all your education, binmen and all other council cleaning services, roadworks, etc etc plus the child benefit your mother received for you?

If not, then you have/will benefit from public money whether you admit it or not.

So cough up.

Some people have benefited less from public money than others, while some people do not need their benefits as much as others. It is unfair to think that everyone should give up a benefit just because you have to. Not everyone's calling you greedy or selfish either - maybe time to take a step back and try to see this in context?

FATBALLZ

Not a cut as such but as mentioned by other people I'd be perfectly happy for VAT to be raised, somewhere in the region of 30% for general items would be fine. It's more or less an optional tax so I can't see the complaint.

silvercar

carolt wrote: »

I take it you have no plans to draw down your state pension when it is due, and plan to repay the full costs of all your education, binmen and all other council cleaning services, roadworks, etc etc plus the child benefit your mother received for you?

If not, then you have/will benefit from public money whether you admit it or not.

So cough up.

Does anyone seriously think that children should repay the child benefit their mother received? Surely its for parents to decide whether to claim a benefit and no-one seriously thinks they should repay this?

carolt

silvercar wrote: »

Personally, my business has been effected by the recession so profits down= income down, so I've taken my cut. That with the increased VAT that I'll pay, I hope that I don't suffer further cuts.

The only benefit that I've received in the last decade or more is child benefit, I'm happy for that to go (but tbh it was probably going not long after April 2013 anyway). If I don't receive any other benefits there is nothing to cut.

Carol, you are clearly not happy to lose child benefit, so what are you prepared to sacrifice?

Good question.

Wel, I have already sacrificed about £500/year child tax credit.

Those looking for when I protested loudly about that will be disappointed - I didn't, as I strongly dislike the whole tax credit system and was prepared to lose that money in the greater good - because I could afford to lose that money. Not comfortably, but I could make £500 of savings.

Making savings of £2500 in after-tax income is another matter entirely - particularly galling due its method of implementation, by which couples whose take-home pay is much, much larger (nearly double) would not suffer due to arbitrary decisions to base the benefit on one income only.

Alan_Cross

carolt wrote: »

I agree with your principle - but unfortunately was not asked whether or not I personally felt responsible for the financial crisis and whether I wanted my hard-earned taxes to go on bailing out the banks so that bankers like Generali could trouser huge bonuses (announced today - an average £70,000 bonus this year on top of salary for every one of the 100,000 employees who work in the City - just to put the child benefit into context).

I also was not asked whether I wanted my child benefit payment removed.

I am being ever so nice in asking people to name their sacrifice of choice - I didn't gt that luxury.

Indeed not.

And I think we can confidently predict that the Tory government will not consult you when, apparently, you are already doing their job for them by swallowing their 'everyone together' (as if), cuts agenda.

Why should they bother preaching to the apparently already converted?

silvercar

carolt wrote: »

I am being ever so nice in asking people to name their sacrifice of choice - I didn't gt that luxury.

Come on Carol, what is your sacrifice of choice?

carolt

FATBALLZ wrote: »

That's not a fair argument, if somebody has always contributed their fair share or more and withdrawn their fair share or less at all times I think they are perfectly entitled to label as greedy/selfish anyone who doesn't contribute enough or takes out more than they reasonably should.

No they're not - I also pay taxes, and we certainly contribute far more in taxes than we get in benefits...

It's all those who say we can easily afford to lose it - I'd like everyone to follow that principle through and all those like Hamish who earn far more than they need should therefore announce how they're going to share that more fairly.

Really2

carolt wrote: »

Good question.

Wel, I have already sacrificed about £500/year child tax credit.

You never gave it up did you, it was cut.

You claim CTC as well and you earn over £50K a year as a family.

Carol I would give this up!
Your idea of giving is people not giving you as much.:eek:

carolt

silvercar wrote: »

Come on Carol, what is your sacrifice of choice?

I said - I've already made one in terms of losing child tax credit.

I suppose I'd like to see VAT on luxuries rise higher, as that would affect those who buy unnecessary luxuries most. Obviously, though, I'd want that to coincide with a reorganisation of the existing illogical VAT system, which classes as luxuries many items that really aren't.

That way, if I choose to buy luxuries then I wil be taxed more - seems fair and will hit the genuinely poor least.

carolt

silvercar wrote: »

Does anyone seriously think that children should repay the child benefit their mother received? Surely its for parents to decide whether to claim a benefit and no-one seriously thinks they should repay this?

No, I don't seriously think they should do this but nor do I think child benefit should be cut full stop.

If you genuinely think it is wrong that the childless should pay towards those with childen, then I think you should follow through logically.