MSE News: Autumn Budget Statement: Benefits to rise 5.2% with inflation

kdiver

I agree with the rises for pensioners however the JSA, first off I do agree that some people unfortunatley get made redundant etc or develop a disability and therefore the allowances should be means tested, i.e. if you have worked for x no of years consistently your benefit entitlement is higher than those who have been consistently claiming for 12 months plus. The benefit should then be staged down depending on the length of time claimed to the minimum amount required. If people start receiving more than they have put into the system then there should be a minumum allowance in vouchers to cover food, & bills etc. Supermarkets could be encouraged to accept vouchers and maybe offer incentives/extra vouchers for people to shop there and get extra tax releif's for the extra.

The main problem I have with the welfare system is it is unfair. Example, a person who has worked foe 10 years gets made redundant, they have a mortgage to pay along with bills etc etc and they just get basic JSA (and a small proportion of their mortgage interest paid) however somebody who rents will also get rental benefits to cover their home?!? Where is the justice?

If I am mistaken please let me know as I would like this to be wrong and there be more help than I am aware of for those who are unforunate and less help for those who are lazy. (I live in a low income area and know of many people who say it is easier to stay on benefits and have rent/council tax paid and stay at home all day than slog away in a minimum wage job for 40hours and not be that much better off after bills).

rogerblack

MamaMoo wrote: »

Actually, your son will have just had a pay rise, as minimum wage increased in October.
My hubby is on NMW, and his hourly pay has increased from £5.93 to £6.08, which is a rise of around 2.5%. I find it a bit shit that benefits are increasing by more than double the % that NMW is increasing. At least match the % increase for those that are working

Fine.
If this is done on the down-side, as well as on the upside.

If JSA/... matched wage-rises, rather than CPI/RPI, it would be much higher!
Changing the criteria arbitrarily, only in years when it results in high rises means that benefits slip even further behind wages.

[Deleted User]

flight747 wrote: »

Still not enough. Minimum wage should be £7.50 an hour due to high cost of fuel, foods, energy. And high insurance premium tax too.

the standard rate of insurance premium tax is 6%,personally that cost me all of £18 a year

Vincent_Buenisedes

Voucher system would be open to so much abuse. If someone wants fags or booze or anything the benefits bashers think JSA claimants are only interested in, they will get it.

teresa555

I don't understand why so many on this thread look down at unemployed people, the increase would just about buy a pint of milk a day, as for watching jeremy kyle and buying plasma tv's its a joke, i hope if those working lose their job or fall ill through no fault of their own and have to turn to benefits they will see most of us are struggling to pay gas,elec,water,food, fares,and still trying hard to look for work which is almost impossible in most areas,not a life one would choose.

magicstrawberry

I have to resist the urge to wack some peoples heads together for being so ignorant. With a majority of people with these beliefs having never had any experience of what its truly like on a life on benefits.

So I have several conditions that developed through no fault of my own that cause me extreme amounts of pain, even on copious amounts of meds and require me to be at the doctors and hospital alot and now some how I now must receive benefit in the form of vouchers? Its been shown in the states that this creates more victimisation and quiet literally the only reason to implement it is to remind people of their place. This also makes me think of what marvellous people we must have in this country, no humanity.

It wouldn't work either for example I need over the odds in heating which without would make me violently shake, cause significant pain and give rise to possible serious infections. Also for example someone with crohns would need to specialise their food from certain shops.

I mean I get enough stigma because I'm a disabled young person (because we all know no young person gets ill *snark*) with out food stamps. People think its a bed of sunshine being on benefits but I doubt anyone would take the illnesses, pain and disability that comes with it.

[Deleted User]

So that huge rise in benefits will be paid by the few who are left in work getting no rise for years. Total madness... No wonder the UK is just one big council estate...

Mind you I work in the public sector who have no idea of the value of money and just !!!! it up the wall... The stories I could tell but then I'd loose my job you wouldn't believe...

Being qualified as an Accountant [not anymore, crap job] a double dip recession was always going to happen...

magicstrawberry

kdiver wrote: »

I agree with the rises for pensioners however the JSA, first off I do agree that some people unfortunatley get made redundant etc or develop a disability and therefore the allowances should be means tested, i.e. if you have worked for x no of years consistently your benefit entitlement is higher than those who have been consistently claiming for 12 months plus. The benefit should then be staged down depending on the length of time claimed to the minimum amount required. If people start receiving more than they have put into the system then there should be a minumum allowance in vouchers to cover food, & bills etc. Supermarkets could be encouraged to accept vouchers and maybe offer incentives/extra vouchers for people to shop there and get extra tax releif's for the extra.

It would cost more to implement and so people that develop illnesses and disabilities younger should be penalised because of it?

Suarez

woodbine wrote: »

people like you make me laugh,5.2% of nothing is still sod all,this will amount to around £3 a week for an adult on jsa....hardly a fortune is it?

HOWEVER having said that,and being one of the great unwashed/scroungers/backside sitters(take your pick)I would have been happy with 4.5% as inflation will be falling in the new year,after all this govt will borrow more than the last labour govt did

3 quid multiplied by 52.

156 quid a year multiplied by the thousands of people on JSA...

How can you say that's hardly a fortune?

Killmark

MamaMoo wrote: »

Actually, your son will have just had a pay rise, as minimum wage increased in October.
My hubby is on NMW, and his hourly pay has increased from £5.93 to £6.08, which is a rise of around 2.5%. I find it a bit shit that benefits are increasing by more than double the % that NMW is increasing. At least match the % increase for those that are working

As I posted earlier if NMW was uprated the same way as JSA had been over the years it would be at £4.76 instead of £6.08, so in reality NMW is continuing to increase at a faster rate.