MSE News: Benefits changes may push workers onto the dole

isamog

I have heard a lot of horror storys re the changes..and it is sad that the working Man - Woman are being affected...

dodger1

isamog wrote: »

I have heard a lot of horror storys re the changes..and it is sad that the working Man - Woman are being affected...

I suggest you read the posts above to get the real truth, the MSE article does not give you the facts.

zagfles

isamog wrote: »

I have heard a lot of horror storys re the changes..and it is sad that the working Man - Woman are being affected...

Yes but the stories are probably like this article. Or people misunderstanding that their tax credits falling are mostly due to a change in circumstances rather than a change in the rules.

BigAunty

From memory, there were around 212,000 households with children (so probably around twice that number of kids) potentially affected by the change from having to work 16 hours to 24 hours to qualify for WTC. And to be honest, I'm surprised this number is so low.

Would be interesting to know if most just quietly got on with finding another day's labour or if most struggled and lost their WTC.

Although the article is scare mongering and defective, it still highlights the fact that at the end of the day we live in a high cost/low wage economy and the politicians do little to address issues like high child care, transport and housing costs with the high number of low paid and part-time employment opportunities on offer.

Tax credits are a short-term and pointless sticking plaster to these defects in the taxation, employment and benefit systems. Supplementing part time employment in this way was only likely to engender a culture whereby many households saw it as a work/life balance and felt entitled for one of them to work just part-time while being cushioned from poverty.

Even without the recession, many of these WTC claiming households would struggle to up their hours because of the extra numbers of people being turfed off IB and lone parents off Income Support, the impact of immigration,etc.

50Twuncle

Also - the benefit rules are being tightened - so that most people will only be allowed 6 months claims
So the article should have read "thousands being sent in to Poverty..."
ie Not even JSA !!!

thelawnet

Why do you continue to regurgitate these crappy PA articles?

Either do your own analysis or don't bother.

If it's 'money saving' to give up and go on the dole, say so.

If it's unions playing politics ignore it.

But don't just print these articles, they are of no use to people who come here to learn about 'money saving' and potentially harmful.

BigAunty

21Twinkle wrote: »

Also - the benefit rules are being tightened - so that most people will only be allowed 6 months claims

Not heard of this proposal - link please.

Froggitt

21Twinkle wrote: »

Also - the benefit rules are being tightened - so that most people will only be allowed 6 months claims

If that includes families where not working, and living on benefits, is a way of life, thats a great change. You know the ones.....always featured in documentaries, 6 kids, drinking cans of lager and eating fish and chips, shiny tracksuit, teaching "the system" to their kids once they reach 16.

At the very least, make them work for their benefit.....no more something for nothing......painting fences, picking up litter, digging roads.

asandwhen

Am I missing something. This only affects couples so between them they needs to work 24hrs to get working tax credits.
Thats only 12 hours each per week instead on 8 hours it is called WORKING tax credits after all.

The_MoneySavingKid

tamiami wrote: »

I think the government should stop the retailers from only employing people on less than 16 hour contracts. Asda for instance employ hundreds of staff per store and most only have part time contracts. It's their way of not paying employers national insurance contributions.

No, thanks!
I am student, and do not want the only contracts available to be 16 hours or more. I am happy with my 12 hour contract.