Universal Credits - Self Employed

plum2002

Mine are all past the nursery stage now, but what I would love to see is free nursery places from the point maternity leave ends up to school age, plus free breakfast and afterschool clubs - but ONLY for offspring of working parents. Throwing money at people in the form of Tax credits 'to make work pay' clearly hasn't worked, making it possible for parents to work seems a much better way to me. No child benefit and no child tax credits.

MissMoneypenny

plum2002 wrote: »

what I would love to see is free nursery places from the point maternity leave ends up to school age, plus free breakfast and afterschool clubs - but ONLY for offspring of working parents. .

Why can't you pay for your own children? It's what we use to do and we went without in other areas i.e. holidays, extra car, latest gadget.

Now, parents expect employers to fit around their children and other people to pay for their childrens nursery and after school clubs! How did this mentality creep in?

plum2002

I do pay for my children thanks!! What i was saying was that free child care for working parents 'might' be a better way than throwing money at people! We've never received tax credits ever, and since returning from living overseas I haven't re-opened the child benefit claim so I don't get benefits from the public purse at all.

MissMoneypenny

plum2002 wrote: »

What i was saying was that free child care for working parents 'might' be a better way than throwing money at people!

Or they could plan before they have children so they can pay for their own life choices? There is very little state money to throw.

I'm all for giving a small tax break for those parents that work a full week, but not for others picking up the tab for the children they chose to have!

Having children should be because the parents wanted them; planned for them; are prepared to sacrifice their own lifestyle and go without for them: it should not be about expecting others to give you everything to you because you have children.

plum2002

I actually agree with you, BUT, I do think that if a good work ethic is installed in the next generation - ie they see their parents working to afford a decent life, then they will work - after all we need them to in order to pay for our pensions

MissMoneypenny

plum2002 wrote: »

I actually agree with you, BUT, I do think that if a good work ethic is installed in the next generation - ie they see their parents working to afford a decent life, then they will work - after all we need them to in order to pay for our pensions

Not that old chestnut about needing to pay for all those children whose parents can't be bothered to go without for them, because we need children from those families to pay for our pensions. Where do you think all the next lot of muggers, burglars and long term welfare claimants are going to come from? The next generation of parents who also want someone else to pay x for their children, so they don't have to go without something themselves?

State pensions are from age 68 now; up from 60 for women. Expect that age to go higher. You should be saving for your own pension and private healthcare in old age; but that doesn't mean that you should be saving for that by getting others to provide for free things for the children you chose to have.

dktreesea

plum2002 wrote: »

I do pay for my children thanks!! What i was saying was that free child care for working parents 'might' be a better way than throwing money at people! We've never received tax credits ever, and since returning from living overseas I haven't re-opened the child benefit claim so I don't get benefits from the public purse at all.

For people who pay income tax, the child benefit isn't a "benefit"; it's a tax rebate. If you are entitled to a tax rebate you should claim it. It can go towards your chidcare. That's what it's there for; for lower income families to be able to fund the things their children need.

dktreesea

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Or they could plan before they have children so they can pay for their own life choices? There is very little state money to throw.

I'm all for giving a small tax break for those parents that work a full week, but not for others picking up the tab for the children they chose to have!

Having children should be because the parents wanted them; planned for them; are prepared to sacrifice their own lifestyle and go without for them: it should not be about expecting others to give you everything to you because you have children.

Once you are earning enough to pay income tax, isn't anything you get for your children a tax rebate? It only becomes a benefit, as in something paid to you by other taxpayers, if your income tax is insufficient to cover the amount of rebate you get.

plum2002

I returned to the UK in August, the reason I haven't re-opened the claim is that shortly I won't get it anyway, I earn too much. Incidently whilst overseas I was working on contract to the British Government, paid here, paid taxes and NI here, office and house on crown soil, not allowed to claim CB during that time, never had tax credits Won't get a state pension when retirement age comes. Huge overpayment of taxes for which I won't get a rebate because I was living overseas, but couldn't claim non-dom as working for UK gov - lovely loophole. And yet still believe those less fortunate financially should have help - unlike those that got married tax allowance (we had that for one year before it was abolished) child benefit all through their childrens childhood and now want to pull up the drawbridge for those after them.

MissMoneypenny

plum2002 wrote: »

Won't get a state pension when retirement age comes.

The rules have now changed and you can get part of a state pension if you don't make the 30 years, even if you only pay in for a year.

Before, you had to have paid at least 10 years in to get a partial state pension and needed 39 years for women and 44 years for men to get a full state pension.

I believe you can also buy back some years for any years you didn't pay NI, but the pension board will be able to advise you on that.

plum2002 wrote: »

- unlike those that got married tax allowance (we had that for one year before it was abolished) child benefit all through their childrens childhood and now want to pull up the drawbridge for those after them.

If that was aimed at me; we didn't. We got it for 8 years and never claimed tax credits either. Does that make you feel better? There is nothing wrong with paying for your own childrens after school clubs and cutting back on your own treats to do this for your children. If you aren't happy about paying for them, then why did you have them?

The state is now providing free nusery places for x number of hours a week, for children that are age 3(?). Something they didn't do before but it is right we do this. Too many children were missing out on this vital piece of early socialisation as too many parents didn't want to spend their childs benefit money on their child.