D Day for Benefits Claimants as "nastiest" party has it's way

ruggedtoast

Generali wrote: »

It's not tenable to have a situation where being on the dole pays better than working.

Considering the dole pays out a massive £56.25 a week; yes I completely agree with you.

Reforming the expectations that the middle and upper classes have, that the working class should be some kind of slave army of working poor, getting just enough money each month to stuff enough food into their mouths to be able go and work again, should be the number 1 priority of this government.

Unfortunately they seem to have decided that giving tax breaks to billionaires and handouts to the affluent, while demonising a group of people who have historically always had very little, is more important.

IzzyFreedman

So will many families have to move today? Or will many of them just take a hit on their quality of life so they can keep living where they are a little longer?

ClaretMatt_2

It's like the Union of Soviet Socialist Money Saving Experts around here!

I'm all for cutting benefits. I'm against child benefits too, except in extreme hardship cases. If you can't afford to raise kids you shouldn't be having kids, I for one don't want to pay for yours

Generali

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Considering the dole pays out a massive £56.25 a week; yes I completely agree with you.

Reforming the expectations that the middle and upper classes have, that the working class should be some kind of slave army of working poor, getting just enough money each month to stuff enough food into their mouths to be able go and work again, should be the number 1 priority of this government.

Unfortunately they seem to have decided that giving tax breaks to billionaires and handouts to the affluent, while demonising a group of people who have historically always had very little, is more important.

According to a benefits calculator I would be able to get the equivalent of £32,000 if I signed on in the UK where I was living before I left. That's the reality of the welfare state in the UK.

If you have kids, working is a mugs game for many in the UK right now. That has to change otherwise as people realize and quit working there'll be not enough people left paying tax to pay for your beloved welfare system.

chucknorris

Generali wrote: »

According to a benefits calculator I would be able to get the equivalent of £32,000 if I signed on in the UK where I was living before I left. That's the reality of the welfare state in the UK.

If you have kids, working is a mugs game for many in the UK right now. That has to change otherwise as people realize and quit working there'll be not enough people left paying tax to pay for your beloved welfare system.

I completely agree with you, the system has to change.

ukcarper

Generali wrote: »

According to a benefits calculator I would be able to get the equivalent of £32,000 if I signed on in the UK where I was living before I left. That's the reality of the welfare state in the UK.

If you have kids, working is a mugs game for many in the UK right now. That has to change otherwise as people realize and quit working there'll be not enough people left paying tax to pay for your beloved welfare system.

But it is unlikely that it will be the people with kids who will be effected by bedroom tax.

Don't forget you would get the majority of those benefits if you were on a low income.

I agree the benefits system is a mess and needs to be changed but the changes need to be though through properly something this government doesn't seem to be able to do.

michaels

What amuses me is that only the BBC are claiming that the reduction in benefits for free spare rooms for council tenants (not private sector HB claimants) is 'unfair'.

I have not heard a single labour politician state this. They have all suggested that there may not be enough smaller properties for people to switch to but I have not heard a single labour politician defend the state paying for spare rooms. So where is the BBC getting its agenda from, trying to give its own idea of 'balance' on an issue where all 3 biggest political parties seem to be in agreement about the principal even if they disagree about the consequences on the ground.

An aside on the 'savings' resulting from this. IF the net result is that the stock is reshuffled between those currently with spare rooms and those currently overcrowded there will be no net saving in rent payments but I still contend that it would be fairer.

The_White_Horse

Generali wrote: »

It's not tenable to have a situation where being on the dole pays better than working.

it is for the lefty. they think the working man should have 90% of his salary taken away so that it can be given to layabouts drinking stella and watching jeremy kyle, who have never worked a day in their lives.

how dare people work. horrible self centred workers, trying to get on and support their families. how dare they pay through the nose for a small 2 bedroom house, when single layabouts are being asked not to take up 4 bedroom houses.

and the worst bit is, these scroungers are now being asked to pay council tax. oh no, the biggest users of the councils money being asked to contribute to it. terrible. booo hisssss to the nasty party. my fault, i didn't realise that it cost the council to take my rubbish away but it was free to the handout grabbing scrounger brigade. why don't i give them my rubbish and the council can collect it for free.

oh yeah, because it isn't free. that's right.

pay your way scroungers - or get NOTHING.

ukcarper

michaels wrote: »

An aside on the 'savings' resulting from this. IF the net result is that the stock is reshuffled between those currently with spare rooms and those currently overcrowded there will be no net saving in rent payments but I still contend that it would be fairer.

But that is not what is going to happen and if it did the savings would be zero and of course most of those 3 beds with one person in will be occupied by pensioners who are not affected.

markharding557

There is nothing wrong with the concept of everyone contributing something to the coffers.
The 'unfairness' in the new council tax benefit system is this: it is 30% in some places and yet almost nothing in others.
The percentage should be the same everywhere, that would make it fair to all.