david cameron and tax credits

bloolagoon

Robbie64 wrote: »

As far as I am aware what you have posted is what will be expected of claimants under Universal Credit.

My understanding is that most claimants will be expected to find work for the following hours if they are claiming UC (paid at minimum wage rate equivalent):

35 hours at minimum wage rate equivalent per person per week unless a restriction is allowed, as follows

where the youngest child is aged at least 12 it will be a minimum of 70 hours (35 hours each) for couples

with a reduction to a minimum of 35 hours per couple where there is at least one child under 5

and a minimum of 51 hours per couple where the youngest is aged between 5 and 11.

Where less than those hours (at NMW rate) are worked couples will be expected to up their hours or risk being sanctioned.

Of course where someone is disabled or in other circumstances there may be no expectation that any work needs to be done or it may be a lower amount of hours (eg if someone is disabled or a carer).

It's probably too late to introduce something similar to the Tax Credits system as it is supposed to be all but phased out by 2017 with more and more people expected to move over to UC.

It's not too late They just need to alter qualifying hours which I expect to happen.

poppasmurf_bewdley

When my kids were growing up, there was no such thing as Tax Credits - Working or Family.

We had the number of children we could afford. We lived in the type of house we could afford. We had the standard of living we could afford.

Everybody around us lived in the same way. Nobody accepted that the government should boost our standard of living in such a way that the more we needed, the more we would get.

It seems that nowadays, everybody is entitled to a certain standard of living whether they can afford it or not.

Whilst accepting that some wages are far too low, it is becoming increasingly obvious that many companies have become used to the taxpayer subsidising these low wages. If the country is ever to become a stable financial entity, it is obvious that something has to be done to reduce the incredible tax credit burden that has arisen in the last few years.

Companies that make billions in profits (often paying little tax) will have to stop paying pauper wages. Companies like MacDonalds and other multinationals are not going to pull out of this country because they are forced to pay reasonable wages.

I am no fan of David Cameron, but in this, he is doing the right thing. Status Quo cannot continue.

rogerblack

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

When my kids were growing up, there was no such thing as Tax Credits - Working or Family.

We had the number of children we could afford. We lived in the type of house we could afford. We had the standard of living we could afford.

And the house prices and rental costs have in most areas shot up _way_ higher than wages have advanced.
As have energy and other costs since you had those.

Much of the housing benefit and tax credits are not directly enriching the claimants, they are enriching the substantially richer buy-to-let landlords and large firms operating in this market.

Robbie64

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

When my kids were growing up, there was no such thing as Tax Credits - Working or Family.

We had the number of children we could afford. We lived in the type of house we could afford. We had the standard of living we could afford.

Everybody around us lived in the same way. Nobody accepted that the government should boost our standard of living in such a way that the more we needed, the more we would get.

It seems that nowadays, everybody is entitled to a certain standard of living whether they can afford it or not.

Whilst accepting that some wages are far too low, it is becoming increasingly obvious that many companies have become used to the taxpayer subsidising these low wages. If the country is ever to become a stable financial entity, it is obvious that something has to be done to reduce the incredible tax credit burden that has arisen in the last few years.

Companies that make billions in profits (often paying little tax) will have to stop paying pauper wages. Companies like MacDonalds and other multinationals are not going to pull out of this country because they are forced to pay reasonable wages.

I am no fan of David Cameron, but in this, he is doing the right thing. Status Quo cannot continue.

In-work top-up payments have existed in one form or another since 1971 though it's only recently that they have become as generous in how much is paid out.

1971: Family Income Supplement - introduced a top-up to those in full time work, defined back then as at least 30 hours a week

1988: Family Credit - replaced FIS and lowered the qualifying point to 24 hours

1996: Qualifying point lowered further to 16 hours*

1999: FC replaced by Working Families Tax Credit

2003: WFTC abolished and the current system of Tax Credits were introduced.

* this was possibly the worst decision ever by any Government with regards to in-work earnings top ups. It led to many firms just offering employment for the minimum 16 hours a week and helped bring about the shift to the part-time, low wage economy we have today.

missapril75

nannytone wrote: »

the current system suits HIM perfectly.
the government subsidise his wage bill while he walks away with all that lovely money!

Hmmmm...I wonder who he votes for. :rotfl:

tea-bag

From the BBC website.

State pensions and age-related benefits - £95bn
Child tax credits and working tax credits - £30bn
Housing benefit - £26bn
Disability and incapacity benefits - £37bn
Child benefit - £12bn
Pension credit - £6bn
Jobseekers Allowance and income support - £5bn

Now I wish this was broken down into the amount of people claiming as well. However Hitting working family's is wrong! They could change it so you need to work more hours. But look at pensions and Disability payments! The disabled are always going on about getting a hard time but not with these figures! Time to for them to chip in, Get rid of Motorbility for one! Also the pensions need to be looked at! My dad says he has never been so well off as he is now even he thinks the system is a joke £200 winter fuel He lives in Thailand!!

The hardest hit and the ones I feel sorry for are the people on JSA they get a pittance. No wonder people are faking/exaggerating illness and getting themselves on ESA and PIP/DLA.

NYM

tea-bag wrote: »

... Also the pensions need to be looked at! My dad says he has never been so well off as he is now even he thinks the system is a joke £200 winter fuel He lives in Thailand!!

.....

It would seem that pensioners living abroad won't be automatically entitled to it this year....

Under new rules which come into effect from 2015, the Winter Fuel Payment will be scrapped for expats who live in countries where the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest part of the UK. This is 5.6 degrees centigrade in South-West England.

konark

Now I'm in a decent job with a decent wage, so why on earth should I subsidise the wage of people who lack ambition and drive (these very people who attacked me, generally) are encouraged by working tax credits to just "settle" , but also generally think they're above unemployed people so keep bleating about how they suffer so I should have had to. You *still* suffer because of the points I mentioned. For me it was just a stopgap because of my situation, but my ambition and drive saw me through it.

Benefits should exist to support people whilst they are in hard times, but they should not fund people to exist in a stress free, minimum wage lifestyle.

Im all right Jack, pull up the ladder!

tea-bag

lyrical_gangster wrote: »

Why should able bodied people be rewarded with free money for getting a low paid job? How does this act as an incentive to better themselves?

I agree if somebody works a 40 hour week they should be able to support their family without top ups. When I was young my dad worked to pay the bills my mum worked part-time for the little extras in life like holidays. My dad a builder my mum a nurse. That is how it should be. But what has happened is benefits for family's who don't work are so generous that they need to top up people who work just so they get the same.

I work for one of the large supermarkets, I don't get top-ups as my wife was a teacher on a good wage. I work just as hard as her if not harder but she earns 3 times I do. Able bodied people don't choose to work for minimum wage and you have the old saying somebody has to do it. And if the supermarkets started paying £15 per hour you would be the first moaning when a pint of milk costs £2. I don't have a answer to the problem how to tackle it but the disabled and pensioners need to get more cuts.

andrewmp

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

When my kids were growing up, there was no such thing as Tax Credits - Working or Family.

We had the number of children we could afford. We lived in the type of house we could afford. We had the standard of living we could afford.

Everybody around us lived in the same way. Nobody accepted that the government should boost our standard of living in such a way that the more we needed, the more we would get.

It seems that nowadays, everybody is entitled to a certain standard of living whether they can afford it or not.

Whilst accepting that some wages are far too low, it is becoming increasingly obvious that many companies have become used to the taxpayer subsidising these low wages. If the country is ever to become a stable financial entity, it is obvious that something has to be done to reduce the incredible tax credit burden that has arisen in the last few years.

Companies that make billions in profits (often paying little tax) will have to stop paying pauper wages. Companies like MacDonalds and other multinationals are not going to pull out of this country because they are forced to pay reasonable wages.

I am no fan of David Cameron, but in this, he is doing the right thing. Status Quo cannot continue.

Benefits for low paid working families existed before tax credits, they went by various names, most recently Family Credit iirc.