MSE News: Summer Budget 2015: Millions to face benefit cuts

andrewmp

SkyeKnight wrote: »

This year it is around £26k, £32k and £38k (very approximately)
Next year it is around £21k, £26.5k and £32k

That's for a completely straight Child Tax Credits claim, no disabilities, no childcare costs.

The government have done very well to get this in almost through the back door, loads of people will have no idea what's going to hit them next year!

Trix3y

As already posted retired people do pay income tax . This is how it goes for the uninformed. Work 44 years,always paid income tax and national insurance. When retire continue to pay tax on a pension that you have already been taxed on when working. My retired income is so low that I do not pay tax,however,for everyone out there complaining about tax credits it is not enough to live on. When working and raising children on my own,no help only child benefit which was payable to all. If you wanted any extra money you had to do another job(at one time I had three!) All that tax credits have done is allowed Companies to pay the bare minimum in wages whilst letting the Government top up wages to keep rich companies in even larger profits. This simply had to change.

OhWow

blondebubbles wrote: »

it is mainly those who are working and trying to earn more for their families that are being penalised rather than those who choose not to work.

Won't they get their kick up the backside with the benefit cap, the annual benefit cap, and when Tax Credits are replaced by Universal Credit?

Living on Tax Credits year after year and expecting to keep being given money from the welfare state, had to stop.

OhWow

blondebubbles wrote: »

Doesn't mean they couldn't have changed the tax credit rules before the move to universal credits, especially as this continues to be delayed.

Maybe that will happen under the benefit reductions that will be brought in because of the UK annual welfare bill cap that started this year.

Surely some of those parents that don't work are going to get caught by the benefit cap and other benefit reductions/frozen benefits from 2016?

The changes in 2016 will at least hit those who maximised their benefits.

FBaby

But those who would get tax credits if working will be expected to look for work, and under the very unpleasant demand on the unemployed, I am not sure many rather stay there when they can get a job working 16 hours instead. Then they justify they can't increase their hours, and that's it, decent disposable income for limited work for many years. I agree, this had to change.

northerntwo1

We have always had the amount lowered haven't we? What was the last major change that dramatically reduced the threshold, it was quite severe if i remember correctly.

andrewmp

blondebubbles wrote: »

Maybe people could read a newspaper or watch the news.

They probably did, but at the time, all the newspapers were linking to calculators massively playing down the reductions.