Housing Benefits Investigation

sangie595

hamidg84 wrote: »

No money has come from other sources into our accounts..

What an interesting way of putting it. Did you have money from other sources that didn't go into your accounts? Say from that electronics shop that you had in 2010? Because six years is an awful long time to be making no money at all.

Given that government agencies share information about fraud, I suspect the Council may not be the only ones having a close look at your finances.

swingaloo

But that electronics shop does not make any money and hasn't for the last 6 years. Obviously! Yeh, right!

Cheeky_Monkey

Personally, I'm loving HBO's posts :T

ToriP

I'm sorry if I came across uncaring OP. It's just that it would take me a very long time to save £13,000. That would have to come from my pay post tax, and I receive no help.

teddysmum

I thought that businesses which fail to make profit after a certain time are interrogated; obviously not the case.


In this age of computers and internet, it's time that all benefit and tax departments communicated with each other , as this would go a long way to stamping out fraud. No cause to hide behind the Data Protection Act, as information would only be shared among government departments.

Lily-Rose_3

marleyboy wrote: »

In all reality, if you can afford to put every penny of their benefits into a savings account, they will question why you think its an entitlement.

:T

hamidg84 wrote: »

So the main issue is why we saved this money? If this is the case, they can just take it back. They have given to us and they have full rights on it but i don;t want to go to court :-(

I'm regretting now! Should have spent all money, well never mind. This is how we all learn.

Why on earth should you have spent all the money?!

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

You have committed fraud.

Grow a pair. Man up to what you have done and accept the consequences.

Your bank account has grown fat because you have committed fraud. Accept that some of that taxpayers cash you have fraudulently saved will need to be handed back from your fat bank balance.

Don't commit fraud again and in future declare all changes of circumstances as and when they happen.

Very good post.

I cannot believe the stuff the OP has been coming out with: Defrauded the state, saved shed loads of money, and is now acting the victim and expecting people to feel sorry for him!

Cry me a river.

pol-zeath

NYM wrote: »

I know what you all are only saying is right, it's just hard to read such critical comments

...maybe I'm being too soft today because I do agree with all comments, it's just how it's been said I feel a little uncomfortable with.

Agreed this mob mentality makes me very uncomfortable. It's cruel and shows a very nasty side to MSE forum.

leveller2911

hamidg84 wrote: »

At the time of applying HB, we had no saving at all so Answer was No.

I earn around £10K a year being director of small business. Whatever HB came in account, went straight to landlord + Im responsible for paying bills ( all going out via DB every month ).

£50 saving every week isnt difficult if you could manage with care.

Most people become directors of LTD companies to limit their liabilities .Its protection against someone taking legal action to recover debts etc which can mean losing a persons house but you don't own a property, admit you have very little in the way of assets so why are you a director of a Ltd company?....

Call me a cynic but to me the only reason is to keep tax liability to an absolute minimum and to claim maximum benefits.So glad the Government is finally waking up and stopping some of the abuse of the benefit system.

fishybusiness

you don't own a property, admit you have very little in the way of assets so why are you a director of a Ltd company?....

Call me a cynic but to me the only reason is to keep tax liability to an absolute minimum and to claim maximum benefits.So glad the Government is finally waking up and stopping some of the abuse of the benefit system.

Keeping tax liabilities low is a wise move not immoral or illegal. Running a ltd rather than sole trader brings benefits (like the pun?) with respect to trading partners, some will not deal with sole traders. Also, paying wages is much easier, especially now RTI is on the go, concrete proof of pay.

Sole trading whilst claiming benefits is a pain imo, the local authority have a list of allowable expenses which is a different list to the HMRC allowables, leaving two different versions of profit. Much prefer doing it the ltd way.

Claiming maximum benefits as a director is an interesting one. Sure it can be done, HB rules cover it with a notional income clause. Profit and assets 'hidden' in the business can be quantified and considered income.

It doesn't seem to be implemented very often - I've run two companies whilst claiming some HB and haven't ever been asked for accounts or asset levels. It isn't often asked about on the MSE forums either.

TELLIT01

If we take the OPs original post on face value, isn't there an irony that a family with identical income but who choose to spend it all are OK whilst one which lived frugally and saves some of it is penalised? As the OP says, they would have been better to simply have spent the lot.
As has been said many times, the benefits system supports those who don't want to help themselves.