Terrified

Elsewhere

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Ah, my mother says things like this. No such thing as tax credits when I had you. Blah. Blah.
Doesn't make it any easier for us though.... She still managed to own her own house. We never will!

I can assure you they weren't the good old days. My parents were reasonably well off, but most of my friends' parents and my relatives weren't - all my four aunts plus their families and my grandparents rented - this was the '50s - (mostly council housing). None of them even considered buying a house! None of my relatives owned a car, washing machine, fridge - let alone a television - a washing machine was a couple of months wages at least for a manual worker. Almost no-one had a phone - central heating - including us.

There may not have been tax credits but your tax code changed for each child you had - the more children, the less tax you paid. I don't know how you supported your children if you didn't have a job. I can remember my best friend's parents pretending they weren't in when the person came collecting from the Pru, or the person to collect an installment from something they'd had from a catalogue because they didn't have the money that week.

Lots of people (including my family) grew their own fruit and veg or kept a few chickens.

So it's hard for older people to sympathise when younger people complain about what they can't afford - expectations have changed so much, so quickly.

just_trying

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

I agree but would have been jumped on if I'd said that. As a person that pays a very substantial amount of personal Tax I don't feel that it's fair that I'm enabling companies to pay such poor wages that Tax payers are forced to subsidise these wages through the Tax Credit system. To then find out that people think that Sky is something they need to spend this benefit on.... well!

You are aware the majority of people who claim tax credits pay tax, so are you a high band tax payer then ?. I am fed up of this nonsense if you basically claim your almost made out to be a scrounger. You shouldn't have this that and the next.

From April payments are going down where by people are going to find it hard, but people need to remember in the majority of these claims there children will be going into work whereby it seems now they will have to pay into the system longer than people have had to pay into before, before getting to retirement age...doctors, dentists etc coming up.

My son left education this year at 16, hopefully going to be successful in his trade which he choose and will be paying a lot of tax, more than I've claimed he will be giving back as people like to say.

Probably best to say no more but people who claim will know where I'm coming from its not a easy life as portrayed.

Ladyluck1

Elsewhere wrote: »

I can assure you they weren't the good old days. My parents were reasonably well off, but most of my friends' parents and my relatives weren't - all my four aunts plus their families and my grandparents rented - this was the '50s - (mostly council housing). None of them even considered buying a house! None of my relatives owned a car, washing machine, fridge - let alone a television - a washing machine was a couple of months wages at least for a manual worker. Almost no-one had a phone - central heating - including us.

There may not have been tax credits but your tax code changed for each child you had - the more children, the less tax you paid. I don't know how you supported your children if you didn't have a job. I can remember my best friend's parents pretending they weren't in when the person came collecting from the Pru, or the person to collect an installment from something they'd had from a catalogue because they didn't have the money that week.

Lots of people (including my family) grew their own fruit and veg or kept a few chickens.

So it's hard for older people to sympathise when younger people complain about what they can't afford - expectations have changed so much, so quickly.

I totally agree that people had it hard. But the people who complain about it when it wasn't that bad (like my mum) are the people who annoy me.
It's not like we don't work. My husband works 40 hours a week in a sweaty bakery and does all the overtime he can.
I have 2 children under 5.

We don't have many luxuries although yes we have a washing machine.

It just worries me a lot that were stuck in this situation and that we're going to be trying to work until were 70-80 to afford to rent because we can't buy and probably never will.
How do you save for a deposit with £20 disposable income a month...

pollypenny

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Ah, my mother says things like this. No such thing as tax credits when I had you. Blah. Blah.
Doesn't make it any easier for us though.... She still managed to own her own house. We never will!

Maybe she could afford her own house as she wasn't paying out for extra TV channels? My kids managed fine with two channels, their toys and lots of books, thanks to the library.


Anyone who complains that the can't afford Sky as their tax credits have been cut are playing into the hands of this vile government.

I do appreciate how hard it is for young people: in fact I remember it. Getting established and bringing up a family has always been hard, apart from the wealthy few.

Ladyluck1

pollypenny wrote: »

Maybe she could afford her own house as she wasn't paying out for extra TV channels? My kids managed fine with two channels, their toys and lots of books, thanks to the library.


Anyone who complains that the can't afford Sky as their tax credits have been cut are playing into the hands of this vile government.

I do appreciate how hard it is for young people: in fact I remember it. Getting established and bringing up a family has always been hard, apart from the wealthy few.

Of course! We don't have sky though... even then I don't think people have a right to judge.
Just because someone maybe choses sky over smoking or drinking for example.
It annoys me just as much when I see people complaining they have no money for food after buying cigarettes

Lizling

Elsewhere wrote: »

...None of them even considered buying a house! None of my relatives owned a car, washing machine, fridge - let alone a television - a washing machine was a couple of months wages at least for a manual worker. Almost no-one had a phone - central heating - including us.

Lots of people (including my family) grew their own fruit and veg or kept a few chickens.

So it's hard for older people to sympathise when younger people complain about what they can't afford - expectations have changed so much, so quickly.

Sounds like the main thing that's changed is that you could expect a council house in the 50s instead of being dependent on private landlords. That and technological progress. Technology improving isn't the same as getting richer - central heating's no good when people can't afford to put it on!

I'm also rather jealous of the growing your own veg and raising chickens. It's only the wealthier end of the he middle class who ever do that around here because no one else has a garden (or allotment, because there aren't any within a few miles.)

I have no problem with people on tax credits having Sky. If they're doing such a good job of managing on a tiny income that they have money left over after essentials then well done them.

Ladyluck1

Lizling wrote: »

Sounds like the main thing that's changed is that you could expect a council house in the 50s instead of being dependent on private landlords. That and technological progress. Technology improving isn't the same as getting richer - central heating's no good when people can't afford to put it on!

I'm also rather jealous of the growing your own veg and raising chickens. It's only the wealthier end of the he middle class who ever do that around here because no one else has a garden (or allotment, because there aren't any within a few miles.)

I have no problem with people on tax credits having Sky. If they're doing such a good job of managing on a tiny income that they have money left over after essentials then well done them.

You said that better than I could. But I agree 100%!

Redlady.....

I grew up in the 50's and 60's and had children in the 70's, and for the most part I feel I had it better than young families today.

We had governments in those days who seemed to be fairer than any since Thatcher became PM. The Tories have gradually over the decades done away with policies that were there to help ordinary working families.

They got rid of the 'prices and incomes' policy, the fair rents act, privatised our national industries (sold off the family silver as Harold McMillan called it) and allowed prices and wages to find their own level, which meant employers paying what they liked. She, and all subsequent Tories have reduced the power of the unions who, at their best, kept wages at a decent level for most families, hence women stayed at home to bring their kids up or got a little job for 'pin money'.

Each decade has also seen powers taken away from local councils who used to build houses among many other things. General elections used to be fought over how many council house would be built.

I wasn't brought up in an owned home, it was a rented two up two down in a terraced street. My teenage and young woman years were spent in the 60's. I had solid jobs to choose from, money to spend at the week-end, a holiday each year, usually North Wales. I was also a big football fan and spent my Saturday afternoons at Anfield where it cost me 5 shillings (25p) to get in to Anfields paddock.

My Dad was a plasterer and went for a couple of pints Thursday and Friday night (the last hour) and on a Saturday him and me Mam would go to a social club. I'm not saying there weren't hard times as well, of course there were, but on the whole, imo, we had it better than young ones today.

Zero hour contracts? Jeez.......who would ever have thought such a thing would ever exist? :shocked:(

Good luck to those losing TC, I sincerely hope things change and get better. I pay tax and if it all went to people who need it I wouldn't care at what rate, sadly I know that most if it is used to make the rich richer.