Tax credits cut petition

dizzybuff

Being a working single parent is hard enough. Having your tax credits slashed by two grand a year is going ro be crippling. I can't just work extra hours, if I can or attempt to.do anything I'll lose more tax credits. I have children to take care of. The only time I have free is every other weekend. I'm trying to better myself at work as I'm on the highest increment in my pay. I also pay a mortgage. Theaes cuts have not been done correctly. It needed to be more means tested. How I don't know. But it's 4 am and my brain is hurting.

haras_nosirrah

Mrs_Gloomy wrote: »

I think the issue of what age to leave children alone is a decision based on each child and each parent. I do not feel comfortable with my 11 year old being left on her own from 3pm to 6pm, this is just to long. I don't criticise others who do this but while I don't have to I won't. I don't feel sorry for myself in anyway and will survive the tax credit cuts but I was just pointing out that this is a sweeping change which unfortunately will probably not hit the people who abuse the system. I am sure there are many people like myself who do not want to claim benefits but have no choice. Someone said to me that I should sell and rent but if I do this, I would then have to claim housing benefit as rents in my area for a 2 bedroom flat are higher than my mortgage! I have a 3 bedroom which could be considered too big for 2 people but it is close to both my daughters school and the train station so saves me a fortune in petrol and parking, sometimes you have to weigh up the benefits.

If you have a spare third bedroom can you get a lodger - a female one for example. This would then mean you could afford your mortgage. You can get a certain amount per year tax free which would more than cover the tax credit cut. Another option if you don't want to share your home with a permanent guest is mon-fri lodgers if near good transport links or even foreign language students. Any of these scenarios would enable you to keep your home and your current working hours. When your daughter is old enough that you can up your hours then you can stop if you wish

seven-day-weekend

nannytone wrote: »

you do realise that the tax credit cuts only affect people that work?

those that choose to have kids and stay at home are unaggected

I didn't realise that. However, I think Child Tax Credits are far too generous, wy should people get more public money just because they have more children? As for Working Tax Credits, I think they encourage part-time working (taken advantage of by both employers and employees) and quite often have the effect of turning the minimum wage into the maximum wage.

I do agree that some people need this extra help (single parents and WTC spring to mind), but on the whole I agree with the cuts in this area.

_CC_

dizzybuff wrote: »

I also pay a mortgage.

dizzybuff wrote: »

These cuts have not been done correctly. It needed to be more means tested.

Be careful what you wish for :eek:

beecher2

_CC_ wrote: »

Be careful what you wish for :eek:

Everyone's quite happy to come up with solutions which will affect other people and not them, but it is a dangerous game.

zagfles

dizzybuff wrote: »

Being a working single parent is hard enough. Having your tax credits slashed by two grand a year is going ro be crippling. I can't just work extra hours, if I can or attempt to.do anything I'll lose more tax credits. I have children to take care of. The only time I have free is every other weekend. I'm trying to better myself at work as I'm on the highest increment in my pay. I also pay a mortgage. Theaes cuts have not been done correctly. It needed to be more means tested. How I don't know. But it's 4 am and my brain is hurting.

They are being more means tested! That's the problem!

dizzybuff

Its all very confusing. What Im trying to get at is each case done individually , I know that will never happen. I know I will never be able to claim anythign to do with my disability as being severly deaf apprently does not effect me on a daily basis. Although I do agree with the amount of children . I have two , i stopped at two for a reason. At that point myself and my ex could afford two.

Oh well. Mr Cameron is slowly killing th country, So he can sell it all to his mates.

_CC_

dizzybuff wrote: »

I can't just work extra hours, if I can or attempt to.do anything I'll lose more tax credits.

Do you mean you can't work more hours because you'll receive less tax credits?

tomtontom

Becles wrote: »

I'm a single parent of three suffering from Crohn's disease and depression. Since the youngest went to full time school, I've worked full time hours. Luckily I can work 9am-3pm, then do a couple of hours typing from home on an evening so I don't need childcare and my Mam helps out in the school holidays. I'm living in a house with a mortgage.

So my situation means I've worked more hours than expected and I've "saved" the government a fortune as I've not claimed childcare tax credit or housing benefit.

And my reward for pushing myself to do as much as I can to provide for my family? I'm one of the ones who is going to be hardest hit by the tax credit cuts in April I'm really struggling to see where the incentive to work is.

It is not the responsibility of the state to reward or provide incentives to work. I'm not sure why anybody would think it is?

zagfles

blondebubbles wrote: »

Unless you earn enough to actually come off tax credits then there is barely any incentive to in many cases.

Assuming your personal allowance, NI allowances are already used, for every £1 earned, you'd pay 20p in tax, 12p in NI and 48p (41p currently) in tax credits.

So for that extra £1 earned you'd have 20p left over. But you may also have additional travel costs and other expenses.

Say you are a single parent, with one child and childcare of £175 per week. You earn £11,000 for 30hrs:
Net pay: £10,569
Plus Tax credits: £12,597
Minus childcare: £9,100
Total income: £14,066

You have the option of increasing your hours to 40 per week, earning £14,667. This increases your childcare to £218 per week which you cannot claim any extra for.
Net pay: £13,063
Plus Tax credits: £11,093
Minus Childcare: £11,336
Total income: £12,820

So you are actually worse off.

Unless you sal sac for childcare vouchers...if the employer offer it (most do as it saves them NI).

But of course the thing which stands out is paying 86% of wage in childcare!! What is the point of working when nearly all your income goes on childcare, and should the govt really be subsidising people to earn hardly any more than their childcare costs? They might as well subsidise them to stay at home.