Money Moral Dilemma: Should I claim the self-employment grant even though I don't need it?

shzl400

Take it - you are entitled to it.  No need to feel any guilt.

The scheme is to compensate for lost earnings now.  Nothing to do with what you might do in future.  You might otherwise use current earnings to invest in your future study.  The grant just replaces current earnings.  Your partner is very generous, and a good safety net to have (I am in a similar postion, having worked full time with self-employed OH) but you need to do what you can to pay your own way too.

REJP

My understanding is that this grant money is going to be recovered by government having to raise everyone's taxes in future.  The more people who don't need it claim, the more taxes go up if that is how the government recover the grant money.  Whoever said there is no such thing as a free lunch was right.  People who might know if it is true that taxes will go up to pay for all the grants made due to Covid-19, please note that I do not know definitely if taxes will go up, just that I suspect some taxes will increase to pay back the grants in the future.  If it is not true, then I would like to know where the money will come from to cover the costs to the public purse for all the grants made during lockdown.  If government borrowed to pay grants, it is logical to think we will be paying back loans in some way.
So don't need it, don't apply for it.  No dilemma.

Jeremy535897

Spending comes before borrowing and taxes. A wealthy country like the UK with monetary sovereignty doesn't run out of money, because the state/central bank create it. The amount to recover in taxes is a political decision, and is used to redistribute wealth and also to take money out of the system, when inflation threatens. People mistakenly equate a state with monetary sovereignty to a household, where you have to balance the books, because a household can't issue currency. A state with monetary sovereignty has its freedom of action limited by inflation, but there won't be much of that with high unemployment.

When a state can't issue its own currency, like Greece, it has much less room to manoeuvre, hence the crisis.

DPS-2016

If you might need it, and you're eligible, claim for it. 

Spotnpaul

Bloody hell, there are some proper curtain twitching, jobsworth, disgusted, moral police types on this forum.
The OP asked a question which was again relating to their personal circumstances. 
Do we all need to now justify what we all spend our earnings on? If they want to do a post grad degree, and the grant (helping to replace some lost earning) helps, why not, it's their money?
If the income of the OP has been affected as of today, then the OP is entitled to the grant - simple! 

dunstonh

The OP asked a question which was again relating to their personal circumstances. 

Actually, there is no OP.  It is an MSE hypothetical.

If the income of the OP has been affected as of today, then the OP is entitled to the grant - simple! 

Not quite.  The post makes reference to becoming a student.  If they are going to become a student and cease trading then they are not eligible to make an application and it would be fraud.  If they intend to keep trading in this tax year then they can make an application and it would not be fraud.    Everything else is really irrelevant, as you say and it's not for others to judge.  However, eligibility is not irrelevant.

Spotnpaul

dunstonh said:

The OP asked a question which was again relating to their personal circumstances. 

Actually, there is no OP.  It is an MSE hypothetical.

If the income of the OP has been affected as of today, then the OP is entitled to the grant - simple! 

Not quite.  The post makes reference to becoming a student.  If they are going to become a student and cease trading then they are not eligible to make an application and it would be fraud.  If they intend to keep trading in this tax year then they can make an application and it would not be fraud.    Everything else is really irrelevant, as you say and it's not for others to judge.  However, eligibility is not irrelevant.

Ok, yes, it's a hypothetical but it's one that interests me personally. So to me personally it's possibly no longer hypothetical, or it might be just still hypothetical, not sure yet as still thinking.
And it does say 'thinking' of becoming a student, so don't know where fraud comes into it. The Governments House of commons library states this If you’re eligible for the second and final grant, and your business has been adversely affected on or after 14 July 2020 you’ll be able to make a claim in August 2020. It's now 15th July, so if at this point you've lost earning due to covid, then as I see it, your entitled to claim; regardless of what your thinking what might happen in a few months time.
Where's the fraud?

dunstonh

Spotnpaul said:

dunstonh said:

The OP asked a question which was again relating to their personal circumstances. 

Actually, there is no OP.  It is an MSE hypothetical.

If the income of the OP has been affected as of today, then the OP is entitled to the grant - simple! 

Not quite.  The post makes reference to becoming a student.  If they are going to become a student and cease trading then they are not eligible to make an application and it would be fraud.  If they intend to keep trading in this tax year then they can make an application and it would not be fraud.    Everything else is really irrelevant, as you say and it's not for others to judge.  However, eligibility is not irrelevant.

Ok, yes, it's a hypothetical but it's one that interests me personally. So to me personally it's possibly no longer hypothetical, or it might be just still hypothetical, not sure yet as still thinking.
And it does say 'thinking' of becoming a student, so don't know where fraud comes into it. The Governments House of commons library states this If you’re eligible for the second and final grant, and your business has been adversely affected on or after 14 July 2020 you’ll be able to make a claim in August 2020. It's now 15th July, so if at this point you've lost earning due to covid, then as I see it, your entitled to claim; regardless of what your thinking what might happen in a few months time.
Where's the fraud?

You need to check the eligibility requirements which are posted on the application website. And read all of them.  Not one in isolation.

crmism

Unless you decide to give up all notion of furthering your education with a degree while you're without a job, your claim for a self-employment grant will be fraudulent, as that's what the grant is for. Like it or not, it's taxpayers' money (mine as well as others'), and they take a very dim view of anybody taking money under false pretenses. It's a different matter if the qualification you seek relates to your employment, and you study for it while working.
You haven't stated what prohibits you from doing your job, but surely earning money is more important at a time when you have no income, and it's possible the post-graduate course could be done in your spare time.

berjou

You've paid all your dues, for the amounts decided by the Gov't, not you, (or "us") so you are entitled to claim any and all benefits offered in return.

I don't believe that your refusing this benefit will result in anyone less fortunate than yourself ending up better off.

(e,g.. " if there were no claims for whiplash, everybody's premiums would reduce" ..) - Pull the other one !