Child Benefit Changes

[tedebear]

Oh how the general public squeals when something gets taken away they've begun to take for granted. Like they shouldn't be allowed to even attempt to stand on their own two feet.

I'm not entitled to child benefit or any benefit for that matter, and I pay my taxes and I live and work here, and I have a child.

The benefits system in this country is what is sucking it dry. Something has to give, and if it is the culture whereby people keep having children to get money. Then I for one am happy to see it scrapped.

 

[redneb]

Can someone please please answer me this??

Lets assume the wife doesnt work. If you earn £43,000 will you get your full child benefit. If you earn £44,000 you get nothing. Is this true??

What about if you pick up £1,800 a year in child benefit (3 kids). That means your actually better off asking your employer to give you a £1,000 pay cut.

Have I got that right ??

 

[simonsimon]

The Bullingdon Bullies have only just started.

This is only an opening salvo.

Wait until 20th October when they open he detals of their peasant kicking public spending review.

You were warned prior to the general election. Be carefull what you vote and wish for.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Maybe Child Benefit should be paid in food and clothes vouchers - it would stop people spending it on Sky and fags.

 

[clapham_gull]

Can someone please please answer me this??

Lets assume the wife doesnt work. If you earn £43,000 will you get your full child benefit. If you earn £44,000 you get nothing. Is this true??

What about if you pick up £1,800 a year in child benefit (3 kids). That means your actually better off asking your employer to give you a £1,000 pay cut.

Have I got that right ??

It does appear so.

I saw an example today where you could potentially increase your pension contributions to get round it as well.

Nice example - pay a little bit more in, get a whole lot more out.

 

[El Presidente]

if it is the culture whereby people keep having children to get money.

It isn't.

I don't know anyone who has chosen to have kids for tax reasons. There are of course scare stories in the Red Tops, but if anyone honestly believes the tabloids then we really have problems.

 

[simonsimon]

Very True.

 

[clapham_gull]

Oh how the general public squeals when something gets taken away they've begun to take for granted. Like they shouldn't be allowed to even attempt to stand on their own two feet.

I'm not entitled to child benefit or any benefit for that matter, and I pay my taxes and I live and work here, and I have a child.

The benefits system in this country is what is sucking it dry. Something has to give, and if it is the culture whereby people keep having children to get money. Then I for one am happy to see it scrapped.

Everyone agrees that the benefits system needs an overhaul, but the reality of how to do it is obviously proving quite complicated. We've already seen how means testing child benefit is far too complicated for them to contemplate.

What also needs to be considered (in the short term) is that these savings are money that is no longer being pumped into the economy. Something that often gets forgotten. All these people getting "something for nothing" are actually spending it.

We obviously need to get out of this position but what's worrying is where all these jobs are going to suddenly come from and how the economy will react to having this publically funded stream of money very quickly turned off.

There was much complaint about a quick influx of Eastern Europeans bringing wages down in this country. I wonder if the same people will be complaining when a quick influx of benefit claimers does exactly the same.

 

[tedebear]

It isn't.

I don't know anyone who has chosen to have kids for tax reasons. There are of course scare stories in the Red Tops, but if anyone honestly believes the tabloids then we really have problems.

Not what I'm saying, maybe my sentence on reflection can be misconstrued. I don't think people have children for tax reasons, but the culture of staying out of work and then oops we had another child and then have a larger family than they ordinarily would have is what it is creating. Where is the incentive to get back to work to provide for your family? When money is on the hand out there is no incentive.

People on benefits can't get back into work because it doesn't pay enough to live. Benefits do. What kind of governmental decision is that for the future of a country in which education and healthcare is falling behind the standards of other countries. More money for benefits means less money for education and manufacturing and healthcare.

Up the minimum wage, and cut benefits. Its a simple theory and will take a good deal of working out how to get people off benefits, but we have to do it. Might make some families actually start looking out for each other too as the state can't, which isn't a bad thing.

 

[e77]

I must say I agree with the principal behind the move although it not being applied if both parents earn £40k is frankly ludicrous.

It does now bring previously universal benefits into the firing line which might be the start of a slippery slope.

 

[Bozza]

I'm not entitled to child benefit or any benefit for that matter, and I pay my taxes and I live and work here, and I have a child.

Yes you are. The rule for child benefit is:

Do you have a child?

If you answer 'yes' you qualify for child benefit.

(You might know it as 'family allowance')

 

[Beach Hut]

Perhaps I should ask for a pay decrease as I am just over this threshold ?

 

[clapham_gull]

Up the minimum wage, and cut benefits.

I'm not sure where the Tories sit on the minimum wage these days, it seems somewhat counter-intuitive to their understanding of the world.

Cameron has made comments (pre-election) that suggest his party were very wrong on the issue, but Cameron is only one.

Other Tories have tabled Private Members bills within the last year that propose that employees can opt out.

 

[simonsimon]

"Perhaps I should ask for a pay decrease as I am just over this threshold ? " Quoted by Beachshed

Selfish Tory!

 

[RexCathedra]

It does now bring previously universal benefits into the firing line which might be the start of a slippery slope.

Mr. Speaker, I move to amend by striking the words 'might be' and substituting the word 'is'.

Traditionally the only way to keep a social provision popular is to make it universal. That's why no one, not even the Toriest Tories, dares -- so far -- to go after the basic model of the NHS.

The moment you means-test something, it's 'the dole'. And then you can stigmatize it and shrink it, shrink it and stigmatize it, till it's gone altogether.

From a progressive point of view, the benefits paid to those who don't actually need them is simply a bribe necessary to keep such programs going. I'd much rather pay a few dollars a month towards Bill Gates' OASDI than have it filleted when others need it and badly, and save a few bucks.

 

[Beach Hut]

"Perhaps I should ask for a pay decrease as I am just over this threshold ? " Quoted by Beachshed

Selfish Tory!

Absolutely, Maggie taught me to look after number 1 and f*** the rest

 

[Goring Gull]

What's child benefit these days £68 a month for one child or something like that - I'm sure if you have a combined income of over 44k your hardly going to miss it.
If my other half and I had achild i would not really miss 60-70 quid a month. Even with Mortgage etc. It's just a case of cutting your cloth accordingly.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Just watching the news at the moment and they were discussing the next big idea which is that no-one on benefit should be entitled to more than anyone in any work whatsoever.

Initially I thought, sounds fair enough but then the report widened to Tory councillors in Kensington and Chelsea punching the air with delight because this will mean that poor families will have to move out of central London because they are occupying "prime real estate" that "one" would have to earn £300k to own!! Good riddance shout the horse faced bastards!!

The thing is, this will mean that unemployed families will be forced to move out of many south east towns leaving the area to be repopulated by productive people whilst the plebs can all f*** off to Grimsby or Birkenhead where decent people wont have to worry about their kids having to mix with undesirables...its all sooo f***ed.

Its only just begun too. I get the feeling that Dave and George are loving this defecit as it means they can really stick the boot in to the underclass and claim they are doing it for the benefit of all!!

Anyway. People get the kind of government they deserve I suppose.

 

[simonsimon]

Well said

 

[clapham_gull]

Can't see this as a vote winner.

70K a year Tory voting solicitor with wife at home bringing up the kids get his child benefit taken away.

Ok fair enough he thinks, but then he looks across the road at this neighbours....

Spike (New Media "Web-Commercial" director, dabbles in Web Design) and Chrissie (fundraiser at a major charity, bit of a guilt complex because Daddy was in the arms trade, but works "bloody hard") are both earning 35K a year.

It's quite possibly that a few London "New Labour" types are absolutely pissing themselves.