I'm afraid you've missed the point. I'm not comparing tax fraud to benefit fraud; I'm comparing possible tax fraud to the cost of our out of control benefits culture. Spending ten times as much stopping benefit fraud as we do stopping tax evasion doesn't bother me; if we started making real cuts in the amount paid to the sort of selfish, stupid young women discussed in this thread I'd be pleased.
"Attacking the poor for being desperate": which desperate poor would that be?
Actually Im afraid you miss the point. I compared tax fraud to benefit fraud to make the point that the rich cheat more money from the system than the poor.
You talk about an alleged benefit culture. Leaving aside there is no real evidence beyond your imagination of this culture, lets talk about the tax culture in this country. Most people quite reasonably dont want to pay tax. However the vast majority know they get quite a lot for the tax they pay, and whilst they may like it to be spent more on one thing than the other accept that it has to be paid for in one way or the other.
A minority of mostly wealthy people feel that employing accountants to reduce tax, hiding their assets away so that the tax man doesnt find it or plain and simply defrauding the tax man to the tune of at least £15 billion p.a. The culture they live in is that this is acceptable and tax evasion is a victimless crime. Quite clearly you are one of them. Wake up! This culture of tax avoidance costs far more than any benefit culture you care to imagine does.
I work with 16 - 21 year old homeless teenagers. The majority are unemployed. the majority of those that are unemployed want to find work. The problem for them finding work is that 90% of what they earn will be clawed back by loss of benefits, making them about £10 better off for working 40 hours. We have to advise them to decide upon a career and either find work starting out in that career, go to college or to seek voluntary work that will aid them in their future career prospects. This is the true benefit culture for most of the unemployed. Working themselves through an overly complicated overly bureaucratic system to get a few pounds to keep themselves alive whilst they work towards a better future.
I am truly sorry for you if you feel that being unemployed or living on a benefit level income is anything but a desperate and miserable existance.