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Are benefits still too generous in the UK?

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LOL it would be pretty easy. See how the US does it. Do you want the poor to have poor health through alcohol + cigs or something? do you want to just kill them off? and deprive their children?

This is the best way.

Yes and the poor in the US have terrible healthcare otucomes. They still manage to find the money to smoke and drink. I certainly wouldn't use them as an example to prove your point.

Reply 61

moggis

Original post by i<3milkshake

Google Cheryl Prudham.

Some people can still take the piss, namely because the state will throw money and council homes at anyone who has kids.

If you are a single person on benefits, you have a tough time. A single disabled person a real tough time.
If you are a scrounging waste of space all you have to do is open your legs and lie still for about ten minutes to let the local chav knock you up and there you go, a nice income and house. No mortgage comes with it. Want a bigger house and income? Forget an education or promotion, just have another kid. Anyone who thinks this doesn't happen needs to go around and see council estates.

But are the actual benefits too much? If we accept that the benefits aren't just for the parents but for the children then I'd say no.

Since the overwhelming majority( I think) do not choose this lifestyle that suggests the benefits are not set too high.

Reply 62

moggis

Original post by Bill_Gates

Child tax credits should be cut to 1 child only and then eventually 0! it's a disgrace when hard working people need to pay for you to have children!

We have more than enough foreigners willing to flood in and make up the shortfall in population. If you can't afford them don't have them - simple.

Sorry if I've got this wrong but don't working people also get child tax credits?

So would it only be those who don't work who are penalised?

Also many people in work don't actually work hard.

In fact in my experience many people in work try to do the absolute minimum they can get away with.

And whenever someone says , "It's that simple", it nearly never is.

Cheers

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 63

moggis

Original post by OU Student

I am severely disabled. Because of my situation, (I live alone and no-one receives carers allowance for me) I receive an extra £61 ish a week. Under the Governments new plans, I will lose that.

I receive a basic amount (as does everyone out of work over 25) of roughly £73 a week. For the next 4 years, that will be frozen. In real terms, that is a loss.

Sorry to hear that.That seems utterly outrageous.

I'm curious to know what that benefit actually is that you are losing if that's ok?

Edit Oh ok I realise that it's carers allowance. As you pointed out.

Couldn't you like cheat? IE get a 'carer' whos a friend or something? Losing that money is just not on.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 64

_icecream

Yes the benefits are really generous in this country, more handouts are given to real scroungers.
One example of a benefits scrounger and another of a non scrounger.
Scrounger1- Amy gets pregnant at the age of 17 she then receives more in benefits a free house and weekly handouts, Amy has no intentions of ever working.
Jemma is currently living at home with her parents she is 17 and gets paid £57 a week, Jemma is actively seeking work and gets 1/3 of the amount that Amy gets

Reply 65

_icecream

My neighbor gets like £4000 in benefits!!
She also pops out kids every year

Reply 66

Mr Flak Jacket

I don't think the benefits system is too generous at all. It's good thing that there's a safety net there for people who fall on hard times. I don't understand people calling for JSA to be lowered etc (essentially making it harder for people to get by on what is already a paltry amount of money to live on) when they could very well find themselves relying on the same system at some point either through loss of employment or illness. Life is quite unpredictable.

The problem lies with the people who strategically exploit the system to lead a life on benefits e.g. deliberately having several children over a number of years in order to claim more in state handouts.

Reply 67

vickidc18

Yep the benefits system is a joke, I did a calculation ifI was a single mother with 2 kids working the very minimum of 16 hours a week, I would get 21k in tax free cash plus wages on top considering a skilled employee won't earn as much and pay tax and ni, no hb and have to support kid's with no help yep it's a joke. The middle earners are the most **** on in this country.

Reply 68

Tiger Rag

Original post by moggis

It's notcarers allowance. It's the severe disability premium, which I get because no-one claims carers allowance for me.

Reply 69

Bupdeeboowah

Original post by vickidc18

Time to get some babbies pumped into me

Reply 70

username1148663

Original post by Bill_Gates

Are benefits still too generous in the UK?

Considering we attract migrants from relatively poorer countries like Romania, Latvia, Poland etc

List of benefits people are eligible to receive:
- Child benefit
- Tax credits
- JSA
- Housing benefits
etc etc

Benefits have never been too generous unless we are talking about in work benefits which have been

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Reply 71

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by vickidc18

And how much of that additional income would you have left after paying for childcare for 2 children over the school holidays (assuming that you've somehow managed to give birth to school age children so can work 16 hours a week without paying for childcare during term time).

Not even counting the actual COST of having 2 children to feed, clothe and care for.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 72

Butterfly92xo

Yes it is. People get more benefits than those that work on miminum wage which is disgusting IMO! If the benefits were lowered a lot more so that you can just about survive, then it might encourage people to get off their backside and work.

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Reply 73

Rakas21

Original post by Bill_Gates

Your kidding right..

We have pensioners welfare that's not even means tested.

We have no housing benefit cap which firstly means that landlords can set their rent at that level but secondly means that I as a taxpayer get shafted paying for somebody to live in London let alone large families.

We have working tax credits which are a direct subsidy when we should be freeing these people from taxation.

JSA is the only one which is close to alright although we really should make the long term unemployed use food cards and travel passes.

I reckon we could save 10-20bn from the welfare budget each year.

Reply 74

Tiger Rag

Original post by Rakas21

The state pension is based on what you paid into the system. There is a housing benefit cap.

Reply 75

Rakas21

Original post by OU Student

The state pension is based on what you paid into the system. There is a housing benefit cap.

That's the morality behind it but even so, pensioners get a lot of stuff which should be means tested, especially when they are on aggregate asset rich.

Reply 76

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Rakas21

That's the morality behind it but even so, pensioners get a lot of stuff which should be means tested, especially when they are on aggregate asset rich.

If the means testing costs more than the money saved would you still say that? Because that's more taking money away from people because you feel like punishing them for saving rather than because it will benefit the tax payer.

Reply 77

Tiger Rag

Original post by Rakas21

That's the morality behind it but even so, pensioners get a lot of stuff which should be means tested, especially when they are on aggregate asset rich.

Which would cost far more to means test than just giving to every single pensioner.

Reply 78

Rakas21

Original post by PQ

Most welfare dies not cost more to administrate, that's just a common way some like yo try shut down the threat.

Original post by OU Student

Which would cost far more to means test than just giving to every single pensioner.

There are some things like the TV license however we can get around this by bundling welfare (this is what the universal credit has attempted to do) and then means testing.