Why don’t we increase the Minimum Wage to cut the Welfare Bill?

[Titanic99]

It always seems ridiculous to me that we have a Welfare System that supports those in low-paid jobs, instead of the lower paid job paying enough to avoid the necessity of Benefit.

 

So rather than us all arguing for cuts in Welfare, why don’t we argue that employers are forced to pay a decent wage to people instead of paying them a pittance and letting the Welfare make up the difference.

[Rupert_Baehr]

And if the employer hasn't got enough money to pay more, how are you going to force him/her to pay it?

 

If the employer has to cease trading, then the employees can all become self-employed and pay themselves as much as they like.

 

'Self-employed' will be the only alternative if all the employers are forced out of business.

[Danield]

And if the employer hasn't got enough money to pay more, how are you going to force him/her to pay it?

 

If the employer has to cease trading, then the employees can all become self-employed and pay themselves as much as they like.

 

'Self-employed' will be the only alternative if all the employers are forced out of business.

 

Not strictly true.

[andyofborg]

And if the employer hasn't got enough money to pay more, how are you going to force him/her to pay it?

 

If the employer has to cease trading, then the employees can all become self-employed and pay themselves as much as they like.

 

'Self-employed' will be the only alternative if all the employers are forced out of business.

 

if everyone is forced out of business then where will the self-employed person's customers come from?

[Titanic99]

And if the employer hasn't got enough money to pay more, how are you going to force him/her to pay it?

 

If the employer has to cease trading, then the employees can all become self-employed and pay themselves as much as they like.

 

'Self-employed' will be the only alternative if all the employers are forced out of business.

 

So you are saying that the Taxpayers from employers who pay decent wages should subsidise those employers who pay poor wages.

 

I can see how that would be attractive to those employers interested in making as much money as possible out of others, not particularly fair on the decent employers though.

[discodown]

Its clearly not an ideal system. The governemnt takes tax on one hand and hands it back on the other. Why not cut tax bills instead?

[Rupert_Baehr]

Not strictly true.

 

Well come on then, spell out the alternatives.

[Berberis]

So you are saying that the Taxpayers from employers who pay decent wages should subsidise those employers who pay poor wages.

 

What if a company cannot afford it? Should those companies’s go bust sending ALL employees onto the dole?

[Titanic99]

What if a company cannot afford it? Should those companies’s go bust sending ALL employees onto the dole?

 

I would ask the obvious question why one particular company can't afford it whilst others can.

[discodown]

I would ask the obvious question why one particular company can't afford it whilst others can.

Well probably Tesco's could afford it but does that mean their competitor should just fold? What about the vast amount of companies which are small firms and employ only a few people what would you see happen to them?