Should all work related benefits such as tax credits be stopped ??

[Arguendo]

Won't happen...

 

Agree... although I’m not a fan of the conservatives, I do agree with their policy of making benefits harder to claim, forcing people back to work or at least trying to find work, I may even consider voting for them if they get more aggressive towards the ‘shirkers’ in our society.

[HeadingNorth]

Agree... although I’m not a fan of the conservatives, I do agree with their policy of making benefits harder to claim, forcing people back to work or at least trying to find work

 

There is always a trade-off. If you make claiming benefits sufficiently tough that nobody who should be working can get away with claiming, then it is inevitable that some who should be allowed to claim, will have their claims denied.

 

There's also the law of diminishing returns to take into account. If we imagine, for instance, that there is exactly one benefit fraudster in the country stealing £12,000 a year of taxpayers' money, then it isn't worth bothering to hunt him down. The wages of the people required to find and prosecute him would be far more than the amount it costs just to let him get away with it.

[Ms Macbeth]

There is always a trade-off. If you make claiming benefits sufficiently tough that nobody who should be working can get away with claiming, then it is inevitable that some who should be allowed to claim, will have their claims denied.

 

There's also the law of diminishing returns to take into account. If we imagine, for instance, that there is exactly one benefit fraudster in the country stealing £12,000 a year of taxpayers' money, then it isn't worth bothering to hunt him down. The wages of the people required to find and prosecute him would be far more than the amount it costs just to let him get away with it.

 

Its the bit in bold that worries me. That would quite likely hit those with mental health conditions very hard. There isn't a simple answer.

 

But, replying to the OP's question, I'd agree with your earlier post preferring to see tax thresholds lifted. I think the basic personal allowance should be at the level of someone working full time on minimum wage, so they pay no tax. Using the Inland revenue would be so much easier and cheaper to administrate. The same should apply to pensions - there should be no pension credit, it should be incorporated into an increased basic pension for everyone. Those with large incomes would pay tax anyway!

[HeadingNorth]

Its the bit in bold that worries me. That would quite likely hit those with mental health conditions very hard. There isn't a simple answer.

 

Indeed there is not, because the reverse is, of course, also true. If you relax the stringency of the tests enough to ensure that everyone who is deserving will receive benefits, then a hefty number who are not deserving will find it easy to sneak through.

 

I'd agree with your earlier post preferring to see tax thresholds lifted... ...The same should apply to pensions - there should be no pension credit, it should be incorporated into an increased basic pension for everyone.

 

I have questioned before whether a "universal credit" system would solve the problem. Something that meant, essentially, that every single person was entitled, from the government, a fixed sum of money roughly equivalent to the income support level; that meant minimum wage would fall to take that into account. In other words, someone not working would get about £60 a week - someone currently working and earning £250 a week would only earn £190 but would also get that £60 a week universal credit.

 

The idea of such a system being to guarantee, firstly, that everyone had enough money to avoid starvation or homelessness, and secondly, that anyone who chose not to bother with work would live on a near-starvation wage and anybody in work, or having worked long enough to earn a private pension, would always be better off.

 

Many people pointed out some large flaws in it. I don't know whether they could be overcome.

[Mr Gobby]

I DO work, I've worked voluntary for over 20 years!

 

And don't even get me started on my struggles to get a "proper" job!

 

20 yrs without a job ,hell that's a record.

[HeadingNorth]

20 yrs without a job ,hell that's a record.

 

For a disabled person, not even close. Many of them couldn't work if they wanted to, and a lot of those who could work, and want to, employers won't touch with a barge pole.

[Iuchi_Zien]

For a disabled person, not even close. Many of them couldn't work if they wanted to, and a lot of those who could work, and want to, employers won't touch with a barge pole.

 

I know someone who suffers from epilepsy she has on average two plus seizures per day What employer is going to give her the time of day, let alone employ her? Is it fair that any person who is genuinely unable to work should be penalised because others try to cheat the system? Voluntary work is frequently the only available alternative to people who employers will not hire.

[Bonjon]

I DO work, I've worked voluntary for over 20 years!

 

And don't even get me started on my struggles to get a "proper" job!

 

20yrs!! Must be some struggle.... Ive seen lots of your posts about unemployment and IMO you seem to bound around excuse after excuse instead of actually wanting a job. Makes me think you prefer to be unemployed??

[HarmOKnee]

there still are allowances, tax credits were an additional thing thought up by gordon brown in his spare time while he was abolishing boom and bust.

 

it would certainly seem to make more sense to adjust people's tax codes such that the end result was the same as having tax credits.

That's too simple. My mum worked in the tax office for 40 years & she's always said that, but the powers that be can't do anything that simple