Sierra Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 We have a similar thing here if you're on benefits with children. Tokens can be exchanged for baby milk formula, fresh milk, and fresh fruit and vegetables. £3.10 a week per child under 4 or 5 I think it is. Edit to add: Some shops don't accept them though, the Co Op for example. Which is probably a good thing as last time I checked there, baby formula was £2 more than it is elsewhere, and a lot of local corner shop owners are willing to accept them as payment for cigarettes (when fags were slightly cheaper, you could exchange one £3.10 token for 10 cigs in some shops). This sounds like our WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program. They get vouchers (checks?) good for milk, peanut butter , cereal, eggs, cheese, formula, etc. I think they're eligible until their youngest child reaches age five. They have the recepients name on them, so they're harder to swap for cash. I think the WIC program is a good one, though I have seen rudeness and tantrums because there are no substitutions allowed. In America they have welfare debit cards which allow money to be spent on food, but you can also withdraw cash to spend on drink, drugs, and post bail. They can only get cash back if they are also on Temporary Cash Assistance. I have NO idea how that works. The people I've seen using EBT cards are only allowed to get food. My feelings about this are 50% thankful that I'm not in that position, and 50% annoyed at the waste, fraud, and general bad attitude of the folks I see using these cards. Years ago, food stamps used to come in coupon books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenyweeny Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 encourage back to work what work Exactly right:thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fake Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 The idea of coupons was already tried with asylum seekers and abandoned as unworkable so why do you think it would now work for those on benefits? Its a very wasteful way of payment and setting up a scheme would cost millions as they need to be printed to a decent enough quality so they cant be forged. They also need to be posted out to the individual. You then need to set up a system for retailers to accept them and if its like the asylum system only certain retailer would accept them. There is also the problem that retailers give no change for any transaction. They encourage black market trading and are also demeaning to those on benefits. Don't forget in order to save money the DWP tried to force all those on benefits into opening a bank account for the benefit to be paid into. Spending money for no reason or to appease the benefit basher's is stupid. Although food stamps etc are used in the USA they have no benefits system and a lot of the handouts are done by charities, so in a sense cant be compared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghozer Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I'm just as interested to know how self employed people with no work coming in afford to do the same. Because if they earn 0, they can still claim something depending how much, and how many hour(s) they work... they can be signed on, and still be classed as self employed, if you earn, you're meant to declare earnings and it will be deducted... the problem is, how many actually do (or don't as the case maybe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andygardener Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Many on here have criticised the idea of a voucher scheme due to it being open to abuse such as a black market. One way to avoid this would be to have all benefit recipients wear some form of identifying clothing so that anyone serving a voucher holder who was not wearing said identifier could be prosecuted. Perhaps a yellow star or patch could be designed with a motto such as "Jobseeker, unemployed, don't engage" or JUDE for short. So the concept of possibly paying some out of work benefits in means other than cash puts you in mind of the holocaust. Some people might think that comparing the possibility that someone who has never worked may no longer be allowed to buy scratchcards with the industrial murder of millions of people was at best lacking a sense of perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaarontf Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I have been thinking how the country can encourage people back to work rather than people accepting the current system due to the financial rewards of the current system. As a tax payer it really annoys me (and this is my opinion which i am entitled to) that individuals on benefits (and I must add not all but a large proportion) are able to drive new cars, holiday abroad each year, drink alcohol and smoke all at the tax payers expense when the benefit system was designed to provide essential living support. I am working guy having to work overtime to subsidise my wage (and I have a good job paid half decent money) in order to provide a little extra for my family ie holidays etc. I don't drive a new car, don't smoke (not that i want to) and have to limit the amount of time we as a family or my wife and I go out. However, a lot of people I interact with thro work and my social area drink most nights/afternoons or weekends, smoke 40+ a day (cant be cheap), holiday abroad each year and drive 2 to 3 year old cars, all payed for by the tax payer. I Was wondering what individuals think about benefits being paid in coupons which can be exchanged for essential foods, clothing housing and bus fares etc for families rather than the current system of cash handouts. This way society can be assured that the benefits that people recieive are utilised appropriatly. If an individual has a burning desire to buy cigarettes, alcohol, holidays etc then they can be given the option of exchanging a proportion of the coupons for cash if they agree to working x amount of hours for the community they reside in supervised by the local council. Im sure this will help to encourage people to work and have a little more self respect for themselves. What are other peoples thoughts on this. I am not trying to start an us against them argument. It is just my opinion. I am on ESA, i have worked all my life, paid taxes and everything so has my husband and as does my eldest daughter my younger two cannot get work, they try and try, they do not smoke, they don't drink, neither do i, but honestly what the government gives me in allowances it would make no difference be it coupons or cash, either way its either have electric or food, not both, I think its disgusting that people who have worked and paid taxes all their life get the same money that long term benefit claimants get, we even lost our home due to loss of my income but they will pay double my mortgage in rents!! so i really honestly have no idea how people afford to smoke or go out. Nothing any government does will make jobs, there are NO JOBS, The statistics are made up and unemployment figures are fake. The whole world is a mess. The worlds governments are in a mess! Coupons would actually cost more money to print and track and they would be sold for cash anyway. So ...Pointless. Sad but true. Dont you think?? ;>0 Oh and as for 2 cars and holidays abroad etc, you really dont believe that this is paid for by their benefits alone??!!! lol IMPOSSIBLE, Crime pays, it really does but i would rather be poor than having to watch my back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grafikhaus74 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 When benefits are being handed out on a plate people will take them.....since before the little one arrived but that's life. So Child Benefits aren't 'handed out on a plate' for somebody's lifestyle choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricgem2002 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Well, something has to be done. The idea of scrapping NI altogether has been put forward but it's nothing like enough. But it isn't just the business paperwork that is a problem. I work in construction and there is an entire industry of bureauprats sitting around thinking up new and ingenious ways to keep themselves in work by implementing ever more bureaucracy and expense on the industry. To keep up to date I have to go on course after course and certificates for this and that all the time. It costs me thousands every year. There is no such thing as casual labouring jobs anymore. You can't get on a construction site without a fistful of paperwork. This is what is stopping people from getting jobs. They simply can't get the paperwork. If you are out of work for any length of time all your certificates of competency can expire and then you are effectively unemployable. You haven't lost the skills but your paperwork is out of date. The Jobcentre does not help you get all those back up to date so you stay unemployed. For example, you can't get the paperwork you need to work on the railways unless you are sponsored by an employer. Employers only take on people who already have the paperwork. That means there is only a small number of people qualified to work on the railways so wages are kept high. That's nationalised Network Rail for you. No young people can break into rail engineering easily. There is a huge barrier to employment there and elsewhere. THAT is what needs sorting out to get people into work.......................and the bureaucracy. i dont usually agree with what you say but this time your right . i also work in construction and on the railways and the amount of tickets/certificates i have is unbelievable. its a pity the wages dont reflect on the amount of tickets you have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorkerSWFC Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I have been thinking how the country can encourage people back to work rather than people accepting the current system due to the financial rewards of the current system. As a tax payer it really annoys me (and this is my opinion which i am entitled to) that individuals on benefits (and I must add not all but a large proportion) are able to drive new cars, holiday abroad each year, drink alcohol and smoke all at the tax payers expense when the benefit system was designed to provide essential living support. I am working guy having to work overtime to subsidise my wage (and I have a good job paid half decent money) in order to provide a little extra for my family ie holidays etc. I don't drive a new car, don't smoke (not that i want to) and have to limit the amount of time we as a family or my wife and I go out. However, a lot of people I interact with thro work and my social area drink most nights/afternoons or weekends, smoke 40+ a day (cant be cheap), holiday abroad each year and drive 2 to 3 year old cars, all payed for by the tax payer. I Was wondering what individuals think about benefits being paid in coupons which can be exchanged for essential foods, clothing housing and bus fares etc for families rather than the current system of cash handouts. This way society can be assured that the benefits that people recieive are utilised appropriatly. If an individual has a burning desire to buy cigarettes, alcohol, holidays etc then they can be given the option of exchanging a proportion of the coupons for cash if they agree to working x amount of hours for the community they reside in supervised by the local council. Im sure this will help to encourage people to work and have a little more self respect for themselves. What are other peoples thoughts on this. I am not trying to start an us against them argument. It is just my opinion. I reckon people who work should be paid in milk tokens what do you reckon ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebbadee Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I reckon people who work should be paid in milk tokens what do you reckon ??? :hihi: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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