Increase the dole to 1 ISD immediately.

[sgtkate]

Full time NMW would give you a bit over £13k, so nearly £4k extra a year, or around a 40% increase in your income. I really don't understand how people get 'hooked' on benefits unless they have very different life expectations to the norm. I guess if all the people they know are also on v low incomes that would become the norm for them and they made not realise just how low an income of £9k a year is. Ignoring the Daily Mail's clickbait story, there are just over 1m people who have never worked in the UK who could have done. That's actually a lot more than I would have expected.

[Berberis]

Full time NMW would give you a bit over £13k, so nearly £4k extra a year, or around a 40% increase in your income. I really don't understand how people get 'hooked' on benefits unless they have very different life expectations to the norm. I guess if all the people they know are also on v low incomes that would become the norm for them and they made not realise just how low an income of £9k a year is. Ignoring the Daily Mail's clickbait story, there are just over 1m people who have never worked in the UK who could have done. That's actually a lot more than I would have expected.

 

NMW working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week works out at approx. £11,830 pa.

 

Look at your figures this way:

 

If you are on JSA you receive £9,339.08 pa

If you work (on NMW) you receive £11,830 pa

- that is £2,490.92 extra a year for working 1820 hours pa.

- or an additional 47.90 per week.

- or an additional 9.58 per day.

- - workings out based on NMW working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

 

So, you can sit on your backside and receive your JSA or you can work 7 hours and you get an additional £9.58. Now can you see why people choose to receive benefits?

 

And there are people who think JSA should be higher!

[sgtkate]

NMW working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week works out at approx. £11,830 pa.

 

Look at your figures this way:

 

If you are on JSA you receive £9,339.08 pa

If you work (on NMW) you receive £11,830 pa

- that is £2,490.92 extra a year for working 1820 hours pa.

- or an additional 47.90 per week.

- or an additional 9.58 per day.

- - workings out based on NMW working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

 

So, you can sit on your backside and receive your JSA or you can work 7 hours and you get an additional £9.58. Now can you see why people choose to receive benefits?

 

And there are people who think JSA should be higher!

 

Well, I do think it should be higher, but the other benefits removed (except disability based ones and some others that I'm sure will get pointed out to me the moment I post this). Housing benefit is a part of your basic income and not separate so it's up to you to decide how to spend it, like everyone else. If you want a small house and have more money to spend you can.

 

BUT, I also want NMW to be higher too, so that not one person who works over 30 hours per week needs to get working tax credits to get them over the living wage line. Far too much waste in red tape for starters without even getting the ethics of it all.

 

And good numbers BTW. I was basing it on 40 hours per week perhaps unrealistically.

[geared]

Yes that could be so but that would most likely be for Gold content, not coin face value. That being the case just flog the Gold, don't go to the expense of minting it as a cost would be attached, reducing the initial value of the Gold.

 

Maybe the coin is easier to smuggle than stolen gold statue, wall fixture, candle stick or whatever it started life as???

 

Also there's the obvious propaganda advantage for IS to minting their own coins.

[RickyM]

NMW working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week works out at approx. £11,830 pa.

 

Look at your figures this way:

 

If you are on JSA you receive £9,339.08 pa

If you work (on NMW) you receive £11,830 pa

- that is £2,490.92 extra a year for working 1820 hours pa.

- or an additional 47.90 per week.

- or an additional 9.58 per day.

- - workings out based on NMW working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

 

So, you can sit on your backside and receive your JSA or you can work 7 hours and you get an additional £9.58. Now can you see why people choose to receive benefits?

 

And there are people who think JSA should be higher!

 

I can't take your comments seriously about being on JSA. People don't choose to be on benefits - they are forced to because of the circumstances they find themselves in.

 

You are also forgetting to factor in Working Tax Credit which some receiving the NMW would be eligible to receive.

 

---------- Post added 24-06-2015 at 16:57 ----------

 

You are forgetting Local Housing benefit and Council Tax Support.

 

A 25+ year old will receive:

 

Jobseeker's Allowance of £3,822.09 pa

Council Tax Support of £587.39 pa

Housing Benefit of £4,929.60 pa

 

Totalling: £9,339.08 pa

 

This also does not take into account the following additional benefits available:

 

Home Improvements Grants

Discretionary Housing Payment

Warm Homes Discount

Boiler Grants

 

I lived this life for over 2 years. Its not poverty. It was the most relaxing time I have ever experienced. I see why people get trapped, its the easy life and the serial claimants know it and thats why they refuse to get a job.

 

You need to consider how a race to the bottom will eventually include you!

[Vegas1]

I really dont understand the premise of this thread. Does it really matter what one [insert unit of foreign currency] is worth in pounds? Its all relative.

[Obelix]

I can't take your comments seriously about being on JSA. People don't choose to be on benefits

 

Oh that may be true for most but there are a significant number of people who are quite happy to life on benefits and laze about all day - I've had the misfortune of meeting these people and they do exist. Thankfully most people are not like that.

[RickyM]

Oh that may be true for most but there are a significant number of people who are quite happy to life on benefits and laze about all day - I've had the misfortune of meeting these people and they do exist. Thankfully most people are not like that.

 

How do you define a 'significant' number?

 

The Cabinet office put the figure of 0.7% of the DWP's budget being lost to fraud and error. It is one of the lowest for all government departments.

[Berberis]

I can't take your comments seriously about being on JSA. People don't choose to be on benefits - they are forced to because of the circumstances they find themselves in.

 

You cant take them seriously because its undermines your argument. If you don't believe it, watch ANN WIDDECOMBE VERSUS (THE BENEFITS CULTURE) here: http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITVProgs/2007/08/22/161130002/?s=widdecombe

 

You will see people turning their noses up at jobs and preferring to sit at home.

 

JSA is a safety net, not a lifestyle choice and while people are choosing to live this way its missing the mark and should be reformed. Maybe depreciate the amount you receive every month by 5% until you reach the bare bones of support.

[Mr Gobby]

Benefits structure is way too high and needs to be culled ASAP.I don't see why anyone who chooses a nonworking lifestyle should be rewarded with more money free gratia, than people that work and earn less ...