“mutton8

I think you have misunderstood the report.

As far as I understood it, the decision about council tax benefit will pass from central to local government and it will be called council tax support. As there will be 10% less money in the fund, benefit claimers will have to pay more council tax than before. 25% is the figure mentioned.”

“As far as I know benefit claimants don`t pay any council tax at the moment but under the new rules they will have to find between 20% and 25%. All well and good but seeing as the government decide how much a claimant needs to live on how can they justify taking some of that away. Especially as it`s this government that has thrown many people out of work and onto benefits.”

“A few years ago I got talking to one of the cleaners at work, she was in a right mood because she'd been called in ( I don't know where to) and told that she had to start paying rent and council tax. I said that seemed fair as she was working, albeit part-time, but she was livid and said it was an 'effin cheek that she should pay, when I asked how much she said £5 rent and £5 council tax per month.
Now I don't know why she only worked part-time as her kids had all left home, but I cannot for the life of me see what she was moaning about, especially when we, the taxpayer were obviously subsidising her life style whilst paying the full amount of council tax on top.

She didn't end up paying for long as a few months later she turned up rolling drunk and was sacked on the spot and in now back on benefits.
If I had my way she would get nothing and be made homeless as well.”

“That`s a bit harsh Steveodore.”

“Flossy,
Might be harsh, but I'm fed up of paying out for lazy, dim witted sponges who think that they are owed everything that's going.”

“I think that there is enough wrong with the benefit system already without mutton8 coming on here and making stuff up.”

“Steveodore,

I do agree but there will always be those that abuse the system. The hundreds that benefit cheaters do us out of is nothing compared to the thousands, if not millions that the big company tax dodgers rob us of. Not to mention the ridiculous expense claims by some members of Parliament.
Our government, which ever one is in power, waste obscene amounts of money and then try penny pinching from the poorest, most disadvantaged in the country.

If all the reforms this government are aiming for, come to fruition and they save a certain amount of money, do you honestly think we`ll all get a tax rebate? No neither do I.”

“ghostwriter69 - I agree, 'there is enough wrong with the benefits system' but me '..coming on here making stuff up..' is not going to change it - and I am not 'making stuff up'. If anything, comments and experiences of those who do reply let others know how we feel about what goes on.”

“flossy

The problem is, we all see people on benefits living as well, if not better, than many working people. Few of us know bankers and company directors directly.

I would be happy if people on benefits had to work to get them. Even people with disabilities should be able to do something. Obviously they would have to do some pretty pointless job that isn't already being done because otherwise no one would bother paying anyone to work and we'd all be unemployed, but the rest of us might not feel so bad if everyone had to get up in the morning and go to work.”

“g69,

You`re right and I agree with you but as there aren`t many jobs around for the ones are actively seeking work,it`s a perfect excuse for the lazy scroungers.
When I left school many years ago there were jobs for everyone. Those that are now classed as special needs could get jobs sweeping up in factories or even street sweeping. Now these jobs are being done by ordinary working men trying to earn a living.

I think, at a time of cutbacks and national job losses, it`s the wrong time to be benefit bashing.
Maybe the answer is to give the workers a decent wage to make the gap wider and give them some incentive to get up and go to work.”

“flossy

Which is why I am saying that the jobs should be pointless jobs so that they don't take work away from the employed.

I agree about the decent wage though. Every time the government makes up working people's wages they are subsidising companies and allowing them to pay less than the minimum living wage (as opposed to the minimum wage). There was a TV programme on about housing benefit and an immigrant from South America was getting an obscene amount of housing benefit so that he could live in central London and work in a restaurant as a waiter. So the tax payers were in fact subsidising that restaurant.”

“g69,

It`s not just housing benefit though. I will never understand how a government can decide on a minimum wage and then think that it`s not enough so make up the shortfall in tax credits.
In effect my husband is paying tax ( on a quite low wage) to subsidise someone earning £3o,ooo +p.a. because they`ve got kids and ours are grown up.”

“I've been subsidising people's kids all my working life, and never had my own because I never thought I could afford them.”

“CSA is a classic, they do not take that into account when calculating the parent with care's income.

You could have three kids to different dads and qualify for 15% of their net income. The parent not with care has paid tax on it so it is not classed as a benefit.

I think parents should be made to pay for their kids but this should be paid direct to the government and deducted off benefit income”