AIBU to think there is a difference.

[mollyandme123]

After a conversation earlier I was left feeling like rubbish, is there really no difference between people who choose not to work and claim, and people who work but claim top ups. Are all benefits viewed as the same.

[OwlinaTree]

Need more info. What do you mean by choose not to work and claim?
What do you mean by top ups? child benefit?

[mollyandme123]

I mean child tax and working tax
Is it seen as the same as non working benefits.

[HoratiaDrelincourt]

Top ups like WTC or CTC?

I'd say there's a difference, yes. Those working but topped up don't have a gap on their CV for. start.

Insert rant about "living wage" here.

[LimitedEditionLady]

I get tex credits on top of working i guess thats benefits.My oh works full time so its not much but it pays for nursery as otherwise it wouldnt be worth working at all.So im claiming a benefit but i still work.

[mollyandme123]

I feel like I am being a bit sensitive lol but was really upset being compared to a benefit scrounge today by my own sister

[Gossipmonster]

Erm - people who get tax credits pay tax.

People who choose not to work don't .

[mollyandme123]

It was the whole don't have kids you can't afford debate... should work hard educate yourself not to rely on benefits like everything's that simple

[OwlinaTree]

Your sister called you a benefit scrounge? Nice and supportive there.

[LimitedEditionLady]

I think where im from its not seen the same tbh.There are hundreds of people here who choose not to work and claim because they dont want to work.And yes I know it is true that they just dont want to incase anyone thinks im being presumptious.I dont know what my opinion is because circumstances differ and things arent always what they seem.

[OwlinaTree]

So your sister works and has never claimed anything ever then?

[mollyandme123]

Gossip- my sister married up has 2 kids, husbands in law she is a stay home mum. House cars all that malarkey. I am uneducated although I am a police officer , single mum of 3 and have to claim to survive. Apparently I should educate myself and had a career that supported children.

[DameDeepRedBetty]

Your sister is a bit of a silly moo. Whether or not the working tax credit system is bonkers is a completely different conversation. Meanwhile there's a massive difference between claiming the money and childcare element which means the difference between just about surviving and actually living while working, and those who spend their time coming up with ways to avoid having to do anything other than watch daytime telly.

[OwlinaTree]

She sounds smug.

[DameDeepRedBetty]

Loads of xposts!

I didn't think it was possible to join the police these days without a reasonable level of education - don't do yourself down OP.

[Gossipmonster]

But if she is a stay at home mum she's not claiming benefits?

I presume she s your older sister?

She's talking out of her arse -ignore her :)

[Anniegetyourgun]

So you are a scrounger because you do paid work, but she isn't a scrounger because she doesn't. How very... is "logical" the word I'm looking for? Perhaps not.

[mollyandme123]

It got very heated, as I pointed out actually I am above her on the work ladder, she relies on her husband 100 per cent so don't really see the difference there either.

[janey68]

People who choose not to work, or who deliberately keep themselves "underemployed" to get benefits are totally different to those who are working to their capacity though.

I know a couple of women with school age children who work part time school hours (and have been offered full time school hours only contracts) who deliberately continue working only 3 or 4 days a week because they get topped up through tax credits. Now thats taking the piss. However, it's also a short sighted view as I'm sure people in this kind of situation will get hit before long

If you work full time but are on a very low wage then that's different. Of course the real problem is that NMW should be higher, and the more hours someone works, the better off they should be . In an ideal world, a full time job on the NMW wouldn't need topping up and the worker would be able to afford to live.

[pianodoodle]

I'd ask your sister what she would do if her husband left tomorrow.

[teenagetantrums]

Well you claim benefits, benefits are benefits, so long as you don't join in an anti benefit rant with your sister she has no right to judge you.

[SecretNutellaFix]

And should anything happen to her relationship with her husband she would be the one totally fucked, not you.

You have a job and earn your own money. She doesn't work and whilst she doesn't claim anything from the government appears to be totally reliant on another person to support her lifestyle?

[teenagetantrums]

Oh and im unemployed and actually get less benefits than i did when i was working.

[mollyandme123]

Yes she is older she said what's wrong today is everyone relies on top ups and fathers are not even forced to pay up , yet another dig at me. I'm currently training for CID and love my job.
I hate the whole we have everything because we work hard for it .. Yes so do other people , shop workers, nurses, cleaners.

[cantheyseeme]

Theres a big difference, unfortunately we're not all in a position to have better careers (yet in my case) but think of the 'uneducated' jobs out there that pay minimum wage.... they make the world go around, we are the ones who care for elderly and mentally ill people, where would they go?

[annieorangutan]

Your doing a very important job and havenkids of course thats much more impressive than if you were at home just claiming benefits. Ignore.