Petition to put a halt to the planned child benefit/tax credits cut and introduce an "upper earnings limit" instead

[donnaw25]

Hi,

I have started a petition that I intend on sending to 10 Downing Street (if enough signatures are collected) to try to put a stop to the Government cutting out child benefit and child tax credits and instead introduce an "upper earnings limit" to stop overpaid celebrities, PMs and even the MP himself from taking all of the Country's money and leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces through cuts.

If you agree with me, the petition can be found here: www.gopetition.co.uk/online/36972.html
Thanks in advance to all those who are in agreement and sign.

[BadgersPaws]

Exactly how will limiting what a relatively tiny number of celebrities are paid by primarily the private sector put any more money into the Government pot? If anything it will cost the Government money as they will get less tax and make cuts elsewhere, such as child related benefits, slightly more likely.

The only "benefit" would be a slightly nasty thrill for people who think that they're hurting some "overpaid" celebrity.

Not a good or well thought out idea.

[Fruitysunshine]

What would you deem to be an acceptable upper limit salary for somebody who has built up a 20 year career in their specialised subject and is qualified and widely respected in their field - as many people are in at a certain stage in their lives.

[belledechocolatefluffybunny]

IIRC they are only stopping these benefits for people that earn over 50K??

[Tortington]

if you earn over 50k you really shouldn't be allowed to get these benefits anyway.

[BadgersPaws]

The petition suggest £80k which us quite ridiculous. British companies would be unable to pay enough to get the staff they need. They would either collapse beaten by better foreign competition or would themselves move over seas to get around this ridiculous legislation. Either way the county us hurt and less tax us collected.

This has really not been thought through at any level beyond a gut reaction of perceived unfairness and trying to hurt others.

[gaelicsheep]

I think the Labour government's grand plan to make the majority of voters feel dependent on them worked a treat. People have forgotten what "benefits" are actually for, and it is not to supplement the incomes of people earning over £50k!

[Quattrocento]

What are you talking about? How will this work?

[Fruitysunshine]

How much benefits does someone earning over £50k receive and what are they?

[DaisymooSteiner]

"All of the country's money". Exactly where do you think the country's money comes from? If you create an upper earnings limit you effectively create a ceiling on the amount of tax revenue you can take. No more NHS, no more tax credits, no more pretty much anything.

I can't decide whether the poor sod who has to reply to your petition will be PHSL or banging his/her head against the wall when they read it.

[Aitch]

there was an interesting guy on the radio the other week talking about how all benefits should be universal, absolutely all of them, which would make it a doddle to administrate, but that taxation should be made more sensitive to a person's earning. i thought this was interesting, once you start thinking that way you realise that a lot of council jobs are just about making work for people. which is good, of course, buuuut...

[belledechocolatefluffybunny]

(I don't earn over 50k) Isn't it child benefit and child tax credit??

[belledechocolatefluffybunny]

What was the purpose of the child trust fund? Enlighten me??

[Fruitysunshine]

Thanks Belle.

I do get frustrated at the level of resentment levied at high earners in this country - like earning a high salary is some sort of crime.

Where do they think the majority of taxation comes from that contributes towards benefits? Anyway, probably not the correct thread.

[gaelicsheep]

I tell you what, the amount of money lavished on "families" (meaning couples with children ONLY) used to piss me off big time when we were struggling to conceive and subsidising those who could procreate at will.

And are you seriously proposing that the Prime Minister should not earn more than £80K?!

All you are doing with this petition is perpetuating the myths that are flying around about what this Government is or isn't going to do. For a start, no one is talking about cutting Working Tax Credit, which is the tax credit that contributes to childcare costs (if you're lucky).

[belledechocolatefluffybunny]

Child benefit is £81.20 (or something) for a 1st child per month, child tax credit is not much more. I earn 30k, 81.20 a month off this won't make a huge difference (sorry to be crass and mention my earnings but needs must)

There's a link for the Daily Mail in the petition, I have one thing to say about this, it is

[Fruitysunshine]

I could go on and on but will be departing this forum shortly!

[honeydragon]

As of January with bonus my household earnings will go to 50K.

However thanks to the state of british manufacturing and some bastard going bankrupt on us for 40K - and resultinh in us having ti wind up our company a lot goes toward debt ran up to pay business ceditors even though we were a limted co. We refused to shit on others as we were shat on. The person who basically helped ruin us set up another company in his wifes name a month later. That £81 a month really makes a difference to me as we pay a ridiculous mount of tax and a bonus is not always guarentteed but we will have to declare it as possible and so would lose out. I always though that child benefit was for the individual child itself and a postitive thing about this society. Pathetic it may be but we pay a lot in tax have never claimed anykind of benefit and worked hard to try and get our lives back on house and the roof over our heads. I like the fact the my children can a tiny proportion of the money I have earned back to help them directly. Yes that makes me selfish, but I have had enough of watching money I have worked hard for be taken away and wasted.

[honeydragon]

Crikey awful typing sorry am crap doing this with one hand - sorry

[Fruitysunshine]

honeydragon - bad news about your company. Totally get your thoughts on CB though, we are in a similar position. When I have looked at the tax DH pays some months it makes me speechless.

[Chil1234]

I've never heard anything so daft in my life. You've no grasp of economics, clearly. Celebrities, footballers and captains of industry are not taking 'the country's money'. The PM, hospital managers, policemen and other public servants do.

Place an upper earnings limit outside the public sector and all that will happen is that successful people will choose not to live here.... thus removing them from contributing to the public coffers through income tax.... in turn making a bigger hole in the amount available for the government to spend.

Sorry, it's a silly petition.

[Alouiseg]

Get a grip.

[Sibble]

And how much would this take to administer?!?!?!? How much do you expect to save

[ShadeofViolet]

Jealousy is a terrible thing OP!

[Kathyjelly]

So let's think about that. Let's pretend I'm James Dysan or Richard Branson or any of our other successful, job creating entrepreneurs. I have the choice of setting up my new company in the UK where I can only earn £80k or I can set up in France, no doubt welcomed with open arms by the French government and earn billions!

Which would you do?

Who gets the tax revenues? Who gets the jobs? The French.

Nice idea but not really practical.

[foreverastudent]

We would ALL be happier if the earnings gap was dramatically reduced.

There is an oversupply of highly skilled labour in the UK. If all these 'superrich' people left there would be plently of others willing and just as capable of doing a good job who would happily take £80k.

People should be able to earn some reward for innovation but this shouldn't be as out of proportion to the majority's earnings as it is at present.

Just because someone has 'worked hard' to get into a high paid position doesnt mean that those who earn a pittance dont work just as hard (if not harder).

I do think there has to some some kind of penalty on the British people who move abroad to avoid UK tax, eg Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Richard Branson. James Caan, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Ringo Starr- why cant we do what the Americans do and revoke citizenship for tax exiles?