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Original poster

Tax Credits = benefit-dependent society?

340 replies

Chil1234 · 03/05/2010 08:08

Seems that the scariest thing facing many people on these boards about getting rid of the Labour government would be the prospect of a drop in tax credits and other benefits.

Being cynical, I'm now wondering if Labour didn't deliberately engineer the way tax credits work not solely to help those in genuine need but also so that the maximum number of people receive a portion of their income from the state. If it wasn't in part to create a culture of dependency and entitlement why else set the ceiling for receipt up as high as £50k?

OP posts:
mumblechum · 04/05/2010 10:52

ISNT.

Now, SOME people may say that, I couldn't possibly comment....

ooojimaflip · 04/05/2010 10:51

Yes a state pension is benefits. Roads, street lighting, healthcare and policing are also benefits. Pretending that tax credits AREN'T benefits just helps create an unnecessarily complicated system. Benefits are not a bad thing.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:50

It's a language thing.

Yes state pension is a benefit.

But not in the sense of "I'm on benefits" IYSWIM.

mumblechum if you're DH won't put the heating on, I would suggest it is because he is tightfisted, not because if you put the heating on you will have to go without your supper.

FioFio · 04/05/2010 10:50

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expatinscotland · 04/05/2010 10:48

'money the state gives you = benefits'

So state pension is a benefit, then.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:48

Aw dear not enough cash to put the heating on.

Really?

How do you think people with family incomes of less than £150K or whatever it is earn. Do you really expect people to feel sorry for you?

ooojimaflip · 04/05/2010 10:45

expat/FioFio - money you give to the state = tax, money the state gives you = benefits. Tax credits are benefits.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:45

I know people who do it.

You stick them on the books as some kind of admin.

Pay them their tax allowance.

Job done.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:43

no look is coming in this year

MadameCastafiore · 04/05/2010 10:43

No imnottelling - we are not allowed to do that - they stopped you doing it ages ago.

mumblechum · 04/05/2010 10:42

I dunno the details, I only know he mentioned it a few weeks ago that we're down by £7.5k per annum.

(when I was moaning that I wanted the heating on)

ooojimaflip · 04/05/2010 10:41

Mumblechum - that can't be quite right - the tax free allowance is only about £6500 so even if you paid tax an 50% on it that's only £3250. There must be other changes too.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:38

you just shunt it over to your SAHwife and use their tax allowance IME.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:37

Well you learn something every day.

I am surprised.

A lot more work for the accountants I guess.

FioFio · 04/05/2010 10:37

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mumblechum · 04/05/2010 10:35

ISNT, no, that came in recently, so my dh for example is taxed on every penny. We're about £7.5k a year worse off from this year.

There was little or no publicity about that little tweak.

expatinscotland · 04/05/2010 10:35

'tax credits are not 'benefits' either and I was under the impression that once your children were of age you stopped getting them?'

Yes.

FioFio · 04/05/2010 10:34

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ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:30

Yes I have friends who get more back in tax credits than they pay in tax. Their tax credits pay their mortgage.

I didn't know that tax allowances were removed for people earning over £100K, I thought the banding etc was the same for everyone.

MintHumbug · 04/05/2010 10:29

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sarah293 · 04/05/2010 10:26

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herbietea · 04/05/2010 10:25

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MadameCastafiore · 04/05/2010 10:24

The easiest thing for any government to do would be to scrap tax credits and raise your basic tax allowance. This would not apply to the better off because if you earn over £100k you do not receive any tax allowance at all.

Would be easier to administrate and a damn site cheaper and would mean that working actually did pay.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/05/2010 10:23

Just got back.

Yes oojamaflip that's what I'm getting at.

sarah293 · 04/05/2010 10:19

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