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Original poster

Why is the benefit cap still in place?

250 replies

Mrsbeanz · 05/02/2021 19:53

Why haven't the government scrapped the benefit cap as it was introduced to get people into work. Why at a time when people are losing jobs and finding it hard to find work, and many being told they shouldn't go to work should people still be capped? It just forces people into.poverty and homelessness. Especially since rents are high and a housing crisis

OP posts:
thevassal · 06/02/2021 14:15

@Scramblinghealingdreaming

But people in work who don't claim any benefits have to adapt to their circumstances. Moving when required, changing area to find work etc.

Why does this only apply to those in work. It's an unfair system.

And the biggest threat to all within the benefits system are those within the system that take the piss. Always has been, always will be.

So while holding the government to account, the piss takers need to be also. Until they are, there will never be a better system for those genuinely in need.

exactly. Why is 'moving away from your family' such an incredible hardship? I've had to choose between living near to family and friends versus living close to work, and living in an area that's nice, and convenient for work but expensive versus somewhere that's not so nice/further away but I can afford - most people have to make those choices!

I don't understand - I work full time and not on a high wage, but over the benefit threshold - my expenses have gone up this year but I haven't had an automatic pay rise to counteract that, and neither have the majority of other working people?

Hugely agree that we should be much harder on NRPs though.

ufucoffee · 06/02/2021 14:31

'So poor people should only be allowed to live in certain areas of the country?' What a stupid comment. There are areas I could never afford to live in and I'm working full time with no benefits. So obviously if you can't afford to live somewhere you want to you have to do something about it.

tara671 · 06/02/2021 14:33

Because the rest of society doesn’t want to pay for it. Working is often boring, unpleasant and tiring - how is it fair to expect low-average income taxpayers to fund equivalent/better lifestyles of those who don’t work?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Benefits
ConsuelaHammock · 06/02/2021 14:36

What about those who were born in crap areas and want to live in the best areas ? Damn right they’re going to move . Why wouldn’t they ? If that means you can’t stay in the area you were born in then that’s unfortunate.
The government needs to make not paying for a child a criminal offence . One that will affect their credit score ?Prevent non resident non paying parents getting a mortgage . Remove passports . Perhaps an online database of offenders which is available to prospective employers . The feckless fathers know that there are benefits in place to make up for their shortcomings.

Dallerup · 06/02/2021 14:39

And the costs involved in moving? Deposit? Removals? Travelling to view property? New school uniform? Additional childcare costs if you currently have family helping out?

And that's assuming you can find somewhere that accepts benefits and a job in an affordable area. Ffs it's not always that easy why can't people see this?

As for 'I don't want my taxes to pay for it'. Well I didn't want my taxes to pay for various wars but I had to suck that one up. I don't want my taxes to pay for MPs wages but I don't get a choice in that either. Don't particularly like paying the amount of council tax I do when I've never had to use the fire service or adult social care but guess what? Tough!

Dallerup · 06/02/2021 14:41

I will agree that NRPs need to be held more accountable but that needs to be in place BEFORE we start penalising benefit claimants

Viviennemary · 06/02/2021 14:43

Poor people can live anywhere they like but they can't expect the tax payer to pay for it.

Dallerup · 06/02/2021 14:48

Poor people can live anywhere they like but they can't expect the tax payer to pay for it.

Should just bugger off and die quietly somewhere then eh? Nice

Waxonwaxoff0 · 06/02/2021 14:49

@tara671

Because the rest of society doesn’t want to pay for it. Working is often boring, unpleasant and tiring - how is it fair to expect low-average income taxpayers to fund equivalent/better lifestyles of those who don’t work?
Speak for yourself. I've always been happy to pay for it. Having been on benefits myself, it certainly is not an equivalent lifestyles to working.
Roastednotsalt · 06/02/2021 14:51

Benefits cannot be an equivalent to those working and getting too up benefits though. Other wise people will not go to work!

tara671 · 06/02/2021 14:53

@Waxonwaxoff0 So you're happy to pay tax to fund the lifestyles of others as you've taken from the pot previously. Have you worked out if you're now a net tax contributor? Or are you effectively still paying the state back for what you've taken out?

Gilead · 06/02/2021 15:08

There are some deeply unpleasant people here.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 06/02/2021 15:10

[quote tara671]@Waxonwaxoff0 So you're happy to pay tax to fund the lifestyles of others as you've taken from the pot previously. Have you worked out if you're now a net tax contributor? Or are you effectively still paying the state back for what you've taken out? [/quote]
I'm not a net contributor currently. I have been in the past and will be again at some point when I no longer need to pay for childcare. Couldn't care less who "takes from the pot", I'm more concerned about big corporations who don't pay their fair share of tax than I am about those who are struggling to make ends meet.

inquietant · 06/02/2021 15:14

[quote tara671]@Waxonwaxoff0 So you're happy to pay tax to fund the lifestyles of others as you've taken from the pot previously. Have you worked out if you're now a net tax contributor? Or are you effectively still paying the state back for what you've taken out? [/quote]
This is a myopic view.

There's no point arguing but if you think paying decent benefits doesn't benefit a nation both socially and economically you don't understand how societies function.

The cheapskating over benefits costs us UK so much, in crime, healthcare, education, social work not to mention lower economic growth.

Dallerup · 06/02/2021 15:15

@Roastednotsalt People seem to be under the impression that you just wander into the job centre, say you don't want to work and they hand you a stack of cash. You have to jump through hoops at every stage.

@tara671 If you claim on your house insurance after making only 3 payments would you then make sure you never swapped insurance providers and carried on paying until you'd 'paid back' every penny you'd claimed?

Benefits are (supposedly) set at 'what the government believes you can reasonably live on'. If you work but earn below this magic figure they will, in some cases, top you up to this level. If you cannot work they will give you that amount. With benefit cap they've now said that actually there's room there to cut that back. Seems odd to me.

Someone I work with (client not colleague) is 'entitled' to approx £1700 UC spread over the basic element, child element and housing element. As long as they are earning over £604pcm. They were furloughed right at the start of furlough so their take home pay dropped below this. They've now lost 20% of their wages PLUS over £300 of UC per month. Nursery closed but still charged 70% of fees but they couldn't claim any childcare back because the invoice showed that child wasn't attending. Couldn't get another job because current work contract said so. HOW is this fair!?

Yes, people shouldn't be allowed to claim for the sake of it and get thousands on their own say so but the benefit cap is not applied fairly

JustAnotherPoster00 · 06/02/2021 15:18

Sky TV always gets trotted out on these threads. Such a lazy response.

Everyone get your Benefits Bingo cards out

Waxonwaxoff0 · 06/02/2021 15:21

@JustAnotherPoster00

Sky TV always gets trotted out on these threads. Such a lazy response.

Everyone get your Benefits Bingo cards out

I've seen fags mentioned as well. Just waiting for booze and iPhones.
rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 15:21

@user1465423698

The point of it was to punish people. It was never about "getting people into work" . It was always about impoverishing people and forcing them from their homes.

That's why it's still here. Because they still want to punish people for being poor, unemployed or disabled.

This. 100%.
rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 15:23

I've seen fags mentioned as well. Just waiting for booze and iPhones.

Let's start a list! Tattoos, foreign holidays, nails, 'latest tech', cars and drugs.

Roastednotsalt · 06/02/2021 15:25

@Dallerup I don’t know who people are. But don’t assume since your tagging me. I have been made redundant and I have had to go to the job centre I did not have a child at that point. However things quickly break down when people to continue to have kids they cannot afford.

What realistically are you expecting benefits to go up? To what exactly because it will cause uproar everybody will want moving up the pay chain! I think it’s much more complex than just giving people more benefits. Education has clearly gone a miss here as well as common sense.

Even people on UC/TC it’s always sold that the person must be struggling and living in poverty... that is not the case for everybody and I include myself in that!

rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 15:26

@Viviennemary

Poor people can live anywhere they like but they can't expect the tax payer to pay for it.
Nah, that's members of Parliament.
JustAnotherPoster00 · 06/02/2021 15:26

@rawalpindithelabrador

I've seen fags mentioned as well. Just waiting for booze and iPhones.

Let's start a list! Tattoos, foreign holidays, nails, 'latest tech', cars and drugs.

boyfriend with flash car always staying there, designer clothes, large screen TV, HA housing
Waxonwaxoff0 · 06/02/2021 15:28

@rawalpindithelabrador

I've seen fags mentioned as well. Just waiting for booze and iPhones.

Let's start a list! Tattoos, foreign holidays, nails, 'latest tech', cars and drugs.

Hair extensions, designer clothes! Grin
rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 15:28

Takeaways. Every night. No one would ever be poor if they knew how to cook. Nutritious meals. From scratch.

Dallerup · 06/02/2021 15:38

@Roastednotsalt I was referring to 'people will not go to work'. That's not just an easy option. Of course there are people who manage to find loopholes or lie convincingly enough but it's not possible to just say you don't want to work and get handed a pile of benefits.

I haven't said I want benefits to increase but that I want the benefit cap to be re looked at and applied fairly. Some people get too little and others get too much.

I actually receive top up benefits at the moment and I think I get too much. There's no option to only accept part of what you're entitled to though so I choose to try to give back in other ways (yes, to ease my conscience at claiming more than I need through no real fault of my own). At the end of each month I spend what I've got left over on a big shop for the foodbank which is where I think some of that money should be going