What Government expenditure would you cut do you think?

[Wafflefudge]

Having seen quite a few posts recently which seem to be focused on disability spending being unaffordable and needing to be cut it has prompted me to think about what could actually be cut without causing issues/ knock ons that would be more costly long term.
I think perhaps for people who aren't disabled or with disabled children they see this as an easy cut. But we can of course all think of cuts that wouldn't directly or immediately affect us.
I personally dont think any cuts are particularly easy or straightforward though.
Off the top of my head I'd maybe cut libraries as they've put such short hours in place that they are barely useable anyway. Or perhaps maximise making money from them. But recognise this would be a drop in the ocean of public expenditure.
Id be interested in others opinions on where cuts might work. I'm sure answers will vary considerably depending on personal circumstances

Regulate the business and housing. At the moment benefits are making up for low wages and high rents - it's subsidising employers and landlords, not the people actually claiming.

So you want people to be killed (through destitution) or commit crime to survive? And end up too ill, due to extreme poverty and stress, to work?

Why not look at positive discrimination, where unemployed people are prioritised for job vacancies (as long as they meet the basic job requirements and/or can be trained on the job)?

I would change it so that child maintenance payments are classed as income for calculating benefits. With an emergency contingency fund available if they suddenly stop paying.

I’d be taxing extreme wealth. Money that makes more money without doing a thing! Multimillionaire business owners earning tens of thousands purely in interest.

I’d start at the top and not with the poorest or the disabled. They are the most vulnerable and need looking after.

One of the things I’d look at would be euthanasia tbh. That sounds terrible but I’ve relatives who’ve suffered horrible slow deaths from cancer, mnd, they know they are dying, they actively want to die quickly still we spend £££s dragging it out. I’d also like to be able to sign a living will and have my wishes respected should I develop dementia as they do in the Netherlands.

Absolutely nothing, there's nothing to cut. We're to the bone. Austerity v. 2 is not going to work - the economy needs to get moving, and people need money to do that.

Yeah I sort of feel the same. We wouldn't let it be so drawn out for our pets but we have to allow it for our relatives.

I’d cut MP’s salaries in half and reduce their expenses allowance.

I’d also cut the military expenditure! Plus, selling most of the King’s properties.

That would be tricky I don’t get child maintenance for example but ex has dc 3 days out of seven and pays expenses on his days. He also pays for clothes/ shoes as do I, holidays, days out normal parent stuff. I work full time but get some UC how would you quantify his contribution?

Consultancy.

I stopped reading when people started to suggest euthanasia for older people to save money.

FFS his low can you go

Tax the super rich with higher taxes on passive income over a certain amount.

It's not like we're suggesting you get to 80 and get rounded up ffs. I've known lots of elderly people (and people who had cancer) who would have loved the choice after long drawn out painful years of death. I would choose euthanasia myself if I could in the future - I'd hate years of pain and decline.

I read that post as meaning for those people who wish for euthanasia, not society deciding to get rid of people deemed inconvenient of expensive.

The example given was those dying of cancer, not the elderly.

It's hard actually. I can't go on here and say schools/childcare. They are really really important. Though I don't and won't benefit from them.
I feel like there's nothing to cut. Maybe stuff to do with roads. Like filling potholes, building motorways, etc. I don't drive and live central...
Things like pride parades and community activities like parties and stuff that are council funded. I guess we could do without them. Or just that they'd be funded privately. But that's hardly anything really in terms of spending?
Prisons? But I don't want axe murders and rapists walking the streets?
Defence. Weapons etc. war type stuff. Yeah, I think that one definitely.

Would you say the same for the amount of money used to protect Buckingham Palace etc?

interesting question.
Id means test farming subsidies although they have just gone so that is kind of happening.
I would look at public service wastage - good friends of mine are NHS managers. They spend far too long managing people who know exactly how much time to take off sick before disciplinaries kick in and even then how far to push it.

I’d have a common sense policy. Police round here spend a fortune on local meet the people initiatives. Don’t want that - would like them to go after the people who have robbed 4 charity shops in our town recently and police have barely attended.

It's important to consider exactly what they waste spend money on. Cut the genuine waste. Working that out would take a million more quangos.

I would look at the civil service and eliminate any one with a political view.

Civil servants should be neutral. They're not.

Id probably aim for a meritocracy rather than dei.

Increase inheritance tax
if unemployed more than 6 months have to volunteer full time or no benefits
introduce some charges for nhs like missed appointments

I know. One of my relatives had hospice at home which is where you are sent home and supposed to have carers all the time. They really didn’t and it was dreadful for everyone involved. It would of been far kinder to give him a choice and avoid all that pain and indignity. I wouldn’t allow my pet to suffer like that.

It has to be about more than cuts, it's about using whats available better.

My own personal bugbear is the outsourcing of children's residential homes to the private sector. Thus sector makes upwards of £300 million pounds profit on the backs of our most vulnerable children. How many Council owned homes and social workers would that pay for?
Similarly with school transport. Instead of contracting to taxi companies, the LA directly employ drivers and buy mini buses
Apply that principle across all public services and it would soon add up

This

Austerity is one of the main reasons why so many people are in poverty (often despite working) and/or unable to work, and also why the economy is struggling and why crime has risen and why many areas are rundown and less safe.

Many senior economists have spoken about this, and it's worth remembering that austerity left the UK in more debt.

It's a false economy approach, that harms individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole.

As for euthanasia. Whilst I support it being an option when informed choice made by free will, it should never be mentioned in the same discussions as financial decisions. That is dangerously close to moving towards coercion and social murder, rather than a free choice to end incurable suffering.

I wouldn't make any more cuts as there's already been too many. I'd raise capital gains tax to the same level as income tax...maybe abolish both of them and call it universal basic income tax. I really don't know why the top rate of income tax is 45% when capital gains is only a maximum of 28% and it encourages all sorts of manipulations IMHO.