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

@caringcarer

https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get

£49 a week or £8 a week depending on whether their accommodation provides meals or not. This money has to cover everything, not just cigarettes.

List them. Seriously.

There are reforms for the non-dome but these are already priced in. Apart from that I’d love to read the list of loopholes.

^^ now this I agree with.

None of us should take a service or goods from anyone who doesn’t issue receipts or take cards.

Spain pays only half as much and their refugees seem to manage. What do they need £8 for if meals are all provided? They get phones too.

I'd put a cap on people who own and rent out multiple properties from claiming disability benefits.

Haha you really think disability benefit makes you well off enough to become a property tycoon? 🤣

Larry the cat, he’s had it too good for too long. The public want answers.

I suggest you read into things a lot more.

Wow. Now I've heard it all.

Apparently the STAFF pay for Larry which is quite unbelievable!!

Proving - yet again - that cats don’t have owners, they have staff

😂

They do get half but they also claim back clothing costs, public transport costs, healthcare and education costs, get vocational training, Spanish language lessons, legal support, psychological support, interpretation and translation services as well as a bunch of other stuff so I’d be a bit careful in the comparison.

It’s our own fault we’re in this situation. We deliberately slowed down the assessment process as a deterrent and don’t allow asylum seekers to earn money while they are waiting for assessment.

Actually, allowing asylum seekers to work after 6 months if they are still waiting for a decision would be an idea.

Disability benefits are not means tested... and people can do well in life and still be disabled.

No, but people already very well from investing in property certainly don't need benefits for whatever reason.

They should be means tested, but at a high level of income, say £100k. As should all other benefits including state pension.

Many will be "working" in the black economy already.

Can we have the option of increasing taxes rather than cutting expenditures? The Tories cut everything way too much and our public services are on their knees as a result.

Close the tax loopholes.
Not let private landlords charge silly money for rents that end up costing the taxpayer more in the form of housing benefit anyway.
Overhaul PIP so there is not so much money being wasted on tribunals etc, and no more reassessments for people with conditions that will never improve.

I'd stop asylum seekers being given money for cigarettes. Spain pays their refugees less than half of what UK pays theirs.

Arguably though anyone (refugee or British) who buys cigarettes is contributing quite a lot to the economy. Cigarettes have high tax on them so it's a large source of tax revenue. Also at a time of hugely stressful life upheaval it's maybe not the easiest time to give up smoking?

Slightly related, and I'm tired right now and probably not expressing my thoughts well - so I really hope this isn't misinterpreted as being anti-refugee because I don't want that, I saw this article earlier when logging out of outlook email (page goes to MSN news with various different media outlets articles). About refugees being housed in blocks of flats that look nice enough.

My question is why aren't homeless people given the same. I must emphasise I'm not suggesting instead of refugees. I'm saying as well as. I see threads on here regularly including one yesterday where people are being put in horrible and often unsafe temporary accommodation. The temporary accommodation, as well as being awful, is very expensive. Billions spent on it. So why not just provide everyone, refugee and British homeless, who needs decent housing with proper homes?

There's a need to build more social housing and end right to buy imo. Better for individuals but also better for the economy.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/06/sensitive-costs-furnishing-asylum-seeker-flats-watchdog/

Re tax "loopholes", I'd change the laws to stop the following:

1. People constantly buying homes, renovating them, and then selling for a whopping profit paying no tax because it's their "home". Some serial developers do it several times in a row. I'd stop it by bringing in a minimum period of occupation before a "home" becomes exempt from tax, say, 5 years. Any gains/profits made within 5 years are charged to tax! People who are just living there and not improving are unlikely to make much of a gain, so impacts on "innocent" people will be marginal.
2. Likewise serial developers who "flip" houses liable to income tax and NIC rather than CGT. IT and NIC being charged at higher rates than CGT.
3. Stop businesses from "phoenixing" to avoid paying taxes (and stop them avoiding paying their other debts too).
4. Stop businesses from avoiding VAT registration by changing business form, i.e. convert from sole trader to partnership just before hitting threshold, clock starts again, the they change p'ship to ltd co before hitting the threshold. Playing the system like that can save tens of thousands of pounds in lost revenue to HMRC.
5. Proper challenges of "disguised self employment", i.e. pretend "self employed" uber drivers, taxi drivers, building site workers, etc etc.
6. Proper enforcement of other existing tax laws by HMRC who have been asleep on the job for the past 20 years!

Refugees in the UK under 18 get free education, all get free health care, dentistry, interpreters and translators and free legal aid.

Newsflash

ALL UNDER 18S IN THIS COUNTRY GET THESE THINGS!!!!!!😂

As do all under 18's in Spain.