To be scared about how we will cope with more tax rises - council tax

[partytimed]

i really loathe this government. Usually with politics I feel like whoever is in charge I don’t notice much of a direct impact on my day to day life. Yes I’m aware of slow erosions in public services and I was no fan at all of the tories, I voted for this government im ashamed to say, and they lied and lied about their plans. I am so much worse off and if they double council tax bands virtually all of our disposable income is going to be gone. It feels like theft. I don’t trust them to spend the money I make properly it all feels corrupt and it’s just so depressing and upsetting.

Sorry for the double post but I just wanted to add that the man who works in a pub and doesn't want to walk home late at night is probably facing a very similar barrier to work as women. Many women wouldn't walk alone home late at night. Their fear is valid when you look at crime stats. Should we pay for their taxis too? I realised this because I was trying to emphasise with the man and realised that I would never attempt to walk home in the small hours of the morning anyway from a late night shift. Many people would call me reckless if I did

Where are you getting the figures of a quarter of people being disabled? If it’s people who would be considered disabled under the Equalities Act, the description is quite broad and would encompass most people on long-term medication, most of whom probably wouldn’t consider themselves disabled and wouldn’t need or qualify for any additional funding.

It’s certainly not a quarter of people receiving PIP.

Maybe you should be outing…. That is inexcusable waste of tax payers money and ought to be investigated. Why cover up?

Get a different job then. If you are experiencing that type of trauma, working in a pub that requires late shifts is obviously not a suitable role for you. Or learn how to drive, and get a car.

15% of working aged people claim a health related benefit. Just over 10% claim PIP

That’s really high.

I agree completely. I don't think many people would be up for funding women's taxis home because they were too anxious to walk home late at night.

People have no resilience these days. Of course some people need support but the numbers claiming is simply absurd.

It is now too easy to demand others fund you rather than taking personal responsibility yourself. A lot of people no longer have any self pride.

Exactly. It’s clearly unsuitable and not financially viable. Plenty of 9-5 jobs out there. Even a retail job could work better or a restaurant job. People do need to exercise their brains.

Absolutely, and it means the few of us are funding the many to receive excessive welfare unnecessarily and unfairly imo. We all live in a society together and we ought to be looking after each other. Part of that is not taking the piss out of the tax payer and those of us who do go to work to support ourselves.

I think the issue is the level of entitlement people feel. They are self-centred and forget that there isn’t an endless pot of money to take from. This comes from tax payers and companies. Not “the government.” The government is funded by tax payers. There is a level of detachment.
I also feel a lot of people forget about those who are in genuine need. Funding for taxis to and from work because you don’t want to change jobs to something that suits you better is not genuine need.

Heartily agree with @Marshmallow4545 . Online/zoom claims are ridiculous. They should all be in-person. And more evidence required than a GP’s say-so - there are many cases of tame GPs, lax GPs and intimidated GPs.

There is much greater awareness of how to apply for disability/PIP and attendant benefits. After a quick search I am now inundated with sm people advising how to answer the questions correctly and all those daft tests telling you you are ND etc etc. “Do you get nervous in new social situations?” “Do you get bored doing repetitive tasks?” “Do you get obsessed with a subject?”

I think it has become fashionable to think of yourself as a victim and to want a label; and this combined with getting money for it has made a toxic brew.

This.

I get bored doing repetitive tasks and I get overwhelmed at work sometimes, it’s normal. It doesn’t make it ND.

I totally agree. I think the process for claiming tax payer money is such that many people don’t really consider where it comes from.

If a claimant who wanted access to taxpayer funds was told to knock on their neighbours door in the morning and tell them they didn’t want to work themselves that day but they wanted the neighbour to go and do a full days work instead on their behalf I suspect many would reconsider how genuine their need was.

Would they be happy to knock on that door again at 6pm and take all that days pay from their neighbour?

Of course I understand the system could never work like that in practice however maybe if benefits were described as needing others to carry out unpaid work to fund claims then people might look at things a bit differently.

Definitely, and I think this is where governments could educate the public better. Why is there no information circulating to remind people where their welfare comes from? We are not a joined up society.

This is so true. We are constantly bombarded with stories about how cutting benefits will impact people and there is a strong implication that you are a terrible person if you support this.

For fairness, we should also put as much emphasis on the impact of tax rises and the very real consequences that this has on individuals and households. The sacrifices made, the people going without and the homes lost in order to maintain the current benefit bill.

By supporting no cuts to welfare you are defacto supporting these tax rises. You are partially responsible for the hardship and difficulties they bring. I don't think this make you a superior or kind person at all.

Yes it seems to be acceptable for a hard working mortgaged family to lose their home because of increased taxes yet not acceptable for a non working family on welfare to cut back on takeaways. No logic whatsover.

The difference between home owners and those in social housing has always been, “Oh, but you have an asset.” If your asset that you’ve poured money into is going to be taxed to the tune of £8k a year it’s starting to not be much of an asset. People will be having to equity release to pay the council tax!

Yes it is isn’t right

most People have paid large amounts of interest on their mortgages

I was reading something yesterday that showed that houses in large areas of the country have actually lost value since the nineties if you take into account inflation. Add the mortgage interest on top of that....

In fact I'd say the chief advantage to being "a homeowner" has been the security of knowing you won't be evicted, and the fact that - looking ahead into old age - you won't be paying rent after retiring. There are a large number of downsides, including now the government using your home as revenue stream to pay the benefit bill and their debt interest.

People have also paid large amounts of stamp duty. We have paid over £70k moving up the property ladder.

Honestly, those who think Reform will bring in massive amounts of money by stopping some people's benefits, I really don't believe they will.
First I think the number of claims for minor issues like mild anxiety are low, don't pay out much anyway, and their removal won't bring down the bill much.
Secondly and maybe more importantly, I don't believe there will be enough jobs for everyone, with AI and streamlining of services. So there won't be jobs for all these people to go to.
Some form of UBI may be needed.

I don't want Reform. I just want the Tories to sort their shit out now that this lot have proved so hopeless.

I honestly hate Boris Johnson so much at this point. He ruined them as an electable party. Purged all the talent, all the ability. And I have never even voted for them! Given a bit longer Sunak and Hunt could have got somewhere but people had had more than enough. And who could blame them?

Yes but UBI is for everyone which at least seems fairer. People who lose housing benefits will have to get used to much less money.