to think the CB abolition has had an effect a bit like kicking an ants' nest

[OrmRenewed]

on MN

And the calls for 'someone else' ie the elderly, to have their benefits cut have started already.

I have very little nice to say about the Tories but if they have to make cuts, I'd rather CB went than see cuts in other areas. It seems a reasonable place to start.

Help can some one please tell me if Home responsibilities stamp is still going to be paid even if you no longer get child benefit?

I thought the tories were trying to encourage marriage, yet to see how.

haven't read all the posts here but they are encouraging marriage [or appealing to a particular strata in society of married couples] anyway.

Their proposals for child benefit say they will pay chb for a couple whose combined income is anything up to 80k and yet nothing for a lone parent who earns half that ["around/about" 44k]. If that isn't discrimination then I don't know what is. oh and guess what? Most lone parents are female [8% male].

Equally nothing for a married couple where there is a SAHM mum and the dad goes out to work, earning just 44k.

Or mum whichever is the case, before people get all pc.

melody - yes.

Surely this will have to be amended before it comes into play in 2013 so that total household income is assessed.

amother - it will have to go through Parliament, and get past the Lords, before it can be made law.

I am a Tory voter and I support the principle of higher income families (of which I am one) losing CB, but I'm dismayed at the way they are planning to do it.
I'm going to e-mail my MP - who is a Tory - and ask her to press for changes to the plan so that total rather than individual income is assessed.

i wonder if they took their lead for this from mumsnet, or at least a part of it, as i remember some people ecouraging this to happen as 'cuts have to be made somewhere'

but in a couple/married relationship you could possibly if circumstances allow, both work to get more earnings if you don't earn enough. a single parent cannot have 2 full time jobs! she/he is reliant on themselves as are their children.
it should be on household income.

Ah Orm.

This in itself isn;t something that will touch us, at elast for a while.

But I am worried about otehr carers: it seems that CA will be included in teh universal benefit (not confirmed but the Tories said somethinga bout being more flexible for carers so...). That emans it will be means tested.

If people caring lose that and CB I feel for tehm; and tehir kids. Actually, I feel for anyone who ahs had their chocies taken from them.

I had to about the attack on pensioners though- Huh? yes there are some out there on £££££ getting ehating etc, but there are also a great many who are very poor depending on it.

Pensioner does not = able to pay.

goodness only knows. i'll be suprised if they did. they have gone back on nearly promise they made pre-election haven't they?

Viva - DH suggested we got divorced this morning after he heard Osborne

Melody - good point - perhaps they were hoping nobody was ask that...

Oh and WRT to means testing- as long as they keep Tax Credits (will tehy after universal credit?) means testing is simple and in place.

Put CB as a base payment for anyone who qualifies. Done. The thing you don't lose until you hit the maximum family income for your family size / situation- joint income of X.

legostuckinmyhoover - Tories, going back on pre-election promises? Surely not?!

Alibaba - Thank you

It's that awful feeling you have when you just know your going to be just above the threshold so losing all CB and all CTC I think losing HRB may have just sent me heading for the gin! (and I don't drink)

We will manage, have before, but £2000 a year will be missed. Took us ten years to be able to feel we could afford to have a second child and then a few more before we had our first ever family holiday. DH has worked so hard to get where he is, it just feels bloody ironic that by doing what we thought was best for the kids means they will be hardest hit, as loss of money = less to spend on non essentials namely extras for the kids!

I just hope they really use it to make things better for the worst off in society, but I don't trust them as far as I could throw an elephant...a lead one at that!

Why would you have 4dc's if you can't afford it?

in answer to the original question, i think what ever they cut it should be fair and so far it is not.

I mean there is a huge difference between someone earning 44k and someone who is taxed at 50% [100k difference in fact], let alone the "PC-ness" of it all!
why people seem suprised I don't know. with Dorries making comments about disabled people tweeting last week, cammeron and his scoungers, IDS and his comments about lone parents and child tax credits leading the country down the road to hell, the changing NHS, Maude and his National cizizen Service for our kids who cannot afford the 10k university fees...it goes on and on. did people really expect anything else. and this is just the start.

scruffy I ahve 4 dcs and could afford it, then life got a little bit more complex (2 X diagnoses of autism, one stuffing great redundancy).

We're atill working- though very low paid- but situations change. Actually, I imagine they will for a lot of people tbh.

Yes but Lego that's my point. Pre election the Tories said they were going to end the bias against the married couple.

As we are in a ludacrous situation where a lot of people actively "choose" to live seperately as they end up better off as a couple. They were supposed to be doing more to encourage the married family.

I still don't see anything, or how this helps.......but then it's the Tories after all.

scruffymuff excellent point. Have as many children as you like but don't expect those of us that work to pick up the tab.

And I am SICK TO DEATH of hearing milk snatcher this milk snatcher that. It is NOT up to the people that work in this country to provide milk for children. Buy your own milk if you're so keen for them to have it. And for the record it was only secondary schools that Thatcher stopped it for. I'm all up for stopping milk.

If you can afford to provide for your children without the huge sum of £20 a week, then stop being tight and thinking you "deserve" the money and hand it back. No one "deserves" anything in this country, it's the thought of "entitlement" that has enough people living off the state.

I know a case where the CB (and carers allowance) is used by the parents to pay for very good tehrapy for their severely disabled child.

Mum will lose both as her dh predictably earns just over the limit.

She has a choice: cancel all teh therapy, so far it hs taught her child so much in terms of living skills, or chuck out her DH and get the therapy via a bursary instead.

Nice choice . Thought that was what the Toroes were against?

IDS is a staunch Catholic isn't he. I am sure he would not want this to be the result.

choosing to live seperately? I do not know anyone who has or is doing this, do you really? I know if i had the choice of living as part of a family with a DH to give me a hug, share the cooking, cleaning, babysit etc-I'd jump at the chance, contribute financially-yipee!! I work full time and I would be better off if EX was still around and doing his same job he used to do. i just wonder if all that is a myth?