£35k tax free for working 20 hours a week....

[BitchyWitchy]

In response to the 'Benefits' thread, I thought I would post this...

We took the decision to reduce DHs hours a few months back as we realised we are better off with him working part time than full time and this is what we get WEEKLY (4 DCs):

Wages (20 hours per week) £209
Housing Benefit £188 (leaving £7 for us to pay)
Council tax benefit £19 (leaving £3 for us to pay
Tax Credits £196
Working tax credits £13
Child benefit £60.50

Thats over £35K tax free! DH's fulltime wage was £34k before tax.

Also get free prescriptions and dental care, discounted kids activities and leisure centre membership. DH is home 5 days a week and I am loving having him around to help out with the DCs and doing stuff with them which he could not do when he worked 50 hours a week! 3 DC are at school so we get quality time with the youngest.

We are also doing free OU degree courses so we can get better paid jobs in a few years.

Wish to bloody god we did this earlier when we were BOTH stressed out working fulltime and brought in LESS that what we get now after childcare.

We shall enjoy this until 2013 I can tell you! I don't give a monkey's what anyone thinks of us. DH is still working after all and who would really continue working fulltime knowing they get all this? It may not be right but while it's on offer, should we refuse it?

scaryteacher - ensuring a living wage would obviously be better. Don't agree with you about 'captive client state' at all. The op should make everyone see red - it is a cynical horrible example of bullshit.

A living wage and appropriate housing costs.

They don't pootros - it is another Osborne fantasy.

WWC anyone?

Pootros - to ensure that they were voted back in. That's what a client state is - you become reliant on benefits so you vote for the party that will continue them. It's not an Osborne fantasy at all, I've been watching this since 1997 and thinking this would happen.

Yes, a living wage would be better, but define a living wage. We coped in 1995 with nursery costs et al before CTCs and WTCs were introduced; mortgage rates were far higher and we earned less then. We dealt with it without the cushion of welfare support, so I am shocked at how quickly people have become accustomed to this support and reliant upon it.

What is wwc?
Down with divide & conquer.
Let's start a commune, growing cacao for high quality chocolate.

Yes, but scary you forget that 'benefits' such as married tax allowance was replaced by CTC and WTC. Plus there was mortgage tax relief, so while perhaps not your definition of a 'benefit' it was financial support.

Interesting point scareyteacher; not sure I really think that that was ever the precise aim of labour's efforts to help less well off, but I guess may have been an unintentional phenomenon; thanks for explaining.

I'm off to my imaginary commune now. ( In fact I am revising for an exam, bUt a bit of it WAS about benefits, so can partially justify surfing this avo! Anyone see me on here in next few days kick me off and make me revise!! Ta!

Ps wwc, que?

scaryteacher, house prices and rents were very very much lower in comparison to wages in 1995 than now. There are an awful lot of people working in full time jobs who would simply be homeless without these benefits.

Married tax allowance was withdrawn and not replaced by anything for us, and as for Mortgage tax relief - that was for higher rate taxpayers only so we didn't get that either.

The only things we have ever had are child benefit and the tax allowance.

Pootros, didn't you read that we shouldn't grow cacao as it damages the environment?

Oh. Does that mean you' ve given up chocolate! I didn't actually. In what way?I was boycotting nestle but that's as far as my chocofascism had gone. Bet the cacao trees aren't that bad. Bet it's the pesticides. Bet it's bad treatment of workers in plantations. Our imaginary chocolate project will have an excellent carbon footprint, and be Chemical free. Oh, and it's imaginary! Xxx SToP distracting me!! You are a teacher!!! Ok off now .

But mortgage interest relief (MIRAS) was capped at £30,000 for many years so that was your mortgage interest - say £10% of £30k which is £3k set against your tax of 33% so that was worth about £1k a year when interest rates were higher. It was not a huge tax relief and there were none of these credits and things at all (not that I've ever got any of those anyway). people have just got too cushioned like in a communist state by state support and we need to wean them off it but it's not going to be that easy for people who have it.

Married tax allowance was sexist and awful and helped ensure women were chained to sinks. Women fought very very ahrd to not to be seen as an appendage of men and to be taxed separately. We do not want to go back to joint taxation of husband and wife again.

WTF is WWC...I NEED to know!!

scaryteacher - I really don't want to turn this into a partisan convo - sorry.

I think housing is the biggest expense we face and Labour did nothing to help those who are priced out and the tories won't do anything either.

I assume 'WWC' is the name of somebody who posts contentious posts on MN.

Hmph

WWC was a particuraly nasty troll who would post inflammatory OP's about breastfeeding and her step children. She got booted of and more recently reappeared on the bereavement threads. She often zones in on vulnerable posters and gives them a good kicking. A complete PITA in fact.

Have heard back from MNHQ, they don't think it's her

Oh, must be Conservative Central Office then.

I wonder if her DH is unlocking the door, stacking the shelves, collecting the trolleys tonight..........or whether the shop is closed because they can't possibly open without him

aaaahhh thanks! MN is certainly interesting!!

oh yes Riven -I've just looked she's seen it - how fabulous