To wonder why I bother?

[Niceguy2]

It seems nowadays the more you earn, the more you get hammered.

So in a couple of years I'll lose my CB because I am a higher rate tax payer. Yet friend's who both work and therefore earn significantly more than us will still receive theirs.

Like most good parents I would love my kids to go to Uni but wait....costs are going to be 3x now.

Add on top of that taxes are going up along with utility bills, I'm left wondering what is the point? Why work my arse off, forgo seeing the kids, dealing with all the stress only to be told that I should pay ever more?

OH & I sat there last night wondering what we can do. She's now looking for a job but there's nothing around. She's not even getting replies, let alone interviews.

The irony is that thanks to the benefits system, financially we were better off before we moved in together. How stupid is that? Punished for trying to do the right thing.

So AIBU in thinking that there seems little reward nowadays for working hard and doing the "right thing"?

YANBU

We are all paying the price of over spending (govern-mental and personal) during the last 5 - 10 years.

The pain will hopefully not last too long (2 - 3 years) ouch!

This CB system is bonkers - I can never get my head around how they think it is ok!

What can we do though?

Sorry but I think you are being unreasonable.

We are so lucky to live in this wonderful country, have you seen the rest of the world?

If you live here you basically live in the top 1% of the world income bracket.

This place is amazing - free healthcare, clean streets, much less corrupt police force (have you seen what's happened to that owoman in Mexico today?), amazing education for young people, the right to demonstrate and protest, a democratic country.

I can only be grateful for the blessings I have had from growing up here.

Merry Christmas to you

YANBU. Jobs aren't around at the moment. All of my post uni age friends are frantically doing 2nd degrees and masters, doing internships (ie a full job with no pay) in holidays and still not getting invited back for interviews.

Well done for doing the right thing. I'm sorry that sounds so hollow though.

YANBU

Imagine though if you were currently 18. You could add to your list of woes the difficulty of getting a job after your expensive worthless degree and you could forget ever being able to buy a house. I think it's a tragedy that the quality of life in the UK which has continually improved is probably going into decline.

Laurie, I am painfully aware what the rest of the world is like. Because of my job I have to regularly travel to countries where most people will never ever go for a holiday.

I've seen poverty the likes that have scarred me and makes me sad just thinking about it. So yes I am grateful for having what I have.

But as a nation we seem to be going backwards. Like ActualLawyer says, I would hate to be a youngster now. In fact my half-sister is 18 and unsurprisingly is incredibly bitter about politics etc. She's expected to pay up to £9k a year for an education which once was free. After that she's expected to find a decent job and pay increased taxes to repay debts run up by the idiots in charge whilst she was too young to vote.

Thanks Beijing, your post has helped me feel a little better. I fear my OH is feeling under pressure to contribute as like I said, now we're living together we're financially worse off every month by a good few £hundred than if we were apart. Bonkers isn't it? As much as I love her, you do have to question sometimes what the point is? Why struggle to stay together when you could just live apart and just stay over at each others house a few days a week instead?

Yabu apart from the unequal cb proposals. Benefits are a last resort. If you can work you do.

Niceguy2

You are together because you have the sense to know the benefits of your OH are worth more than material things

How on earth do you work out that you'd be better off apart? If you are a higher rate taxpayer there is no way that's true.

You have a well paid job, YABVU.

YANBU

The tuition fees thing makes me sad. I was the first person in my family to go to university. The way things are going I will probably be the last.

We are I similar financial situation to you. Tbh the whole cb issue has been a much needed reminder to me of how bloody lucky we are. If you genuinely thing the hr tax payers are most badly affected by the recent changes to tax and benefits the you are IMO a fool.

But you have a point about tuition fees. This change is shameful.