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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think that too many people rely on the Tax Credits for their income.

593 replies

IdRatherBeInBed · 19/05/2011 11:42

Bit of background first

My sister and her boyfriend has got back together after they split up last year. She was then claiming income support.

He has moved back in with her so her benefits have all stopped. she works 13.5 hours a week, he works over 30 hours. They earn £17k between them. Which lets be honest in this climate is not alot of money.

Shes just called Tax Credits to let them know hes moved back in and wanted to know what she would be entitled to WTC wise. Due to her HB/CTB stopping. Her rent is £500 per month, CT £100 per month. She is entitled to £4.90 per week.

I am sad for her because after all rent, ct, bills have gone out shes isnt left with anything. her food bill for the month has had to be cut to £200 per month. She has a car on finance (through my dad) which is shagging her tbh due to engine size (she got it when still with partner before splitting up and he had to get a 1.8 sport^^) her insurance with just her on it is £115p/m. Hmm - (she isnt 25 yet)

Anyway she called them last week to ask how much she could be entitled to, they told her £80 per week so she was like
"ooh we can afford this, we can afford that" so went out and spent £100 on clothes for her, him and nephew. I told her not to rely on what they have said because it could be wrong but she wouldn't listen and was saying 'it will be right'. Today she rings me bollocking me as to why she is only entitled to £4.90 per week.

FFS why bollock me - i dont work for them.

WIHBU to have said to her 'cancel your £24p/m gym membership, get rid of the car or change it if you can, stop getting things from catalogues that you cant pay for and get your arse of a boyfriend to stop spending money you don't have on shit like £5.50 magazines each week, stop getting shit for the garden you dont need, you don't need so many fucking flowery things to make a garden look nice.

Or what i come across as a complete and utter bitch.

She is one of these who says "oh i have no money" but yet has enough for new clothes or go out for a meal, or takeaway"

OP posts:
RitaMorgan · 20/05/2011 22:35

They look like nice ideas Coco, but can't afford them.

xstitch · 20/05/2011 22:35

OK what I do do. I go through the jobs adverts every week in detail. I apply for every job for which I meet or exceed the criteria and all the jobs for which I only marginally miss the criteria. You can call me lazy if you want but I do exclude some jobs based on the commute. For me, lazy fuck up that I am a 5hr commute each way is just not practical. I try and select books from the library (free access to books what a selfish greedy shit that I am) to try and read around the subject to help me get one of those jobs. So far nothing and is not though lack of trying. I suppose everyone is so inclined to think badly of me that they won't believe.

I did once get a knife out and was about to try and stop myself being a burden on society but I realised that there is no money for a funeral so disposing of me would cost the tax payer money. I also didn't think it would be fair on the poor sod having to clean up the mess. Good though it would be to get rid of me I still don't think it would be that pleasant for them.

I can't give up smoking because I don't smoke, I can't give up drinking because I don't drink. These are not excuses but facts of life you cannot give up something you don't do its just not possible.

I have said before I DO NOT WANT BENEFITS I want a job I want to work but I cannot see it ever getting better. This does not mean I will stop trying I will keep job hunting at this pace til the day I die I just feel in the pits of dispair. It is horrible to be reminded of what people think of you and how disgusted they are by you. Believe me I disgust myself I do really want to die tonight but as I said above I can't afford to.

Please stop saying I am lazy, I am not I really am not.

Oh what the fuck you'll think it anyway maybe you are right if I wasn't so lazy I would have gone for that job in Essex that was suggested to me.

teaforone · 20/05/2011 22:40

bloody hell you will get one eventually lol calm down

ilovedora27 · 20/05/2011 22:43

Loads of people on NMW or near are doing very important jobs carers, childcarers etc. I am one of these with a degree and I do the job to help people less fortunate to myself, if a person begrudges me a small amount of childcare tax credits in order to help the even more vulnerable than myself people in society then imo they arent worth bothering about.

Just because some people work for low wages doesnt mean they dont try or care.

usualsuspect · 20/05/2011 22:43

xstitch ..really, no one judges you

xstitch · 20/05/2011 22:43

Really its been 3 long years :(. How would you like it if you were openly called scum and other random insults every day of your life.

hudspur · 20/05/2011 22:44

I'm not a big fan of tax credits to be honest, I think the Government would be far better off cutting income tax and stopping most tax credits and using the money to fund the tax cut. Tax credits have had various elements such as some disability benefits incorporated into them and obviously then cannot be scrapped so this would have to be distributed which is where this idea about the universal credit come in.

teaforone · 20/05/2011 22:48

Council houses are not supposed to be lovely. ???

Its my house why cant it be lovely ?
I put the work init to make it my family home and its lovely just took offence that your thinking people should not want to live in one like they r below normal standard or sumthing ... :(

xstitch · 20/05/2011 22:50

Why are council houses not supposed to be lovely, I don't understand?

Ninxy · 20/05/2011 22:51

I live in a HA property. It is lovely. We have made it lovely. But the other people on the street, well...

If you are lucky enough to live in an area where your neighbours know how lucky they are and have the sort of pride you have in your home that's great. Many people are not so fortunate. And choices are very limited when you don't own.

I wasn't having a pop at people in social housing at all Smile

TheSecondComing · 20/05/2011 22:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

teaforone · 20/05/2011 22:53

God knows :(

usualsuspect · 20/05/2011 22:53

teaforone and xstitch
don't take it to heart

MN is not RL

teaforone · 20/05/2011 22:54

You get bad neighbours where eva you live people are sooooo narrow minded some times its unreal!!

xstitch · 20/05/2011 22:54

No usual RL is worse. It was RL I was referring to in my post at 22:43.

usualsuspect · 20/05/2011 22:55

Lucky? to have a decent roof over your head?

fuck right off

hudspur · 20/05/2011 22:55

I think some people want council houses to be horrible to act as an incentive to not live in them. I think its a highly vindictive attitude

xstitch · 20/05/2011 22:57

I think people with a roof over their head are luck tbh. I am sitting here freezing but I could be in a cardboard box so I am lucky. Undeserving but lucky.

teaforone · 20/05/2011 22:59

You cannot just want a counicl house they are somthing some people need whats wrong with that thats what they were built for why would anyone just want a council house to act horrible?? thats a silly statement people can act horrible anywhere !!

usualsuspect · 20/05/2011 23:00

No you are not undeserving or lucky

fucking hell ,Mn is a depressing place sometimes

Ninxy · 20/05/2011 23:01

Many people on MN, when discussing social housing think it is always free. That shocks me. They don't get that people usually pay rent. Sometimes for fifty years as my grandparents did, all the while improving the property and having nothing to leave their children or grandchildren.

When that is pointed out, then those people get jealous of the "cheap" rent even though their parents benefited from the property boom and they expect to inherit similarly. But the cheap rent is actually only a fair rent given that social housing pays for itself over generations and only seems to be because of the property bubble.

teaforone · 20/05/2011 23:01

xstitch- i really do not get what you are saying ? You saying you have no home because surely your on a pc or sumthing sooooooo sorry just dont understand?

usualsuspect · 20/05/2011 23:02

Council houses are not horrible ..they are houses ,lived in by normal people
not an alien species

teaforone · 20/05/2011 23:02

i pay rent in my house course i do lol

teaforone · 20/05/2011 23:03

and thank you usualsuspect i thought everyone had gone mad for a min :)