Have you been worse off since the tories came into power?

[samram]

Just wondered if anybody else is worse off since they came into power?
i work 16 hours a week as single parent
Child care is £88 a week term time and £120 half term.
In april i had my tax credits cut by £65 a week!
I am really really struggling at the moment.
Just wondered if anyone else is the same ?
I dont just mean single parents and mean families too !

ccpccp, the Tories have cut corporation tax not just failed to collect it.

We get less tax credits towards childcare. I have decided to drop half a day of work per week, as the cost (£20) of nursery wasn't worth the wages (£40) for that half a day. More skint, but barely. If we hadn't lost that extra bit of tax credits I'd still be working full time and paying more tax

Yes, we are worse off, but we are lucky that both our jobs are secure for the moment. Also very lucky to have wonderful ILs who will help us if we need it.

We are worse off.

I have lost my third sector job (redundancy) as funding ceased. Fairly widespread across my part of the sector. So that's a pretty huge deal.
Also lost tax credits (can live with that we weren't getting much and I thought the thresholds were too high anyway).
VAT is up isn't it, and there is inflation. I have noticed that out weekly shop has gone up an awful lot. I don't manage it very closely as we are fortunate that I don't need to, but it used to be £75ish and now it is £100ish. I don't think I have changed what we are buying. So that is a lot.

well..not sure. DH was already redundant before May of last year.

tax allowance changes will mean i pay less tax - to eventually the tune of £80pcm..

tax credits have increased - i worked it out as a total of £500 pa more

on the other hand there is the massive increase in the price of fuel...but we don't car-commute that much.

food...well bread is up, but milk is actually cheaper than last year...(using the 2 for £2 deal) and I don't think in total we are spending more on it (I am also trying to buy less food, it wouldn't hurt to eat less..)

The last governents own research suggested the main reason for benefit fraud was that the system made it difficult for people to profit from their work, or by moving in with another person - and suggested they adopt a less punitive approach to tackling it. That government ignored that research, and i think it likely the prsent one will, despite the 'we think you should profit from your work' rhetoric.

yes, much worse off.

people like me seem to be expected to contribute a much higher proportion of what they have.

here's hoping cameron gets a fat dose of karma
hungry are you dave? gas or electric dave? fuel in the car or in the house dave? ooooh being made homeless dave? kids getting sweet fuck all for christmas this year again dave? i could go on...

"ccpccp, the Tories have cut corporation tax not just failed to collect it."

Couldnt collect, not failed to collect.

They lowered corporation tax to fuk over the poor, eat their babies, AND to encourage business back to these shores (see 'couldnt collect, not failed to collect')

Maristella, it was the Labour Govt that abolished the 10% tax rate for the lowest earners, not the Tories.

"The media are fuelling it big.

Dribbling stories of DLA claiments who are secretly jump out of planes and breakdance"

This is hllarious :D

We became worse off under Gordon Brown when the banks started going under in September 2008, as DH was made redundant (worked in housebuilding) it took almost 16months to find something new.
I was then made redundant in May 09 whilst on mat leave.

As a family we are approximately £1000 / month down (DH reduced salary my salary gone and DH having to pay fuel he didn't used to have to pay for in the past working for more generous firms.)

I have definitely noticed the increased cost of living.
But as we are earning enough - we only get £42 / month T.Cs so have no complaints there.

We are barely better off than when DH was out of work and we were claiming mortage insurance, living on my Statutory mat pay and claiming Child tax credit & family allowance (didn't qualify for working Tax Credits as didn't do 16 hours in my job)

Just grateful DH has a job - although worried about going into another recession. But wouldn't blame the current government if that happened as it was predicted pre-election.

"northernrock - good point re corporation tax. Very good point."

Shame she wasnt making it when Labour were in power for 13 years.

Um. How do you know I wasn't?? Have you been keeping a file on me??
Actually CCPCCP, this is not about party politics to me.

It's just a simple case of-poor people, worse off
Rich people, better off or the same.

Interestingly, the Tories are now panicking at it at the effect these very swift and very deep cuts have been having: The economy is slowing to a standstill. Doh!

Witness the poster who mentions working less due to cuts in Working Tax Credit, and subsequently paying less tax! Hardly a recipe for a healthy economy.

Much worse off.

Mainly due to pay freeze plus rising cost of everything else.

Dhs job isn't secure atm.

Shit times.

About £50 a week worse off and struggling a bit really.

Tory economists are a joke. They should know that if you have sweeping pay cuts/freezes/redundancies and inflation goes sky high (which it has - their figures on this really don't add up at all) - then people spend less which hits manufacturing/retail in so many ways and the economy grinds to a halt.

Can't believe they are denying we're in a double dip recession either.

Yes, through food and fuel inflation.

I don't blame the Tories though.

See I blame ovoid for not being more strict on who gets to claim the first place it seemed under labour if you had ever been I'll you could claim.

I am all for genuine people claiming but to think people who had STDs managed to get it makes me stick.

Also allowing people to be on benefits for the best part of 10 years woman who have never worked children are 15 years plus then when the kids get Older they simply say they have a bad back I don't blame them I blame labour

What awful people these reds are keeping people In poverty

Again good point northernrock. The company I work for have been forced to cut contracts of their shop staff to 16 hours a week per employee, due to our sales plummeting badly. So what's happened? All those people have had to claim working tax credit/have it increased just to get by. Not to mention the poor sods who've lost their jobs entirely.

Whole country is a fucking mess. I hate food shopping now. Takes loads longer as I try to desperately keep the cost down and then practically cry at the checkout when I see the total, despite all the stuff I've put back already.

A double dip recession was predicted way before the general election. It was predicted to happen whoever got in.

I think the only reason Labour didn't cut sooner or tell us what cuts they would really have to make if they were reelected is because they wanted to win the election.

yes much worse off
my job is under threat too

its like the thatcher years all over again

That was going on under the previous Tory government. Benefit cheats and scammers make up a very small proportion of the problem. And actually there is more in unclaimed benefit in the coffers than is going out to the workshy scum.

We are slightly better off as the business I'm in is not affected by the cuts thus far. I seem to be getting more work...I'm in SEO and work freelance. I have no idea why my work load has increased...unless it's due to business having a panic at falling sales and optimizing their sites more....but how they're paying for it is beyond me.

Much worse off - I've been made redundant (was primary bread winner).

We're also stuck where we live - I can't sell my house without going into negative equity so we are in DH's 1 bed house (original plan was to sell my house, rent/sell his, and buy a bigger house). Although I appreciate the current housing issues have been coming for some time so it is probably coincidental this happened under Cameron.

So now we have higher household bills on one (smaller) income.

Feel very sorry for myself but think the public sector cut backs (which is why my redundancy came about) were/are extremely necessary unfortunately.

Can you not rent one on the houses babe forgin students always need digs

I dont blame the Tories either, who ever won the election would of had to of done something. Labour just seemed to be in endless denial!!

Yes we are worse off, but DH's job is safe, and thankfully his salary is growing, as is his bonus, but he is incredibly busy and short staffed, and every day he walks out the door, I wonder if through the shear stress of it all he will quit!

Yes we are worse off. DH works full time I'm a SAHM and our tax credits have been cut by £500 a month! We're not just on the bones of our arses we're sinking fast. DH's wages only cover the rent, council tax, and utilities. I rely on the tax credits to feed us and for petrol and bus fare. I have to try and feed, clothe and transport 5 people on £90 a week now. We're only managing not to starve because my parents keep helping us out!

DH used to do martial arts 3-4 times a week now he can only go twice a month (and at £4 a session it really isn't expensive). We've had to cancel the Sky, and had to stop dd1's swimming lessons. There's absolutely no question of a trip to the cinema or a meal out anymore. I have been looking for a job for well over a year now but when you've been out of work for more than 10 years no one wants to employ you! It really pisses me off that DH works full time (and as much overtime as he can get) and he can't even keep up his (pretty inexpensive) hobby. The only "treat" thing we've kept is the internet. DH's pay has been cut by 12% (tax credits never went up though) and his job is also on the line (public sector). Truly shitty times and I can only see the next 4 years getting worse. Feels like I've woken up in 1982!