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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bloody W**NKing Tax credits! Or Government should I say

513 replies

Hai1988 · 06/07/2011 16:59

Just had my new tax credits award and have just found out that my DH's Working tax credits are being stopped as he has already had his lot for this year, £800!!!

My DH does not have a very well payed job at all and after rent and bills we have f**K all left and the weekly income of £140 really helped that is now just over £50.

So angry We need that extra £80 a week, I know it may not sound much to some but it did make a big difference to out life's.

Who ever voted Tory I hope your happy with yourselves that now so many family's are probably gonna struggle now.

Sorry not really an aibu but really needed to vent and wondered if anyone else is suffering with tax credits this year because of the dam government.

OP posts:
CherylWillBounceBack · 06/07/2011 17:56

I hate to say it, but YABU.

Tax credits, child benefit, housing benefit etc....if you cannot afford to have kids without state benefits, then you shouldn't be having them.

I should say, it's different if you end up in a situation, through redundancy etc and have a 'shock' to your standard income. Then benefits are a reasonable way to ensure people don't end up in poverty.

5inthebed · 06/07/2011 17:59

Don't mean to soun d rude, but if your DH doesn't have a well paid job, then you would still be geting a fair amount of tax credits. So maybe he is over the threshold work WTC.

Sorry its dropped loads.

frillyflower · 06/07/2011 18:00

hey Cheryl that's not very kind! You really don't know the OP's circumstances re. children etc.

Some people are on low incomes despite having jobs and need help. Blame the employers for the wages I say.

zelda1982 · 06/07/2011 18:03

Tax credits are tax breaks not benefits. £80 a week WTC is just over what dp gets and if we were to lose that we'd be buggered.

zelda1982 · 06/07/2011 18:03

Tax credits are tax breaks not benefits. £80 a week WTC is just over what dp gets and if we were to lose that we'd be buggered.

Callisto · 06/07/2011 18:05

You were recieving £140 per week in tax credits Shock? That is lots of money - how much is your DH earning pa? And how much are you earning? And if you're both working how come you were getting so much money?

I voted Tory, because the country is up shit creek economically and I don't trust Labour to fashion any sort of a paddle to get us out of it. We are all feeling the pain, some more than others, but we all have to suck it up. So I think YABVVU.

CherylWillBounceBack · 06/07/2011 18:05

Sorry frilly - it probably came across a bit stern - and yes I did make too many assumptions.

But in general, that's the way I feel. Unless the child wasn't planned, I think people should think more carefully whether they'd be able to provide a comfortable environment for the whole family (including themselves - living on the breadline is very stressful) without any external aid. You cannot rely on the government for anything - they can take it away as quick as they give it out.

And I take your point on wages too - you're quite correct, but unless the entire workforce suddenly decides downs tools until wage increases match inflation, things won't change.

thursday · 06/07/2011 18:06

urgh, awaiting my renewal atm and terrified. we could afford them when we had them and redundancy twice and a income much lower than before means we now cannot afford them without state benefits. not sure how i send them back though, they were enough of a bugger to get out in the first place. Shock

Callisto · 06/07/2011 18:07

I think that most small to medium businesses are really struggling at the moment. So you can blame the employers all you like, but if they go bust through massive wage bills every month we are all far more buggered than having to put up with a wage freeze for a couple of years.

oohjarWhatsit · 06/07/2011 18:11

Who ever voted Tory I hope your happy with yourselves that now so many family's are probably gonna struggle now.

maybe you should be spreading your ire further, to the people who dished out benefits willy nilly in the previous govt, putting us in this much debt

unpa1dcar3r · 06/07/2011 18:15

These tax credits are meant to replace the differing tax levels we paid before. So someone with children paid less tax than someone without.
So to say as one said that if you can't afford kids you shouldn't have them was pretty judgemental and non factual. Might be handy to think as well that his generation will hopefully be paying our pensions at some point so it is financially viable for the govt to support them while they're young

It sounds more like they have paid you too much OP and are now realising their mistake hence stopping it or cutting it right down. I am sorry, it must be a shock for your family to lose that much per week, I hope you get it sorted.

bubblesincoffee · 06/07/2011 18:18

Of course tax credits are benefits! They just have a different name!

Honestly, I can't believe anyone thinks that they are not a benefit, you can get them without working and paying tax!

HappyMummyOfOne · 06/07/2011 18:21

You're still getting a lot from the state subsidising your lifestyle.

You chose to have children and you only mention your DH working, they are all choices and if you want more coming in financially then you could work or your DH could try for a better paid job.

I'm glad I voted Tory, the sooner we stop paying for people who could support themselves the better.

youarekidding · 06/07/2011 18:22

I've just had my renewal and its pretty much as it was last year. Not sure how they again managed to overpay me £42 over the year as they had all the details in April for the tax year ensueing.

Random Grin

itsybitsy08 · 06/07/2011 18:22

always someone will trot out the line 'if you cant afford them on your own, you shouldn't have them'

what kind of society would we be if only well paid people had children.

we need bin men, nursery nurses, street sweepers, supermarket workers, shop workers etc. none of which are particually well paid. yet you would say that none of these people should ever be able to have children - they should just slog their guts out for £6 per hour to provide you and your children with essential services, and shut of any desire of children.

working tax credits are not benefits. they are allowances topping up people who are not paid a living wage.

obviously someone on their 10th kid who has never done a days work in their life is a different scenario, but not every thing is so bloody black and white!

DorisIsAPinkDragon · 06/07/2011 18:24

bubbleincoffee-

You are very wrong WORKING tax credits (as discussed by the OP) can only be received when working (the clues in the title). as others have said they are a tax break.

itsybitsy08 · 06/07/2011 18:25

bubblesincoffee - the clue is in the title working tax credits.

You can not get working tax credits if you are not working and paying tax.

hellospoon · 06/07/2011 18:27

Who ever voted Tory I hope your happy with yourselves that now so many family's are probably gonna struggle now

Haha! This made me laugh out loud, because labour did such a fantastic job in charge didn't they! Labour are the reason the tories are making so many cuts, so who should we be voting for? Bnp? The green party?

We live off £50 a week so its not impossible, sell your flat screen tv and stick to one fruit shoot a week, you'll be fine. [Grin]

hellospoon · 06/07/2011 18:27

Who ever voted Tory I hope your happy with yourselves that now so many family's are probably gonna struggle now

Haha! This made me laugh out loud, because labour did such a fantastic job in charge didn't they! Labour are the reason the tories are making so many cuts, so who should we be voting for? Bnp? The green party?

We live off £50 a week so its not impossible, sell your flat screen tv and stick to one fruit shoot a week, you'll be fine. [Grin]

BeerTricksPotter · 06/07/2011 18:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fernier · 06/07/2011 18:30

We have had so many problems with tax credits (including a period of 3 months where they stopped our claim altogether because they insisted that our youngest had either died at one day old or we had not cared for her since then). BUT I cant bring myself to hate them because the last few years I just dont think we could have got by at certain points without them.

niceguy2 · 06/07/2011 18:34

I hate the line "Don't have kids if you can't afford them" just as much as randomly blaming the Tories with absolutely no regard for why cuts are having to be made.

It's LABOUR who ran up the big debts and left our coffers dry. As I said in another thread. Labour were like your cool dad with a credit card. Whilst he was in charge, he bought everyone the latest gadgets, games etc. Money was never an issue as he just slapped it on the credit card because hey....he'd get a payrise at some point......

Then the recession hit and now your mum is in charge. She's had to slash not just the luxuries but also the essentials so the gigantic credit card bill and the interest can be paid back. Of course like kids you are complaining cos things were great when dad was in charge with his magic credit card.

Whose fault is it? Your horrible mum for not allowing you to buy stuff anymore or your dad for racking up the debts in the first place?

OP, I've no idea if your award is correct or not but I'd suggest that's your first port of call. Frankly that's another issue I have with Tax Credits and that is it's so complicated no-one truly understands it.

fedupofnamechanging · 06/07/2011 18:35

We have an ageing society. Today's children are the ones who will be working their arses off to support the elderly in years to come. Might be nice if they had a decent standard of living in their formative years.

Child Benefit replaced a tax break that people with children got, in recognition that raising children is expensive and is not an entirely selfish act, but did have some benefit to society as a whole.

Until we have proper state subsidised childcare, a decision to stay at home and not have both partners work, isn't always a free choice but an economic necessity, so I don't think the OP should be criticised for not being in paid employment.

OP, the government seem to balls up credits on a regular basis. I really hope this is a mistake and you can get them back.

MarioandLuigi · 06/07/2011 18:36

Us too fernier. I have stopped claiming because it just isnt worth it. We were due alot a week because we get the Disabled Child element but they messed us up so much over the last year, including a random payment of £1088 that they then demanded back - luckily I hadnt spent it because I know what they are like.

It causes more stress and although the money would come in really handy in the months when DH doesnt earn anything, I just deal with the stress it causes.

itsybitsy08 · 06/07/2011 18:38

And OP's DH must be working at least 30hrs per week if the OP herself is not working in order to be entitled to working tax credits.

Maybe the OP is unable to get a job more than NMW for a variety of reasons, or even one at NMW.

They have children so also get child tax credits, which most of the population claims, it is not £140 in working tax credits alone.

Taking into account childcare, traveling costs etc it may not be financially viable for the OP to also work. Such is life.

Her DH works, and she takes care of their children. Hardling grasping scroungers.

Yeah so she had a rant, so does everyone, every once in a while.