to think benefits should be capped at minimum wage

[moogster1a]

A little idea that all benefits should be capped at a weeks worth of minimum wage; so 37 and half hours times whatever minimum wage is now ( £6 pounds odd ).
That way no one gets paid more for sitting at home than they would for going out to work.
Out of this, all rent prescriptions etc. should be paid, the same as most people in low paid jobs have to pay for everything.
it might also provide an incentive to go out to work to up your wages if you progress in a company.
Just think it would be a lot fairer.

So you really have such a poor view of people that you think that there that many people who don't want to work? I accept there are people like that, but I doubt they're in the majority. We shouldn't be designing the benefits system on the premise that all benefit claimants are lazy scum.

iggly

People who can not afford to live in expensive areas shouldn't be subsidised to live there. I would love to have stayed where my "roots " are, but don't earn enough to live in the same very nice area my parents live in So, I moved to a crappy area I could afford. i didn't think that was unfair.

slavetofilofax

Only two DC qualify you for help with child care costs?

So if you have three or more you'll never afford child care?

Op is talking about a cap so an upper limit

Beta really? How does that work now when we have high unemployment and not enough jobs?

I do agree that the tax/benefits system needs sorting though but not sure it's that simple (well it probably is but would require completely undoing the current mess).

What about areas that are cheap and terrible quality? Is it ok for the poor to live in dross houses with fear of crime etc?

I moved to a cheaper area, but it's still nice!

You are being
Unreasonable
Naive
Overly Simplistic

Trills [like]

Can you define what you mean by 'benefits'?

People on min wage are usually entitled to benefits as well as people with no earned income - it's a sliding scale to ensure everyone can afford to live.

Do you mean jobseeker's allowance? In which case you're advocating a massive increase in it

There are many people that dont want to work. A fair percentage of my school year have never worked or done just summer jobs and I am nearly 28. Why work when you can have kids and have the same for free? In areas where there is not much job progression lots of English people wont do it that is why if you come here a large percentage of the tourist ndustry and catering jobs are done by the Polish.

But surely it is fairly simple in terms of people who are able to work and are actively looking for work then they should be entitled to have their basic needs met by the system - that is a roof over their head, heat, light and food. If they are claiming JSA for more than say 3 months then they should have to do some kind of community work to earn that money.

I am not that the majority don't want to work but there are some who abuse the system and that needs to be addressed, there needs to be more incentive for thise kinds of people to find work.

I was on JSA recently and got about £60 a week.

£228 would have been much nicer! And I'm used to paying for prescriptions anyway (and don't need them that often) so that would be absolutely fine.

Good idea OP!

But it's a tiny, tiny percentage of people who 'abuse the system', so few that it's not worth worrying about.

Save your ire for tax-dodging billionaires - now they do cost our country money.

and stop buying the Daily Mail

I think it depends on the area in my area it is silly to get a job as you get a private rental on hb. I have friends in new build and sea view flats, cause there isnt enough social housing. I bought a place so we have to work, but if you havent got a mortage you would be stupid to buy or work here. All jobs are minimum wage or close to and not much progression, so people dont bother.

However it varies on area where I was born life on benefits would be crap as you would be in an ugly estate in an ugly run down council house. It is a bit of a lottery it all depends where you live to how good your lifestyle can be without working

I'm not sure it is a 'tiny' percentage. It might be in your area but there are certainly areas where whole generations have lived off the benefits system. I know that this is partly down to education and children having nothing to aspire to but I do think that it needs to be addressed somehow.

If you knew me you would know how laughable the suggestion that I buy the Daily Biggot is!

So why have many of the new jobs created in the last decade been taken by migrants?

I see your point op, but the problem is living costs, which are so high that people on minimum wage need benefits to pay rent etc. Although arguably if you took away the support, prices would fall because benefits are to some extent helping to keep prices ( ie rents) high.

The whole system is mad at the moment that's for sure.

Yeah you definitely dont know certain areas on my estate 70% are workless households with children.

moog can you list the conditions that qualify you for free prescriptions?
I can tell you some that dont

Multiple Sclerosis
Arthiritis
Asthma
Depression/anxiety

Posters - feel free to add your own.

FruitSalad - " if you took away the support, prices would fall because benefits are to some extent helping to keep prices ( ie rents) high."

Yes you are right. The rental market has also been distorted by the benefits system as well. A market economy needs effective price signals to work properly.

We DO need a social safety net BUT one that does not distort the market for goods, labour and land. At the moment, the entire UK economy is hugely distorted by the tax and benefits system that has become ever more complicated and built in a piecemeal fashion forged by politics and not economics.

that all benefits should be capped
Disabled people?

Silly inflammatory rubbish. What about people with disabled children who have to give up their careers, or those who are disabled or simply unemployable?
Claptrap.

Yawn do go way and get real would you like to pay for my prescriptions 5 items a week or sorry got it wring you would like my blue badge , my radar key . or my space on the bus

Then I spotted the small flaw people could not afford to buy ANC then be uproar because thoughs that have h/a council houses will pay less rent

Talking as someone who private rent is £1200 cheap for round here( I top up the Hb ) who is about to see costs drop as h/a works out at £500 a month so no topping up required

But don't br to envious that house has come at a cost of never walking again or having movement feeling below my waist

How would you work out things like care charge contribution? Would that come out of this benefit like it can out of DLA? DLA is an in work benefit, too, so are you counting that or do you think all benefits are out of work benefits.

Most people on Housing Benefit work. Are you proposing they all lose this assistance? And tax credits too? What are your opinions on the £3.61 COD-L allowance?

Prescription charges top out at £104 a year. How much money do you think this will save over the increased costs of emergency care for untreated conditions?

Are you including child benefit? Adapted cars and powered wheelchairs (£49 pw)? Cold Weather Payments (£25 per seven days of below zero temp) might be tricky, what would you do there? Would you instead move that money to the NHS for the increased costs of dealing with all the stiffs?

Disability is different but do you really think its acceptable in some areas for nearly the whole lot of children being brought up with no one who works? I dot blame the people as it is pointless working sometimes as you are often a lot worse off, and so people are obviously going to do it. Its the system