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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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to think that 20 grand on benefits a year is loads

792 replies

MrsBucketxx · 19/07/2013 08:36

considering they dont pay any income tax.

just watching we pay your benefits program and worked out that this is over 30 grand if it was a normal tax paying salary.

why was this not mentioned.

OP posts:
FasterStronger · 19/07/2013 09:02

middle class dramas

yes because if you are MC, your life is always a bed of roses. and it makes you immune to death, illness, unemployment etc etc.

theodorakisses · 19/07/2013 09:03

Is that what she was saying? I thought she was asking if 20k in benefits is the same as earning 30k but not paying tax? Isn't that a reasonable question? I work tax free and my salary for mortgage applications is calculated at just over double what I get to create a gross.

StarlightMcKenzie · 19/07/2013 09:05

How will capping rents put families on streets?

Capping benefits when rent is so high will put families on streets.

BinarySolo · 19/07/2013 09:05

It should never be better to be on benefits. Work should always pay more. Sadly, I think there are people that are better off on benefits, due to only low paying jobs being available. And there are people that are able body but never worked and others that have loads of kids to claim more (for example the Philpots). Benefit fraud is a problem too.

I think all of these problems need addressing in a non hysterical way. I think people 'playing' the system are the minority and there should be more help for those in low paid jobs to make work the better option financially.

It's not an easy problem to fix and I have no faith that the current government will get anywhere close.

Dahlen · 19/07/2013 09:06

Sparkly, if your only income is your DH's salary, then you are not claiming what you're entitled to. Are you earning? What tax credits and child benefit do you get?

Runningchick123 · 19/07/2013 09:06

Jake bullet - whils I do agree that once housing costs are removed that the benefit claimant has a mediocre amount to live on let's not forget that a worker with a take home pay of 20k also has a mortgage / rent and council tax to pay and has a mediocre amount to live on after these deductions too.

grumpyinthemorning · 19/07/2013 09:07

That includes rent and council tax. I'm pretty sure it also includes child benefit and tax credits for more than one child, maybe disability benefits too. I worked it out, I used to receive - £600 per month, give or take a few pence. That's with one child an no disabilities. Out of that I had to pay my gas and electric (£120/month - card and key meters, so horribly expensive and I wasn't allowed to change them), phone contract (£30/month and needed), internet/tv package (£60/month ish, I don't remember exact figure, but needed), tv licence (£12.50/month, so I could watch the tv I'm paying for), and the rest was sucked up by groceries, bus fares etc.

Now, I know I've not even accounted for half the figure I quoted, but factor in that the money came in weekly or fortnightly, which made it difficult to budget. And a month is not exactly 4 weeks, so I had to time my shopping around the bills. Throw in late charges when it inevitably goes wrong because an automated payment won't go in on a bank holiday, the expense of baby formula and nappies (I wanted to bf but unfortunately couldn't), a little something for emergencies...it's very easy to end up broke. And I'm lucky too, I don't have a car to run or debts to repay.

And of course, if you miss one meeting - even, say, if your child was in hospital - they sanction you. You have to jump through a thousand hoops for the most basic standard of living. And it's soul destroying.

Cravingdairy · 19/07/2013 09:10

I am paraphrasing -'The only reason to look into your neighbour's bowl is to see if he has enough' - Louis CK

grumpyinthemorning · 19/07/2013 09:12

Obviously my figure excludes rent and council tax - as someone said upthread, I never saw any of that, it got paid direct.

theodorakisses · 19/07/2013 09:13

It's a nice sentiment but not very realistic.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 19/07/2013 09:15

Craving Louis CK is a bloody hero. I love that man.

filee777 · 19/07/2013 09:20

I think it's important to discuss the cost of wages, benefits and so on.

Unfortunately the nanny state that was labour, created a situation where everyone was knocked down or topped up to the same level, 50% tax for those earning 'too much' and massive top-ups for those on 'too little'

Basically it's made everyone reliant on top ups, pushed the cost of living through the roof and given
us one of the most fucked up economies ever.

They need to sort it out.

Madamecastafiore · 19/07/2013 09:24

Craving Dairy, really you needed to spend 60 quid a month on Internet/TV a month????

And you know what us who work jump through hoops everyday to juggle home life and children so you having to rock up at the job centre every so often really is not much of a hardship is it??

Maybe benefits should be capped at what you could earn in a job for which you are qualified ergo no one benefiting above and beyond what they could earn if they were in employment?

BonaDrag · 19/07/2013 09:25

You know what the problem is? These scroungers just don't know how to make a chicken last a whole month.

eretrew · 19/07/2013 09:29

YANBU its an enormous amount of money

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 19/07/2013 09:29

Yawn

theodorakisses · 19/07/2013 09:30

It is pointless people trying to offer a balanced view. These threads are always going to be dominated by the socialist idealists. Meanwhile in the real world.....

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 19/07/2013 09:31

I need a like button for CravingDairy's last post

Madamecastafiore · 19/07/2013 09:32

Meanwhile in the socialist world they are picking cash off of the money tree to pay for subsidised transport and free school meals for all.

usualsuspect · 19/07/2013 09:33

They should catch their own food, you can feed feed a family of 4 for a week from a squirrel. Chicken is too good for the likes of them.

MrsDeVere · 19/07/2013 09:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

angelos02 · 19/07/2013 09:36

Of course it is loads. It is more than the average monthly salary. Its more than I earn working full time. System is so fucked up.

theodorakisses · 19/07/2013 09:37

Yay another thread about benefits straight from the 6th form common room

usualsuspect · 19/07/2013 09:39

It's discusting

filee777 · 19/07/2013 09:41

Jesus Christ guys can we not have a bloody discussion about it without people stamping their feet like little children?

My worry is that as the situation escalates, benefits will become more and more the attractive option.

I think not enough people are prepared to upskill, look at that guy on the programme, out of work for 4 years but it never occurred to him to go back to uni in that time and actually get a qualification or whatever.

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