I dare you to think this benefits couple is reasonable

[lainiekazan]

Dh's brother and wife are very comfortable: large house, Range Rover, etc.

Their dd lives with her boyfriend in a country cottage on housing benefit. Neither work due to depression. They run a car, have holidays, nice clothes financed by their parents.

Now the dd is having a baby, and they are awaiting a new-build HA home in dh's brother's village.

The boyfriend is a professional student (he told me he can always find funding as he is unwaged and independent) and he said that their dc will be privately educated because it/they will be eligible for bursaries.

Surely IANBU for all this majorly sticking in my craw?

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Many of us pay tax. And use different resources. And don't sit there with calculator lording it over others.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

In what way, Fanjo, is not wanting my money stolen or taken advantage of, "lording it over others"?

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

May I direct you to my first post

[Crumbledwalnuts]

It doesn't really explain what's wrong with not wanting my money stolen or taken advantage of :) However if you don't mind that, perhaps I can pop round and you can make up the difference to me out of your own pocket. To do otherwise would surely be lording it over me, and we mustn't have that.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Sure..I will give you the 0.00000001 pence you are probably contributing to the couple in the OP.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

That's nice, and the rest of the country? Or just for this couple? Can you do it on a continuing basis? I need commitment.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Ok..I will give you the 2p a month you prob contribute to genuine fraudsters if you insist.

[FasterStronger]

benefits payments exceed income tax collected.

that is a very bad situation to be in and will only get worse.

we have an ever aging population so everyone of working age, who is able to work, must support themselves.

otherwise not only are they a cost, but they are not helping support old, young, disabled people and carers.

at the very least, we need to pay for ourselves and dc. and most people need to make a positive financial contribution.

[Dahlen]

As mentioned earlier, the entire welfare savings cut just made was less than the amount of income tax George Osborne let Vodafone off from paying last year. Then there is Google and Amazon.

Plus income tax is largely a measure of how stupid most politicians think we are - since all parties have reduced income tax in favour of whacking up indirect taxes, such as VAT. It is not the case that the country's only income is from income tax.

I agree that we should be encouraging people to support themselves but that isn't possible if the cost of housing is simply untenable unless we abolish overcrowding laws and go back to living in slums.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

Will you make up for all the ones who aren't doing it illegally but are simply taking the mickey? I have been talking about that all the way through the thread as well. I'm awfully consistent.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Is that the people actually taking the mickey or these mythical scroungers described in the Daily Mail

[FasterStronger]

dahlen - I agree with you that the last head of HMRC rolled over to big business.

but actually getting tax from companies that operate in many countries is not as easy as you appear to think.

if you were head of HMRC today, how would you make Amazon pay more tax in the UK?

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Come back when you can give me a real actual figure of how much you personally are contributing to real actual people "taking the mickey" then we can talk

[merrymouse]

fasterstronger, it works both ways. I completely agree that hmrc can only collect tax according to the rules laid down by government.

However, equally, unless we all want to register all our assets, both tangible and intangible and register all gifts, there is a limit to how much of our wealth hmrc can measure.

Taxes and benefits are never going to accurately judge each individual's moral value or come up with an accurate fair value for every person's advantages and disadvantages.

The OP might have annoying in laws, but she doesn't actually have detailed knowledge of their financial situation. If she has clear evidence that they are committing fraud she should report them, however as others have said, her biggest problem seems to be her niece's partner likes to pull her chain.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Has anyone flashed the postman yet?

[FasterStronger]

merry - i agree that this thread may bear no relationship to the couple's reality.

but I used to live in central London with as high unemployment as the poorest areas of the country.

^ that is an issue and shows the system is broken.

[FasterStronger]

my postman is veerrry attractive.

I could open the door and pull him inside while he tried to deliver the mail....

[OnTheNingNangNong]

Crumbled, how would you plan to find out which benefits claimants aren't fully deserving of 'your' money?

[foreverondiet]

Perhaps someone could write to Conservative HQ and suggest that anyone with parents with more than x in income or more than y in assets shouldn't be eligible for benefits .... Go on I dare you....

[merrymouse]

Out of interest, faster, where does that figure come from?

[FasterStronger]

this is the first source I found www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2012/01/unemployment-level-in-tower-hamlets-among-the-worst-in-the-country/

[merrymouse]

That is interesting, but I think unemployment in tower hamlets vs. places like South Wales and the north east is probably another thread....

[Crumbledwalnuts]

NingNang :I trust this government to do that for me. Of course if all the turkeys vote for Christmas and we get Labour again I wouldn't trust them with that job at all.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

Fanjo it's hard to get a figure for that because it's not illegal is it? But if you think it doesn't go on you're living in a fantasy world.

[FasterStronger]

I dunno merry, vast numbers of people living in central London, paid for by the work of others (who cannot afford to live there) seems a lot more relevant to the debate about benefits than a couple mentioned in the OP.

but as you wish.