to think single peoplw with no dc are royally screwed by the benefits system

[martini84]

Single person no dc receives £71.50 jsa
In some areas has to pay council tax £5.40 per week.
Single person with one child under 5 receives approx £154 per week and doesn't ha e to pay councilt tax.
Aibu to think this is so wrong.
After all most bills like utilities are only going to differ slightly.

Obviously I know mot all councils have adopted this approach but to me it seems so wrong.

Single person with child also pays council tax. They also need a bigger property so higher bills and they have additional expenses with regards to food. Childrenunder 5 also grow quickly so clothes etc.

You can't compare

I claimed IS when my daughter was one.

As far as i can remember i received...

£65 a week for IS
£18 a week for CB
£52 a week (a rough guess, but I'm positive it was no more than this) for CTC

so... £135.

I may be adding things up wrongly though. How did you get your £154 figure?

Yeah I'm going to hazard a guess that someone with a child has more costs than a single person. Bigger home, more heating, more gas and electric use, providing food and (depending on age) formula milk for a second person, clothing etc. And where have you pulled £150 a week from?

person with a child also has a million other things to think about when looking for work, like having to feed/ clothe another person, childcare, flexible time for illness etc. A single person without a child doesn't. They should be able to get a job sooner!

£71 IS
£20 CB
£62 tax credits

So £153. Is that what OP meant?

After all most bills like utilities are only going to differ slightly.

Do you have children?

Single person (generally speaking) will have far fewer barriers to being able to work than a single parent of a school age child.

YABU.

They might get screwed by a completely genuine lack of any jobs whatsoever anywhere near where they work, but this isn't actually the fault of the benefits system and they should absolutely not be making JSA for people with no dependents or health issues seem like an attractive or viable long term choice. IMO.

Live, not work.

£71 a week to live on and pay all the bills is near on impossible.

O yes I know food and bills etc are more. Thats why they get over double the money to start with. Except tv licence phone etc. Yet than telling a singleperson that out of you £71.50 ish pw you you are going to have to pay council tax because we can't possibly charge a person with dc under 5.
Obviously not saying people with children are paid too much. Just fon't think someone on £71 pw should be subsidizing their council tax.

I agree, I don't think they should pay ct out of 71 quid a week either.

OP, are you missing the point that in many many areas, single people with children are also paying council tax? I highly doubt a single person on JSA is subsidising anybody.

I know usualsuspect my sister used to get help from my mum. After her death she has been struggling but could just about cope. Now with this council tax charge and having to pay fares to sign on she is barely surving.
She is desparately trying to find work but it not easy for a 50 something with no qualifications and no transport. Has been doing lots of voluntary work but not the sort that leads to a job.
Hasn't even gou a washing machine because their is no space in her flat for one. Without removing lid which means they don't last.
Feel so sad for her.

Thats what the letter said. It said because of changes to govt funding we are having to charge you. We are, however, not going to charge people with dc under 5 etc so we have to charge you more or words to that effect.

Our area promised not to charge single parents when the changes came in but that was a promise that got broken. Single parents here pay

both scenarios are shite and nearly unsustainable. I t might be more worthwhile to direct anger at governments who yreat those who find themselves unemployed through no fault of their own so shabbily.

I know a few older people who have lost their jobs and struggling to survive on 71 quid a week.

Finding the £5 a week is a real struggle for them.

Obviously I don't think single parents should pay either.

I'm a single parent and receive those benefits income support etc. I pay council tax from that money so don't see your point?

why always compare yourself to others on benefit? Are you suggesting that what they get should be reduced so you can get more?

I don't think single parents should pay it either, btw.

Ah, I see your point now! Where we live everybody has to pay that £5.40, children or no children. Its unfair that it isn't like that everywhere.

This isn't entirely relevant, but something about council tax really pissed me off recently. Since April 2013, Councils have had the right to apply whatever discount they wanted to unfurnished/unoccupied properties. Previously it attracted 100% discount (ie cost nothing) and now my council have decided to take advantage of their discretion and apply a 0% discount (ie full cost).

My issue with it, is had I been living there, I would have lived there as a single person and thus attracted a 25% discount. So, it cost me 25% more to leave it unoccupied, and using none of the council services, than it would have if I'd have lived there and been using the council services.

I complained to the council saying pretty much exactly above, and I wanted them to explain to me their reasoning as to why an occupied property costs more than a property being lived in by a single person. Their response was basically "dunno lol, cos we can".