To wonder if Labour really will scrap the bedroom tax?

[GaryShitpeas]

Not going to go into why i am against it but I am. Doesn't affect me ATM as not on Hb but I probably will need to be in the future.

But I personally will be voting labour for this reason alone ....this is the first time I've ever voted (to my shame) because I want it gone. But I wonder if they'll actually keep their promise.....

That's unfortunate

what's unfortunate?

Arsenic I think it's a contribution to safeguard your secured tenancy/low rent (if your finances allow it), which could be invested to help others/build more properties. As I said, probably not thought through to its natural/final conclusion!

The problems full time hard working single mothers have who don't get child benefit, tax credits or housing benefit like I am (and we are very many in London and other cities) is that things we suffer like having to live miles from work and commute in, being forced to live away from family etc are not things those who worker fewer or no hours have because we are subsidising rights to space, rights to live in Central London, rights to give people separate rooms and lower than private sector rents which we don't ourselves have.

By all means have those benefits claimants in the areas the rest of us slum it in and have them move from family as many of us in work have had to do but don't give them a better deal than workers/tax payers endure. Don't give them £27k benefits cap which is £34k of before tax income - it's just far far far too high to make work pay.

I suspect very few benefit claimants are affected by the cap as most of them won't be entitled to that much. I agree that in London this might be different but people are moving. Some with disabilities or disabled children are having to move away from their support network because the cap doesn't discriminate...it hates everyone equally.

And my point further back about families with a child in a one bedroom flat, was to illustrate that it's a fallacy to believe that children get you bigger accommodation. I know of any families living like this and coping fine. Some on benefits and some not.

I totally agree with Greengrow. The benefits cap should not be more than double the minimum wage. And benefits are tax free unlike wages.

greengrow illustrates precisely my point. my guess is he/she thinks it's fine to give people basic housing etc, but he/she doesn't want to support someone in better housing than she herself can afford.

it's quite natural and understandable.

And I don't think people on low wages should be responsible for paying taxes to ensure others on benefit can be given up to £34k tax free.

has anyone on this thread against the bedroom tax seen today's guest post..?

I hope they don't scrap it, me and the missus work full time and we live in a council one bedroom bungalow due to my disability and we'd like to have a family. Our neighbour lives by himself in a two bedroom bungalow yet he refuses to swap unless we pay him £15k! I know that my neighbour isn't representative of everyone but it pisses me off sometimes.

I saw the guest post and didn't answer. Calling the tax cruel is pathetic and a total misuse of the word. This country has an extremely generous benefits system. And calling it a tax is just equally as annoying. It is a reduction in a benefit for people who have extra bedrooms a subsidy which is not available to private renters. Nobody is actually paying out anything. Except the tax payer who is funding all this.