AIBU about Tax Credits cuts,

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Commons back Osborne plan for tax credit cuts
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34260902

I don't claim anymore because I now earn enough to support myself - because I could work and progress my career as well as my life while being a single parent.

AIBU to think this is a total travesty and so many single parents are going to have their life's devastated by this - and what about people in domestic abuse situations who will now be more unable to leave?

Maybe I some benefits scrounger - but the tax credits enabled me to be a good parent and role model to my kids - without their feckless father affecting that .... AIBU?!

If you take state money then you do so knowing its not guaranteed and subject to checks/sanctions. If people don't like the rules or state interference then they don't have to claim, it's very simple.

The checks should be more frequent by far. So many seem to manage to get pregnant as a single person it's astounding. Normally just in time when IS is changing to job seekers or when tax credit threashols change.

The system makes a huge mockery of the welfare state, it's used and abused and can't be sustained. How we got to this stage is beyond belief where people can bring a child or several into the world with no intention of supporting them from the start or when life changes.

Claimants are having to undergo checks on their childcare costs too now which I think is good. When my children were young and I claimed a very small amount for childcare there were no such checks.
I totally agree with checks, I have known too many 'lone ' parents who have partners living with them but 'officially' living round the corner at their mums home.

We got done for living together when we weren't actually living together. OH in the forces and used to bring his kids to my house on the weekends he had them (because he wasn't allowed them on the base).

It was my house and our finances were totally separate. His ex took him to the CSA and they stung him for over £500 maintenance refused to take more than £40 off for travel (measured it from my house when he had a 560 mile journey to get here and a further 150 miles - 300 both ways to his kids house).

They deemed us as living together even though he had a place in Scotland where he was living and the house was in my name and I lost £390 a month.

We cut our loses and he went on the mortgage but I forced into a position where me and my kids are now financially dependant on him.

If you take state money then you do so knowing its not guaranteed and subject to checks/sanctions. If people don't like the rules or state interference then they don't have to claim, it's very simple.
Sorry, did you not read my post earlier?

Just read this thread and what I find incredible is the I know someone who claims this, gets pregnant on purpose etc etc.
I don't claim tax credits but the people who are going to lose so much I worry about.
A lady who has disabilities not getting what she needs is absolutely disgusting, why treat people like dirt in what is supposed to be a rich country. It seems the government want people to suffer, but why?

I do not understand why other people seem to think they are so special they can demean others. FACT we are all human beings who have feelings and I for one would never ever look down on a fellow human just because they claim tax credits or whatever benefit they need. You never know what's around the corner and I do not want to read of suicides and people suffering!!
My best wishes to anyone who will be affected by the ridiculous cuts, there but for the grace of God go I.

your dp got stung for maintenance

nice choice of wording

is it not right that he helps support his children

He already was supporting them (£350 a month) but was also spending £250 a month travelling to get them so he could see them.

My comment about the small number of claimants is in response to those who think the changes will change people's voting behaviour or actions.
About 3 million employed families and 1.5 million unemployed families get WTC and CTC.
They make up about 1/6 of the population.
There does not appear to be a mass of people on WTC or CTC who voted Conservative and will regret it. I suspect the majority already vote Labour.
My posts say nothing about whether the changes are good or bad, just that I do not see a significant change in anyone's opinion or voting intentions being made because of this.

Titting about with tax credits simply attacks people who are working and have low pay, as a rule. It doesn't even begin to attack the truly feckless, or those who the Daily Mail would use to whip the tory idiots up into a frenzy so they think it's OK to do this kind of crap, to devastate people's lives.

My feckless unemployed neighbours still have a £30,000 car and a flatscreen TV and swan around all day causing problems because they have nothing better to do with their time. They haven't been touched or affected. But we are on minimum wage and struggling and I don't know how much longer we can even keep a roof of any kind over my kids' head. Unless my husband goes on the sick then makes himself unemployed, then we'd be better off.

Ironically, wrecking tax credits does nothing to encourage the Jeremy Kyle guest classes to get off their arses, anyway - they are better off than those of us who work for a living, now.

As others have said, tories don't care because we're never going to be their voters. And they have never been known for their humanity or compassion.

My youngest son's father gave up work and just does a few hours to get tax credits as his wife has fibromyalgia and has given up her job, he's depressed apparently and they have an 8 yr old.

He hasn't fucked me about with money yet but I am waiting for it - he is abusing the system.

How is he abusing the system? Your ex has depression and is a carer.

She manages to be a childminder and he has become self employed as a handyman.

Do you understand what fibromyalgia is?

They would have to be working 24 hours between them to be getting working tax credits.

Yes I do - she hasn't been formally diagnosed with it.

I would imagine it's quite hard to be a childminder with it - not knowing from one day to the next if you wil be ok but having patents relying on you to have their kids ...

That's only 12 hours each.

lougle

Forgive me I'm still on page 11 as Ive only just got back from work.

But this hypothetical lone parent has 3 children. It's incredibly hard to claim childcare element for a nanny who works at your house so her CC options are limited to a nursery or child minder so one working 16 hours per week is looking at more like £175 per day for childcare assuming all 3 are under 5 and not a huge amount less if over 5 and wrap around is used.

I have fibromyalgia, I understand what it is like to be in constant pain and utterly exhausted.
I do however go out and work, I take arthrotec twice a day 30mg codeine every 4 hours.
When I found out about the cuts I took on more hours, it is killing me, I am in bed by 8pm at the very latest and stay in bed most of the weekend.
There is a choice, its a crap one, but you have to make it, either drive yourself to your grave or let them do it for you.

I don't believe she has fibromyalgia.

I sympathise with you orangetart

NeedsAsockamnesty yes, that's quite possible. I think my point is that if a person's claim for childcare increases with the number of hours worked, then the burden on the tax payer is far higher than will be recouped by the tax paid by the claimant, so it's actually better for people to work less because the overall claim will be less.

I'm not looking at specific cases, just using the notion that 2 days care is cheaper than 5.

I quite agree with you.

The other think to think about a poster up thread (cannot remember who) posted about making people work weekends as well.

Most nurseries are not open weekends so that leaves only child minders. Most child minders charge anti social rates before 8:30am ish and after 6pm ish and all hours at a weekend. I know mine doubles her rates for anti social so I wonder how much that would cost the tax payer ( if they ever felt like increasing the max considered CC allowed. Or if any parent working in a average job could even imagine being able to afford 3 kids in paid childcare on a weekend?

It would save a bloody fuck ton of money if they would allow low income households to use the childcare element towards a nanny

i am terrified what this is going to mean for my family. i have 4 children, 2 in receipt of dla on middle rate care and low rate mobility. i work 32 hours a week for minimum wage, and dp does 16 hours for minimum wage. he is looking for something with more hours and /or a higher rate of pay but this is not easy to find. the job i have is close to home so i can run back if there is an emergency. i have no idea what we will lose, but we are struggling already, havent had a holiday in 4 years (and that was a part funded week in a caravan in weymouth) dont drive, only drink occasionally.

i cant realistically increase my hours due to lack of childcare in my area for autistic children (the eldest and youngest wouldnt be an issue as the eldest is 16, and could look after the youngest, nt 9 year old after school until i get home at 5 past 6), but find childcare for a high functioning autistic 14 year old, and a 10 year old with adhd and aspergers.

this absolutely terrifies me, and sorry to say, if i am going to be worse off working than we already are, i will stop working and make sure dp stays at 16 hours a week, at least then i would get their free school meals, our free prescriptions and my carers allowance and housing benefit back (we lost free school meals worth £48 a week because we get £2.60 a week in wtc, and only currently get £35 a week in hb to help towards rent of £112 a week), we earn approx 14k a year between us.

its all those shy tory bastards who did this, and i swear i will never forgive them for it.

'then they don't have to claim, it's quite simple'. yeah just let your kids starve if you don't like it, simples.

planet?

oh, and i didnt get benefits other than cb when i first had my children, but i left a domestic violence situation and had to claim when my children were then 9, 7, 3 and 2 and i was a single parent.

Depends. If she's just doing after school care it's easy enough if she's fairly mild and not in a flare.

I work in a high stress job and I have fibromyalgia. You can work with it.