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?!

Why should I leave?

Like everyone else who isn't on HB or in social housing, you should leave because you can't afford it. There are many parts of this country I can't afford to live and I don't expect the state to just pay for it. As an immigrant, I struggle with this nativist attitude that my parents parents parents parents etc were here and "paid into the system" (whatever that means), so I deserve to be supported here by the state until the end of time.

And how should I leave? I have actually applied for homeswaps but no-one wants to move here because they won't be able to afford it. Moving to a private rental elsewhere would be an insane decision due to the insecurity of their tenancies.

That's a rather entitled attitude when most of us are subject to private tenancies. I am not sure what makes people on benefits special. And this attitude is a major problem in this country: a special few get secure tenancies and the rest are stuffed. We instead should be supporting better tenancy protections for everyone (that in turn will take pressure off the selling market).

I think the market should be flooded by cheap prefabs - so there are affordable homes for everyone who needs or wants them (some rented from local authorities, some buyable). Utterly flood the market with them to crash house prices.

Trouble is, how many tory MPs have property portfolios/are rackrenting slum landlords and/or own large, posh bits of real estate? The people who were voted in have a vested interest in maintaining the current status quo. They are profiting from our misery. If every town and city and many villages had a swathe of prefabs - no-one need be homeless and no-one need be paying out a substantial % of their income on our most fundamental requirement. Problem solved.

But those in power have a vested interest in keeping the poor, poor and keeping housing at stupid prices. We should be exposing this and calling them to account for it. Just like it took decades to end slavery because those in parliament often had a vested interest in slaves, abroad so there was no way they were going to willingly address the issue when they were the very ones profiting. Same here.

A load of people I grew up with lived in the post-War prefabs in our village. They were great and much loved by those who lived in them. If a prefab cost a few thousand in raw materials and a few more in labour, to build, with a reasonable profit margin on top that would be affordable housing and force the bottom to drop out of the ridiculous housing market, when so many of us would no longer be chasing affordable housing. But of course, the tories' friends, the slum landlords, would lose business. So they won't ever build truly cheap housing on a scale large enough to impact the market.

Followign on from joffreyspost - We'll see how IKEAS Bloktown in Gateshead gets on, why cant it be replicated elsewhere?

breaking whats the IKEA blok town I can't find anything on google?

But those in power have a vested interest in keeping the poor, poor and keeping housing at stupid prices.

I wouldn't be so cynical as to say they have an interest in keeping the poor poor, but they certainly have an interest in keeping the prices high.

Even as a home owner, I think it would be great to flood the market with prefabs (or anything).

cateyeflick

Announced back in past - www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-511336/Housing-crisis-solution--Ikea-opens-Britains-flat-pack-village-Gateshead.html

I hadn't kept up to date with it - looks like it failed :(

www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/ikea-homes-development-falls-flat-1501231.html

Though looks like they building a district in london

www.gizmag.com/ikea--breaks-ground-on-strand-east-utopian-village-in-london/22133/

that's a shame sounded a really good idea :(

hope the one in London happens

Although I have to say that IMO 135 - 150k on a house is still out of reach for many first time buyers as the mortgage payment would be around £700 - 900 a month, dh and I earn about 40k between us and couldn't afford that

I am always shocked now by what couples say they can and can't afford. 7-900 a month IS a lot out of 40 k, it's just that my perspective has been skewed by private renting. I earn 20k that's the only income, and my rent was 650 a month in a small private house.
I know tons of families bringing in at least 50k between them, and have had mortgages 15+ years, and they are always complaining of being skint. It makes me wonder if what they mean by skint is very different to what I mean!

I've never been in receipt of WTC and I'm quite happy about that but I do get Tax Credits and I'm trying my hardest not to rely so much on them as I'm sure we're going to lose quite a significant amount next April when the cuts kick in. It's depressing. There will be no money left from my wage for the little things that make life that little bit brighter. You know like a day out somewhere. A meal at the local pub once in a while, sweets for the kids, a few tinnies of a Friday after a long week at work. I'm saving now what we do receive in CTC as I won't be able to save at all when we're relying totally on our wages.

And if even my wage increases it won't cover what we'll lose in CTC and I reckon I and probably everyone else will be expected to work even harder as a lot of companies won't be able to afford to employ more staff so will expect the employees they do have to do the work of two people.

So if you voted Conservative thanks! Thanks a lot. Sorry but I think you're a selfish arse!

but I thought CTC were not being cut and if you have more than 2 children currently and receive CTC for them that would not be affected by the measures - only if you stopped claiming for more than 6 month because of an income increase
and to my mind you are being a bit selfish about complaining that the CTC you 'save' (obviously don't need it to live on) 'may' be reduced.

I am always shocked now by what couples say they can and can't afford. 7-900 a month IS a lot out of 40 k, it's just that my perspective has been skewed by private renting. I earn 20k that's the only income, and my rent was 650 a month in a small private house.
I know tons of families bringing in at least 50k between them, and have had mortgages 15+ years, and they are always complaining of being skint. It makes me wonder if what they mean by skint is very different to what I mean!

ifnotnow thats awful you must have been so broke, i have been on 20k and that rent would eat up half of it. then you have council tax, bills, petrol, food :(

we are lucky as we have a council house and can actually afford a life. I think everyone should have the right to an affordable home, renting or otherwise

as for the families you mention, I would guarantee they are not "skint" ffs am seriously sooooooooo jealous of anyone who bought 15+ years ago....my best friend bought in 2002, they have a lovely 4 bed semi they paid under 60k for and their mortgage is about 3 pound 50 a month

I thought the income level at which it's paid is to be lowered. It's really bad that people haven't a clue about how much their tax credits are to be cut. The system is far far too complicated.

mollie - CTC is being cut from next April 2016. The new rule by whichyou won't get any additional tax creidts for a third child comes into effect in April 2017, so plenty of time for people to get used to the idea.

and to my mind you are being a bit selfish about complaining that the CTC you 'save' (obviously don't need it to live on) 'may' be reduced.

I haven't always saved it (wish I could!) I am saving what we get in CTC NOW and trying to manage on what we earn so it won't come as such a shock when we lose it next April.

I'm preparing as we are going to lose them which I think is pretty sensible.

Well that's ok then babyroobs, as long as people have time to mentally prepare for the fact that their children will be at times cold and hungry.

What I meant was that people have time to plan whether to have a third child or not knowing that they won't get extra tax credits for that third child.

If children are cold or hungry then the parents are failing at the bare basics.

The cuts have been announced well ahead, plenty of time for people to plan. Just like those who work and don't claim can plan if an extra child etc.

Ah but Babyroobs don't you know poor and low paid folks shouldn't plan to have more children or have children at all? Only the very wealthy should think about breeding. That seems to be the Tory thinking anyway.

NowIts even - I think it's a shame that tax credits can't be better targeted at those who really need them for the basics likes food and heat.
As I've said before the majority of claimants I know will be able to absorb the cuts to their tax credits. the colleauge who has been working one day a week for 15 years since her child was born may need to work another day to make up the money, that is no great hardship ( in my opinion). Another who gets decent chunks of maintainence from her ex. will have to cut down on a holiday perhaps. maybe due to the age of my kids, i know quite a few claimanys who bought their homes years ago and have very low mortgages or are mortgage free. They use the tax credits for treats , days out and holidays .There are others I'm sure who just cannot make up the difference, who will not be able to work more hours or whose ex's won't support the kids. This government need to find a way to channel the help towards the most needy. personally I think they should do more to offer more free childcare, be tougher on nrp's who don't pay for their kids and give more tax credits to those living in areas with excessively high rents and childcare costs, although I understand quite a bit of the tax creidt loss will be made up by more housing benefit in these areas. I guess it would be an administrative nightmare though in reality. I'm really not sure what the answer is.

Mrs - They are not saying they won't pay tax creidts for the low paid , just that they won't pay for more than two! They are also allowing for multiple births. to be honest I think it's fair enough.

But if you come off those tax credits for more than six months and THEN have to make a claim and you have more than 3 DC it will be classed as a brand new claim.

Helena - Yes that rule does seem absurd, is that definate, I thought the details hadn't been finalised yet?

I know that. Personally I find the not knowing if we're going to lose them or have them reduced quite stressful. Which is why I'm preparing financially as if we're going to lose them.

And if we do lose them it will be a struggle. I can't up my hours and neither can my dp. Both wages will be swallowed up with Bills, food etc. The small disposable cash we have now will be reduced to zero. We never go out as is it not that I care about that.

I wish we earned enough not to need the tax credits but we don't. We'll have to manage and sadly I know lots who are going to be a lot worse off than us.

These cuts are so wrong.

The two child rule applies to children that already exist.

All it will take is a break in getting TC for 6 months then only two kids count no matter when they were born.

To all the people who have said that they will give up work, would you not live in constant fear that benefits will be slashed?

Universal Credit has the excellent advantage of making cuts so very easy, because everyone is on the same benefit.

I absolutely wouldn't want to be relying on the government for anything. If disability benefits and child tax credits can be cut, it's only a matter of time before people have to put in a 7 hour shift for a free meal and somewhere to sleep instead of JSA.