to be incensed by this

[TheStripyGruffalo]

The government is right to press ahead with cuts to tax credits - despite claims millions will be worse off - because the UK must become as hard working as China, Jeremy Hunt has said. The health secretary said the cuts - combined with a higher minimum wage - would send out the right "cultural signal" to low paid workers. And he said he did not "buy" claims people would be left out of pocket.

(source BBC politics website)

I am furious about this, I work for the government and don't earn enough to pay income tax so will not be better off by the tax allowance rises. My employer can't afford to increase my hours and I am paid the same hourly rate (give or take a few pence) that I was when I started the job 10 years ago but my working hours are less as there have been major cut backs. I earn over the living wage but only just so won't benefit from the increase. I will lose over £1500 a year when the tax credits cuts come in.

Jeremy Hunt is being so offensive and downright unpleasant.

I work with a TA who is in a similar position to bigbuttons. She's seriously considering giving up work. She is amazing and I could not teach my classes without her. Her expertise and experience is utterly invaluable, and thanks to those in power, our students will be deprived of that. I guarantee that her resignation will be of huge detriment to them. Not only that but many of our students' parents will be hit by the tax credit cuts, most of them do work but have to fit in around their child's needs. So our young people will be punished twice. Heartless.

yes, thee hours that full time carers SAVE the government yet we're being punished for it by yet more cuts.

We save them BILIIONS a year for more than 35 hours we get a pittance for in carers allowance. what about the other 133 hours we DONT get paid for?

Oh. I forgot. WE are not hard working.
the go only ''rewards'' HARD working people.

FUcking bloody fucking nobs in gov, only out for themfuckingselves.

And then we have Mrs May telling us today that immigration is placing a strain on British jobs.
Seems the cabinet can't decide if there are jobs or not. And Gidz is giving work to China.

I have colleauges who work one or 2 days a week and get topped up by tax credits. These are colleagues who have teenage kids ( no special needs or disabilities). They may have to work a bit harder by doing two or three days a week to make up the difference when their tax credits are cut next year. For 15 years they have been able to work very part time because tax credits have allowed them to.

Baby let's hope their extra hours aren't at the cost of yours.

Giddy - There are usually unlimited amounts of overtime available where I work, I guess it will be agency staff that won't get the work when my colleauges increase their hours.

I think it's an absolute disgrace that these cuts effect parents of disabled children, I can't stress that enough, there is absolutely no way that can ever be justified and it makes me furious. But I also think that people on low wages with young children shouldn't be forced into full time work. Don't you think poor children have a right to some time with their parents too instead of 50 hours of daycare a week? Do you not think that creates unnecessary stress for an infant whose parents are already stressed to the max anyway? Standards of living are far too low in this country, I just find this insane situation and some peoples attitudes towards it really sad.

Maisie, do you mean you think that people on low wages with young children shouldn't be forced into full time work, or do you mean that no one, no matter their salary, should be working full time if they have young children?

Do you think it's only poor children that should have a right to time with their parents, or do you mean all children?

Because I can't really see what difference the parents income makes, and I know plenty of people on middle or high incomes that work full time while their children are in daycare, the children are fine. I also know quite a few people from my ante natal classes and baby years who used full time child care and their children are now teenagers that achieve well at school and are doing well.

Working full time and using childcare doesn't damage children, so no, I don't think it does cause unneccesary stress to infants at all.

Plenty of parents work full time, and their children are perfectly healthy and happy in childcare five days a week. Plenty.

Millions of parents work full time and raise perfectly happy children. You don't magically become a better parent or have happier children as you work part time. Bar a couple of pre school years, children are at school for at least thirty hours a week anyway.

The cuts were needed as the state system is unsustainable. Whilst we allow people to work part time/ not at all and keep having children they can't afford people will play the system. It should never have been a choice people were allowed to make in the first place.

People are keen to blame employers, the government, cost of living etc but never look closer to home for the choices they made and things they wanted regardless of finances now or in the future.

I think it's great if people can choose the child care provider they are happy with and have a choice to work full time. But I don't think poor people should be forced into it just to survive so that only wealthy people have the part time option, does that make sense?

I'm really not anti Childcare full time, and that was not the point of my post, I will go back full time shortly myself. But I really don't think parents should have that decision made for them. I just think its crap that people are told to suck it up and work harder, when they are working hard now.

Of course people should be forced into self supporting as much as possible if they won't do it themselves. Why should they get to opt out of being responsible for themselves and their children?

But if one parent is working full time and one parent is working part time, why shouldn't that be enough? Do you think both parents should have to work full time in low paid jobs to pay rent, food etc? Genuine question.

I'm all for zero tax credits if people can access affordable housing, energy prices aren't hiked up by extraordinary amounts and the living wage is enough to live on.

It depends doesn't it Maisy?

If one parent is working full time and one is working part time and they struggle to afford a decent home, food, warmth and clothing I agree.

If the working parents are the same but we are saying 'they can't have a holiday' (for example) I disagree.

Benefits are available to the very low paid to support them in work and that's fine but I'm not comfortable with them equating a full time wage for part time hours.

Yes exactly! But that's the point isn't it, because if you are going back to work full time because you want a holiday then it's a choice isn't it. But I'm talking about people who don't have a choice...

No one has the decision made for them though. It's part if the decision that people make for themselves when they choose to have children knowing how much they already earn.

Quite Osolea.

People on low wages are not docile passive individuals who need the benevolence of the great welfare state as they can't stop having children.

They are as capable as the rest of us about making decisions on family size based on income and hours worked based on what works best for their family.

I suppose I think the problem is less about poor people having children and more that house prices / bills etc are getting so out of sync with some peoples wages. And it seems to be these people that are being hit here.

I'm not talking about people having countless children and watching the benefits come rolling in, I'm talking about working people with a family...