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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Benefit bashing

341 replies

LovelyBath77 · 29/07/2017 20:50

To think MN can be a bit benefit bashing at times. Even if people are rightfully claiming / ill / poor etc.

Recently, I have seen someone having a hard time although ill and having a baby and considering claiming tax credits. I also have had a hard time although illness (both me and DP) and low wage means claiming some tax credits.

I can understand the rage for those fraudulently claiming benefits or the like but why for those legitimately claiming? or AIBU?

OP posts:
DonutCone · 31/07/2017 15:12

I have a friend, 3 school age children. Chooses to stay at home. Husband earns £39000 they get almost £300 a year in tax credits.

I honestly so think that is a disgraceful waste of tax payers money. I have told her this. I cannot believe anyone with 0 childcare costs, earning £39000 needs money from the government.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 31/07/2017 15:17

So much twattery and jealousy on this thread.

MissAlabamaWhitman · 31/07/2017 15:23

THREE HUNDRED POUNDS?!?

Quickly, pass the smelling salts, my pearls have been veritably ripped from my heaving bosom!

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 31/07/2017 15:30

Miss GrinGrin

I bet those getting frothy and being rude to their mates over £300 will gladly shop at tax dodging Starbucks and the like and rave about the wonderful coffee tainted with lies and shame.

We pick on people on benefits because it's easier, If they have less benefits you won't get any more money you know. By the way some posters are banging on you'd think an official from HMRC was frog marching them to the ATM each payday to take out money and hand it over to some "scrounger" who's off to buy herself a Versace dress to take on her cruise to Antigua.

Some people need benefits to put food on the table and clothes on their kids' backs. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. If you begrudge them that, you're a massive cunt.

And FWIW I wouldn't exactly constitute a family of 5 on a £39k salary as exactly rolling in it! Honestly some people won't be happy until they see others completely destitute.

DonutCone · 31/07/2017 15:31

That was a typo, she get £3000.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 31/07/2017 15:31

I bet the same people also happily pocket their £82 (and £50ish per extra child) child benefit every month too.

MissAlabamaWhitman · 31/07/2017 15:36

No she doesn't

She gets approximately £1260.48 p.a.

Unless you're just stabbing in the dark fabricating shit for a reaction and your friend lives only in your head, that is?

[eink]

MissAlabamaWhitman · 31/07/2017 15:38

Nooooo!

My wink failed me!

Just for you, you donut
Wink Wink

RainbowsAndUnicorn · 31/07/2017 15:43

Some people need benefits to put food on the table and clothes on their kids' backs. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. If you begrudge them that, you're a massive cunt.

I doubt anyone begrudges the children food or clothes, it's not their faults their parents haven't stepped up to the role of provider.

CazY777 · 31/07/2017 15:57

My 'shameful' choice was earning less than £200 a month after childcare, travel, paying for a second car etc, or getting £700 a month housing benefit/CT discount which meant that we could afford to eat and pay our bills.

PurpleMinionMummy · 31/07/2017 16:01

I highly doubt she gets £3000 a year. I know because we are the same. We don't even get as much as Miss Alabama has stated. If she does its because their last years income which has only just been verified was lower.

If you don't like it moan at the government. People are simply claiming what they are entitled too. You don't see threads with relentless bitching and accusations of benefit scrounging aimed at the families earning 50k/100k and claiming their child benefit. Why is ok for higher earners to claim what they're entitled too but not for lower/middle range earners?

x2boys · 31/07/2017 16:15

I can't see her getting anything like £3000 a year if her dh earns £39,000 I earnt just a bit less than that and we had all our tax credits stopped When they brought in the reforms it was only £40 a month anyway (admittedly I only had two children)

swingofthings · 31/07/2017 16:16

We pick on people on benefits because it's easier, If they have less benefits you won't get any more money you know
Do I know that? No I don't. Yes, I wish I could select who my taxes go to, oh would I love that. I would take it from my next door neighbour who are living of benefits because they can and give it to the care workers at the top of my road who have to cope with very difficult dementia patients days in an out. I wish they got more you know!

DonutCone · 31/07/2017 16:33

I've seen her tax credit statement for this year. It was someone like £2750.

I've just run it through the tax credit calculator and that also what comes up if you have 3 children.

MissAlabamaWhitman · 31/07/2017 16:38

No it doesn't donut.

The exact figure with two adults, one earning £39000 this tax year and three children under twenty is precisely as I stated previously.

I suspect that your particular tax credits calculator exists in the same realm as your friend does.

That is, the imaginary one.

Now stop making yourself look silly.
I'll admit to finding it amusing but I'm afraid that you're derailing the thread.

DonutCone · 31/07/2017 16:44

Really? So I assume you know exactly how many hours her husband works and his pension deductions then?

Spikeyball · 31/07/2017 16:45

The cut off point for any tax credits with 3 children is just under £40000. For every £1000 you earn less than that you get £410 of tax credits up to a maximum. To get £3000 from £39000 you would need to either have had £7000 worth of deductions taken into account or at there must be a disabled child.

MissAlabamaWhitman · 31/07/2017 16:53

The hours he works are irrelevant;
They do not effect entitlement as long as they are more than the arbitrary cut off point for a couple, that is twenty four.

I assume he works over this amount as otherwise they would not be entitled.

So he deducts his pension contributions.
Well yes then his actual net income will be lower for tax credits purposes but by the same token the family income will be lower by a commensurate amount.

He would need to be paying roughly ten percent of his gross income in to his pension annually in order to receive £3K in tax credits though.

I'm assuming you can avail me of an exact figure seeing as your 'friend'is apparently so liberal with the details of their finances?

Mittens1969 · 31/07/2017 17:14

People are on such low wages now that people have no option but to claim tax credits. That's why there are a million visiting food banks, including nurses and teachers in London.

If there are people who choose to be on benefits rather than going for such a low-paid job then it's really not all that surprising. (I'm not saying it's a good thing to do, btw, but I can understand why, especially if the claimant has young children and is already struggling, or is considering going back to work and decides not to.)

Nightshirt · 31/07/2017 19:10

@swingofthings, you wrote I could have done like many, go on IS, get benefits to pay my mortgage

Benefits will not pay mortgage repayments, just mortgage interest.

HelenaDove · 31/07/2017 19:15

Just seen a post from someone on Universal Credit who has been sanctioned because he has to attend Jury Service.

DonutCone · 31/07/2017 19:18

They aren't stupid. He pays £500 a month into a pension. His employer makes a generous contribution to that. They get half that back each month in tax credits.

They live in their own home with a paid off mortgage. So he takes home around £2900 a month, get tax credits and don't have mortgage payment.

Awesome use of tax payer funds.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 31/07/2017 19:23

I doubt anyone begrudges the children food or clothes, it's not their faults their parents haven't stepped up to the role of provider.

Fuck me, what condescending twatty comment to make.

So, you're happy for people to be on benefits as long as they feel failures over it?

Ever thought that people's circumstances change? I have a friend who was on a good income, as was her DH and they had house, car, holiday a year etc. After both losing their jobs and struggling to find work to fit round the children they'd already had when they were well off, they now claim tax credits and have had to use food banks. Such failures Hmm.

You sound extremely bitter, people don't claim benefits to piss you off you know. I take it you forgo your child benefit?

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 31/07/2017 19:26

I would take it from my next door neighbour who are living of benefits because they can and give it to the care workers at the top of my road who have to cope with very difficult dementia patients days in an out. I wish they got more you know!

The care workers are probably entitled to working tax credits.

I really think this attitude of "worthy vs unworthy" - don't give money to people who have the audacity to breed but every care worker is a saint so they should get it - is dangerous, and quite frankly, takes a really thick person to champion this.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 31/07/2017 19:29

I've seen her tax credit statement for this year. It was someone like £2750.

I've just run it through the tax credit calculator and that also what comes up if you have 3 children.

Funny that. When I did it it came up with £24.24 every 4 weeks 🤔🤔