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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be quite shocked at how much benefits bil receives!

212 replies

Santandery · 06/05/2018 10:46

Before I begin, this isn't a benefits bashing post. I have been on benefits during hard times and am extremely grateful that we have this in this country. I am just very surprised at how the system is very messed up. It seems fair and unfair too if that makes sense.

It's after discussing this with family that I came to realise. I am quite shocked at the amount that BIL is getting. He has 4 kids, earns around 21k and receives around £13k in benefits. £10k from tax credits and around £3k child benefit. So his total income is £34k! He has no mortgage as he bought a house through buy to let. I know all this because he told us. He also refuses to get a higher paid job as he says he'll receive less tax credits so the extra commute responsibility isn't worth it to him. The increase in income woukd be quite small anyway.

I just think that's a bit too much to be honest. I mean there will be ppl in smaller homes with mortgages with similar size family who earn more in wages but because of tax take home less money.

I think this is really unfair.

OP posts:
Battleax · 06/05/2018 12:29

He earns 21k horse.

But I can’t see an issue with the scenario even on those wages. It’s not a lavish income.

GlueSticks · 06/05/2018 12:31

OP, you are complaining that families get enough money?! I agree that disabled people and careers should get a lot more but I don't think that taking away from the children is a good plan. A lot of perfectly ordinary families rely on tax credits because wages aren't high enough to reflect the cost of living. When I was younger it was perfectly possible for one parent on an average salary to support a family if they chose a smaller house or a less nice area to live in. It wasn't a perfect era by any means (racism/sexism/homophobia for instance) but cost of living has become totally out of proportion since then.

(For full disclosure I don't have children nor do I receive benefits so I have no skin in the game.)

StaplesCorner · 06/05/2018 12:32

So I assume that BiL is not in a Universal Credit area? Surely he would lose a significant amount under UC?

ginghamstarfish · 06/05/2018 12:33

Sounds like he knows how to play the system to the best advantage for him - you say he refuses to get a higher paid job. So he's milking the system unfairly, taking taxpayers' money when he is able to earn more money (but without getting tax credits). Great example for his kids.

Battleax · 06/05/2018 12:38

you say he refuses to get a higher paid job.

TBF, OP also said that “He has no mortgage as he bought a house through buy to let” (and then outed herself when she came back to correct the gobbledygook), so she’s not really understanding the family gossip she’s parroting, is she?

Babyroobs · 06/05/2018 12:40

People with 4 kids get a lot of tax credits now. However since the new 2 child cap came into play in April 2017 there will no longer be people getting tax credits for 4 kids.

CocoPuffsInGodMode · 06/05/2018 12:42

But gingham that assumes there are plenty of higher paid jobs for all the people in the bils position and there are plenty. Most people agree that wages have been suppressed so where is someone currently on low 20s wage getting a job with a big enough increase in salary to give what is after all just an "ordinary" lifestyle? By which I mean not rich but not on the bones of his arse.

Feodora · 06/05/2018 12:44

Bombadier - that’s all well and good but all corbyn has (and has ever had) is good intentions. He doesn’t offer any actual practical solutions other than stoking the usual populist nonsense about ‘the rich’

That’s strange I am sure I read the Labour manifesto for the general election last year and under economy the pages were not blank. You may not agree with Labour’s idea of increased spending on infrastructure to boost the economy, as opposed to Conservative’s austerity program (which hasn’t seen a big increase in the economy but a whole lot of suffering) , but to say there has no been solutions been offered is disingenuous.

Likewise, is it populist nonsense to discuss the gap between the richest of this country and the rest is growing year by year?

C8H10N4O2 · 06/05/2018 12:47

Being out of work should not pay more than being in work..

He is in work in this scenario.

Heyduggeesflipflop · 06/05/2018 12:47

Feodora

The economic pages of the last labour manifesto may as well have been blank. What with ‘can’t count Abbott’ and ‘run on the pound’ McDonnell

Hardly confidence inspiring stuff is it?

Heyduggeesflipflop · 06/05/2018 12:47

C8h

Yes agree - my comment was general not specific to the op.

C8H10N4O2 · 06/05/2018 12:52

Yes agree - my comment was general not specific to the op.

So not relevant here as being unemployed isn't paying more than being in work

CocoPuffsInGodMode · 06/05/2018 12:56

I'm a little surprised that so many posters are surprised by this. I think sometimes on MN there's an impression that people are either very wealthy or living in abject poverty. Both exist of course but they don't represent the majority of the population.

Millions of people work in low paid jobs, topped up by benefits, because that's how the system has been designed. As long as enough of them are doing ok the population won't revolt Wink. If you take too much from the "doing ok" group then you have a far higher number of people in real poverty and taking action about it eg voting out the party in power!

Hilltoptea · 06/05/2018 13:09

My sister and her DP haven't worked for 12 years, mostly through choice (although my sister raised two children in this time).

Their housing benefit covers the entirety of their privately let 3 bed, 2 reception house in a lovely coastal area.

Then I found out that they received £200 more in benefits than I received in wages per month.
When I was working ridiculous hours doing shift work and saving to be able to afford a home and children, it was an insult.

As they say, you don't NEED to work so why would you?!Angry

Original poster
Santandery · 06/05/2018 13:11

Battleax How have I done a NC fail?!

TheFirstMrsDV well if I kept my previous name then anyone who recognised this post could look up my previous posts. Sorry if it wasnt obvious to you. Confused

OP posts:
Kursk · 06/05/2018 13:15

I fundamentally agree that benefits should be capped at two children. Being out of work should not pay more than being in work

This

Also, Tax is theft

gamerwidow · 06/05/2018 13:16

Do we even know if the BIL can get a higher paid job? Most people don't have careers and it's not uncommon to stay at the same level forever if all you've ever done is low skilled work.

Plantlover · 06/05/2018 13:18

Heyduggee

It was a costed manifesto but if you want to just keep repeating the myth that labour think there is a magic money tree despite the evidence to the contrary........

LovelySouffle · 06/05/2018 13:39

Wind it in

Heyduggeesflipflop · 06/05/2018 13:45

Plantlover

I never used the phrase ‘magic money tree’ - you did.

If you believe that manifesto was costed then you are in cloud cuckoo land.

Heyduggeesflipflop · 06/05/2018 13:50

A thought but the American revolution happened because the settlers were taxed but had no representation

The opposite is now possible - we have universal suffrage but you don’t have to pay any tax at all to qualify for representation

I think that is the demograph the Labour Party are targeting

Madbengalmum · 06/05/2018 13:50

Costed manifesto 😂🤣😂🤣😂, from most of Abbotts interviews they couldn't even spell it, let alone understand the fudged econmics of it!

Cacti · 06/05/2018 13:51

£34k isn't a lot for a family of 6 people.

We bring in just under £40k for a family of 3 and class ourselves as low earners. Fair enough he doesn't have a mortgage but they're certainly not rolling in it.

Heyduggeesflipflop · 06/05/2018 13:53

Diane Abbott wouldn’t know a costed manifesto if she fell over one...

Roomba · 06/05/2018 13:54

You never see threads on MN saying 'I can't believe how little my relative gets paid for their full time job!' do you...

Or 'I can't believe how little Corporation Tax x company pays in their millions of profit, whilst paying their staff minimum wage!'...

Tax credits etc exist because pay in this country is so low. When people in full time jobs need government assistance to survive, something is wrong with the whole system.

But whole the masses debate the rights and wrongs of who should be entitled to what and who is taking the piss, they are not debating just WHERE all the money in our very wealthy country is actually going (clue: it's not going to idle feckers with prete d disabilities and so on).

It's the good old 'Divide and Conquer' and it is working wonderfully, as intended.