Gov to fund furlough scheme at 80% until October!

[caperberries]

Aibu to consider this unsustainable? What is the reasoning behind this?

[StrawberryBlondeStar]

@80sMum I think they will go for income tax. One of the easiest taxes to collect (and unless you are super wealthy difficult to avoid). Other is inheritance tax.

Wealth taxes/taxes on unearned income are harder to implement and easier to avoid.

[Whatsmyname26]

I think it must be rough on people stuck on benefits though knowing Fred next door still takes home £2500 as does his wife while they struggle by on basic benefits. I know we need to protect industries but personally I don’t understand why some of the population will be given so much by the government while others are deemed unworthy. The numbers of disabled people living in poverty or worse refused disability payments because assessors have lied all because the government want to save money and now there is enough to throw £5000 a month at couples who aren’t actually working atm. It just feels like complete double standards to me and I’m lucky enough none of this stuff impacts on me.

[OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow]

Businesses need to think proactively about what they can do to get back to work SAFELY and not just sit back and expect to be bankrolled indefinitely.

Are you stupid or are you just acting like you are😱

[Swooningmonkey]

What other options do people have seriously?!

I’m one of the unlucky few who has fallen between the gaps, therefore not eligible. The government needs to continue to help businesses stay afloat well beyond lockdown is lifted otherwise the country risks huge levels on unemployment in the coming months.

Or would you rather millions ended up on benefits and pay no taxes for God knows how long?

[Devlesko]

It's only a max of £2,500 if this is what you earn.
If you were working pt and receiving half of this, you receive your usual wage.
Many won't be getting the full amount, I'm not.
mine is about £250 a month, when this goes i have nothing, so TC will go up.

[tappitytaptap]

It’s delightful to be working harder than ever and paying taxes and juggling childcare whilst watching people on facebook enjoying loads of time off paid, I must say. Gives me real motivation to work hard.

[Whatsmyname26]

Tappitytaptap yes I agree and I think this is what’s wrong. Some people will be sat home taking home more than people risking themselves working everyday to keep the country going. My husband is one of them as he is a key worker who can’t work from home

[MintyMabel]

Aibu to consider this unsustainable?

Sure. Better to just cut it off in July and force people to choose health or food.

If we can’t use national debt to support society in a pandemic, then what kind of world would you prefer to live in? We can always find money for a war and nobody every says we need to stop them after a few months because we can’t afford it.

What a fucking world where we think supporting people financially during a pandemic is “unsustainable”

[Lorgillelm]

What is your alternative then?? Me and my parents are at risk of losing our family business of 24 years as we are NOT allowed to reopen until at least July.

[Lorgillelm]

And we are most certainly not sat on our arses spending the money we are getting for “free”. We are scared and worried about the future.

[Truthpact]

There's not really another option to furlough. Other than letting businesses fail, making people unemployed and having people homeless.

Or, I suppose there is the option of just starting things back up as normal and letting it be a survival of the fittest kind of thing, as in how many will catch covid and how many will survive it.

Which one do you choose? Furlough, depression or possible death?

[VerticalHorizon]

Furlough (if not abused by unscrupulous employers) is a Godsend.

Many firms would have had to make staff redundant were it not for this fantastic scheme (not a fan of the government, but this is a truly good scheme).

Whilst we are are slowly, very slowly, trying to get back to work safely, there are countless reasons why firms won't be up and running at 100%, and for some firms, they might not be up and running at all (consider a firm that might have a contract to paint and decorate care homes). They might not able to carry out their work for months yet... even though it's a viable company. Consider a firm that's switched operations from paint manufacturing to hand sanitiser, and doesn't need as many staff to produce it... should they carry on helping the NHS, but lay off staff, or switch back to making paint to keep their staff on?

We are going to owe a LOT of money at the end of all this, but the best possible way to recover will be with a strong economy, and businesses thriving, not waiting for new ones to have to start up all over again - which can happen, but takes a LOT longer and ends up being more costly in the long run.

[Daffodil101]

I’m in favour.

I’m NHS, secure job. It’s alright for me, It must be so, so worrying for certain sectors. I do think if I was furloughed I’d get bored and want to do something with my time though. That’s where I’d have targeted volunteer schemes.

There’s too much ‘I’m ok, Jack’ about at the moment. Need to pull together and get behind each other rather than dividing apart.

Come on, Britain!

[CoronaIsShit]

Random
Technically, there can only be a shortage of money if the government runs out of paper to print it on. Government spending doesn't have to come from anywhere, more spefically, they can in theory spend without raising money from taxes or loans.

And almost every government globally is going to be in a similar financial situation to ours, so possibly they could all get together and ‘reset’ their economies at the same time to the same as before CV so there is no currency devaluation? That would be a nice thought wouldn’t it!

[kirinm]

There is so much uproar about schools or childcare reopening but the furlough scheme gets extended and that is an outrage too. Ridiculous.

[MaxNormal]

So OP what's your position then? Still in paid employment? Lucky you.

[user1480092643]

I think the furloughs cheme will be essential to the survival of the NHS. No one is really 'safe' in public services when you have employment in the private sector sky high and no taxes coming in to pay. Furlough is meant to save businesses & jobs that pay the tax that take many years to build up.
I dont know why people on mumsnet here are so envious of their colleagues on furlough. Do you expect them to not to look after their mental and physical health during this awful time.

[Ihopeyourcakeisshit]

I think the uproar over furlough extension is because now needs to be a bit more selective?

[Devlesko]

Kazzy

Me and dh are in the entertainment/music industries.
We're not expecting to be back for a long time. Although whoopee - doo we had a provisional booking for a festival next June. Only provisional though.
We are trying to find new ways of working, but it isn't really an industry where you can work online.
There are a few small services we are finding, but nothing that will earn us even a basic living.

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

This all has to be paid for eventually. I would not be surprised to see VAT rise in line with other countries, and for the fuel accelerator to be applied.

[CoronaIsShit]

It had to be extended to October to allow for the probably phased full time return to school, hopefully starting in September. People can’t work if DC are at home.

[Leakinglikeacolander]

I can't see the hospitality being anything other than screwed, how can cafes,pubs,restaurants socially distance and make a profit?

[VerticalHorizon]

This all has to be paid for eventually. I would not be surprised to see VAT rise in line with other countries, and for the fuel accelerator to be applied

Yes it does have to be paid for... and we'll all be contributing somehow.
This is the difficulty all governments have - regardless of politics.
On top of that - spending cuts in the future will also have an impact on lives (folks dying).
I still think furlough, as expensive as it is, is cheaper in the longer term than the cost of losing 1000's of businesses.

[lyralalala]

A lot of people who are on furlough may end up on Universal Credit, but UC can't cope with the number of people already going onto it (admin wise) already. To chuck everyone onto it just now would just cause chaos and put everyone in a worse situation.

This at least gives businesses a chance to change and make a plan, and gives people a chance to prepare themselves for a potential massive drop in income once they have to go onto UC.

Everyone I know on furlough is pretty realistic. The ones not expecting their work to re-open for them are planning for redundancy and trying to organise their finances accordingly.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I'm glad they have done this as DD can't go back to work as a pub manager (very hard for being young and health though as she's so bored not working)