£500 voucher to spend in restaurants

[Alex50]

Would you go out to dinner, pub shopping if the government paid you to do so?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/05/sunak-considers-500-vouchers-for-all-uk-adults-to-spend-in-covid-hit-firms

Would this be spendable in dfs? We are planning to buy a new sofa this year, 500 off would be awesome 😀

Yes def , why not
Then can save my own money towards a mortgage deposit might help get there a little sooner

Australia did similar in 2009, we all got $900 cash as part of an economic stimulus package and the general consensus is that this went someway towards staving off the worst effects of the GFC.

I think it's not a bad idea, especially as a voucher that needs spending rather than cash at a time when people might be erring towards frugality in fear of job losses.

Hell yes! I’d follow the principal too and we’d spend it locally and frivolously and not save the equivalent. I’d probably have a nice meal out and Spend the rest on clothes.

They would be valid for 12 months and I think it's a far better idea than lowering vat. That only helps those who can afford to go out shopping. However this idea would mean parents could shop for their kids clothes for example and those people who have been on 80% pay for the past few months would be able to do things they would of put off because of it. Like for example home improvements they cannot afford etc. I think it's a great idea as it's something for everyone that can only be used where the economy needs it where as lowering vat and stamp duty only helps some people. Be brilliant if it was in place before Christmas.

Absolutely, I'd love to receive it for me and my dd

The idea is barmy.

£3500 for my household then, great!

Ds would spend it on books and video games; I could buy sewing stash, books, pay the hairdresser and shop at the cheese shop and farm shop. Dh would spend it on car bits.

I believe it has to be spent in certain places, not random shops or online

£1000 in my household (me and husband) could be completely life changing if I could spend it on driving lessons and a secondhand car.

I think it’s a great idea. I’m saving for driving lessons and a little run around so not spending much at the moment. We normally only go to restaurants on special occasions so it would be lovely to have vouchers that have to be spent. Once the seasons change we might be able to treat ourselves to the cinema and a meal out. My son would love a gaming PC for Christmas so I’m sure he’d happily put his share towards that.

I'd love to see this happen, a pp referred to a 'happiness boost', which it surely would be, and we surely need. And another pp explained very clearly how it would benefit the economy and not just have to be funded by increased taxation, because we would save on future welfare costs, etc.
DP and I were talking about it earlier today (yesterday, that is!) and thinking about how we could spend it. Loads of our local shops and restaurants could certainly do with customers.

If and it's a big IF this happens I can't see how it would help in the long term.

It's all very well giving this money and say it you have 12 months to spend it, what happen after that. Will people still spend that sort of money going forward.

I mean yes will would 'spend' the £1750, but we wouldn't spend anywhere near that amount on eating out & going out to places after it's been spent.

we wouldn't spend anywhere near that amount on eating out & going out to places after it's been spent.

It’s designed as a short term stimulus package. It’s main aim is to keep people spending through a tough time.

Hopefully after the period is over, some people are in a position to spend again. Obviously that won’t apply to all.

@Clutterbugsmum I think going forward people will return to their normal spending habits which will get things back to how they were. At the moment however with people having been on 80%for so long they simply don't have money for extras. I'm wondering how on earth I am going to cover school uniforms for September and school shoes etc. This would seriously help to ease that worry. Then after that and being back in work next month I can get back to normal spending.

As I understand it would include the high street not just eating out. Hopefully garden centres too.

It will normalise shopping and eating out. Loads of people who can afford to do both are avoiding shops and cafes etc just now because of the weirdness of it all. If the stimulus breathes life back into our public spaces then people will then spend their own money after the year is up.

A subsidy on buying imported goods would be a bad idea, it would do almost nothing to stimulate the UK economy, and most of the money would be lost.

A subsidy on buying services would stimulate the UK economy and most of the money would not be lost (ie much more of it would return to the exchequer so the actual cost of the subsidy is less)

So hopefully it isn't available to all of the high-street.

It would be incredibly hard for some to go and spend £500+ on retail, leisure etc when they have found themselves in rent arrears, mortgage arrears, unable to pay bills etc.

I'd spend it happily, and maybe buy some off of those who do have such debt?

Yes this would make a huge difference to us!

Would make a big difference to us too. There’s a few household appliances we’ve been doing without that we could finally replace.

@LellyMcKelly EXACTLY THIS!! who here actually believes we will not pay for this in tax rises?!!

who here actually believes we will not pay for this in tax rises?!!

Maybe with it I'll still have a job (along with thousands of others in leisure and hospitality) to keep paying tax and the increased tax to come because it'll help support the business I work in and keep it open.
If a lot of these places close the tax payer is still going to pick up the bill as the welfare bill will shoot up from people who have had jobs suddenly finding themselves without in a reduced job market.
It was the same with furlough. If places had folded and not been able to furlough staff, you'd have a load of people on universal credit right now instead of the sectors that have just returned to earning and paying tax again.
It's all tax payers money, whether it had been statutory redundancy and UC or furlough, a voucher to spend in hardest hit businesses or the workers from those businesses claiming UC as they're out of a job. At least this way we still have businesses open and people working. Light at the end of the tunnel so to speak (as long as it's not a train!)

[quote MrsBadcrumble123]@LellyMcKelly EXACTLY THIS!! who here actually believes we will not pay for this in tax rises?!![/quote]
That’s obvious isnt it?