Every household?????

[Trainfromredhill]

So, the chancellor is going to give every household £400 for heating. Surely there should be a cut off of household income? The Beckhams, Elton John, james Dyson, Harry styles…….they all get the money too? . I say this as someone in the fortunate position of not needing the £400- I’d much rather it went to someone who does need it.Just seems a huge waste of public money to give it to everyone

🤦

Don't get me wrong, I'll gratefully receive anything off the government as I have no shame.

However, something is going very wrong if you're struggling on £100k/year. Life should be comfortable at the very least!

They could have given it via a temporary increase to personal allowance. That way anyone earning over £100k would have had it clawed back.

Because its cheaper to do this than the adjoin costs to mean test, I can't believe people don't get this
The chancellor himself has said he will give his away and anyone who doesn't need it can do this

More work for them in separating out by wealth I imagine.

They ought to have a way for people to reject the money though, so it can be used elsewhere

@londonmummy1966 alwAys one who comes along and mentions the pensioners
And yes they did work for it many of them , and if high earner now will still pay tax etc so whats your problem

@Cuckoo48 pensioner bashing yet again , so what they have paid taxes and still will be of so well off
That same money helps many many pensioners who aren't well off which there are more off
Means testing isn't always cost effective and many richer pensioners will give to charity etc
Why the jealousy and ageist post because thats what it is

It's going to cost 11 billion. At its most basic format. Employing steps to means test it would cost more than the cost of just issuing it to every household.

Personally I'd rather they just took the 11billion hit on vat from energy suppliers so they could pass the saving down the line per unit used.

But I ain't in charge.

@Basilbrushgotfat but that would take admin , if you don't need it then you use the money you would of paid towards your bill and donate to a food bank or a charity of choice , or whatever you see fit
Everyone has been asking for help sAying something should be done and when they do , thats not good enough either
Its impossible to always be fair , life isn't fair thats just a simple fact

@worriedatthistime - my issue is that it is fine to make sure that flat rate benefits are paid to pensioners regardless of income - and I know loads who are on 6 figures as they bought their annuities when interest rates were really high (I was paying mortgage interest at the time and it was painful). There are also those like my DF who gets nearly £130k pa index linked ex civil service pension (so you and I are already funding that). However when it comes to paying a flat rate benefit - ie child benefit - to a two parent hard working family with not excessive salaries and a joint income that is less that my fathers - oh no they have to cut that. So my problem is the arrant hypocrisy of saying that it can't be done/ its too expensive/ what's the problem, when those raising children can be penalised but pensioners - bless 'em - cannot. If you can't see why that is annoying - before we even get to the unfairness to the disabled and carers - perhaps you should do a bit of thinking?

this will all have to be recouped to pay the growing national debt

Will it? I thought it was being paid for by an additional windfall tax on the energy companies. It’s not coming straight out of the existing kitty.

I'm talking about my own flipping relatives, not bashing random pensioners! They agree with me; they don't remotely need the money.
Mine give it to their granddaughter, a uni student on a fixed low income who does struggle with bills. My inlaws probably spend theirs on wine and crisps!

as I understand it the fuel 400 is going straight to the energy companies to apply against people's energy bills and the actual cash that people will receive will be paid via the pensions and benefits route. Its the fastest and most economical way to do it.

@londonmummy1966 i don't need to think thanks
Your dad will pay a fair amount if tax on that though so hes also helping pay his own pension as well as paying into it himself
You obviously don't get CB so are a little bitter but why begrudge others
CB is easier as you have to actually claim it physically so if over you don't claim or pay on tax returns , so its done in a totally different way to the flat payments and these payments, so maybe you should be the one thinking and not pensioner bashing which is so popular on here
Obviously you have an issue with your df too but he is just one pensioner , don't group them all together
When you work with them day by day and see the Struggles many have it annoys me

again that takes admin and costs money

@Cuckoo48 so what just becAuse you know a few pensioners who don't need it many many more do and is it so hard to understand sometimes mean testing is expensive
Plus if they are so well off they are still paying taxes so whats the issue

@InChocolateWeTrust then how would people who are unable to work get it , or below the threshold
And again its a lot more admin

Oh well, it can always be argued that it is the people paying higher taxes the ones who are paying the most to subsidise us all. I really don’t think what I pay in taxes would be much help to help anyone 🤷🏻‍♀️

I agree with this. So puzzled why money isn't being spent to deal with the source of the problem. 15 billion might -

1. Insulate to a high standard homes in Council and Housing Association ownership NOW. The difference in the warmth, energy use and comfort in homes that have good insulation is huge.

1. Provide grants for homes to put in solar panels, wind turbines and ground source heat pumps. People can generate their own energy and sell surplus back to the grid. 100% grants for pensioners and people on low incomes?

1. Provide tax savings for landlords to insulate rental properties.

That's before you look at bigger energy generation schemes, like wind and tidal power, which take longer to get operational. The UK is surrounded by seas which could produce massive amounts of energy for us on each tide.

Ridiculous isn't it, but then means testing is so complex. In my job I regularly come across elderly people claiming disability benefits and they have 100k + in the bank, yet they will still get the extra £150. It would be too complex to means test it.

Disclaimer: I still fervientky believe that furlough payments should have been calculated on the basis of need though, especially in a system where people working long hours and earning peanuts have their benefits reduced pound by pound after they have savings over…£6000?

Nope it will be 'partially' paid for by the windfall debt rest will come from taxpayers

15 billion in measures announced
5 billion windfall tax on energy companies
6 billion cost of £400 universal household grants

www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/sunak-announces-c2-a3400-energy-bill-discount-for-all-households-and-a-windfall-tax/ar-AAXLHYc

I agree that the money could have been better used to solve the issue at the root of the problem but… that wouldn’t have covered up the party gate issue isn’t it.

This throwing a bit of bread at us to keep us thinking they are the good guys even if we are were we are thanks to their lousy decisions.

Let me just find the world smallest violin 🤣🤣🤣

However, something is going very wrong if you're struggling on £100k/year. Life should be comfortable at the very least!

What bollocks. This will very much depend on where you live, when you bought a property, how many kids you have in childcare... and so on.

Anyone suggesting £100k a year is "comfortable" probably didn't have to buy a starter house for £300k+ and have huge monthly mortgage payments.

Many couples have to make the horrendous decision to pay out the equivalent of one salary on childcare so that one parent (usually the mother!) doesn't completely lose her place on the job ladder for the sake of a few years.

Not to mention that it would be ludicrous not to pay into a pension, so a good few hundred quid is being taking up there. A luxury some can't afford for sure, but that doesn't negate its impact. Plus there will be student loan repayments deducted as we'd be expecting those earning above average to have that level of education.

An average salary in London is £40k. Earning £50k isn't substantially more when you consider the lack of things like child benefit.