To think there should be more help for middle class families

[RootinandTootin]

This isn't a hate mongering post, those on lower incomes and can't work should be helped. My issue is that there seems to be little to no support at all for middle class families. Myself and partner work 5 days a week and have 2 kids. Not a terrible wage so I can't complain about that but the energy cost, food bills and fuel are going to cripple us soon enough. We also have Christmas to think about and a couple of birthdays inbetween. I just feel so unbelievably stressed out all the time about it. I'm praying this all calms down by the end of next year when our mortgage is coming up to renewal. There is pretty much no help being offered to us (unless anyone has some hints). I can't see it getting any better and its pretty depressing, alongside other personal issues going on at the moment I just want to cry.

I empathise with this tbh, because nobody could've foreseen the whole covid situation and Ukraine war happening on the back of it.

Whilst eating and heating the house etc is of course the priority, it's still a big problem if you can no longer afford your mortgage and have to potentially think about uprooting your kids from their schools and moving to a cheaper area etc. A lot of people on 'decent' wages don't have a whole lot of money spare after the expense of children, especially as they won't previously have been getting any assistance from the government.

It's a shame HS2 can't be scrapped.

The vanity project that is costing billions.

That money could have been put to much better use 😡

Well, it is compared to someone actually in poverty who has literally nothing.

You own a £600k home and you have £240k equity.
You sell and clear what £200k minimum.

Are you in poverty? Would you say to someone who wanted to claim benefits with £200k in the bank….oh you are soooo poor and in poverty? No.

I wonder at what point capitalism will stop ‘working’ and the world protest and choose something different. There is enough money to help and support everyone, the problem is it’s in the hands of the wrong people. “Where will the money come from?” - it should come from business who are making a shit tonne of money. There are plenty of businesses who are making record profits. Where is that money going?? Not on wages, not on investment for the greater good. It’s going into the pockets of a few. The Tories say the markets should decide what happens and the market will balance everything out. Well it doesn’t- it’s just incredibly selfish. That’s at the heart of capitalism. Maybe in another few hundred years they will look back and see this as the period in history we all worked and couldn’t pay our bills whilst those at the top hoarded recorded wealth and chose our Governments. X

Well I wholeheartedly disagree. You can't feed your children with equity you can't access.

@gogohmm in many areas I’d the country people couldn’t buy any house borrowing that little

Well maybe the issue is the misleading title? What help does she want? Or the part where she thinks she should pay less tax? Or paying lower bills?

You replied to the comment about negative equity and are now banging on about 200k equity. Have you ever been to the north? A lot of people's houses (including mine!) Won't ever be work 200k total let alone in freed up equity. Maybe 1/10 of that for people who have bought in the last 5 years or so!

But if you're in negative equity, as that's the comment this was in reply to, then you have fuck all. Same as someone who rented. But you've lost a loooooot more.

Your home is not liquid cash and does not pay your utility bill

I felt her replies clarified this.

Indeed.

I haven't read the thread in its entirety but on the surface I agree but with the caveat that more support for JAMs and those with their own houses should not be to the detriment of the poorest.

The current set up definitely favours the very wealthy in all sorts of ways from tax avoidance, no super tax rate and untaxed income and assets. Most people on salaries, however seemingly high, don't come close to the huge affluence of the few using offshore holdings, hidden assets and property in trusts. A few farmers/landowners come pretty close but I've come to learn just how much can be hidden if you have much to hide.

We should be closing loopholes, taxing luxury spending more, charging tax on school and private healthcare, imposing windfall taxes and not handing out huge grants and dodgy contracts.

I’m in accord with you on that!

This is what 12 years of the tories gets you. They feather their own nests and the rest of us get shafted. They literally kill people off.

I wish the turkeys voting for Christmas would wise up.

No you don’t!! You have no idea!! i’m guessing you are not a mortgage holder. Most people who have a mortgage have no money when they move into a property. Not only that they are living pay check to pay check. As am I.

It's safe to say the Conservatives won't win the next election!

The problem we have is we are just about to have to cut our charity giving to zero - was giving c.£90 a month by direct debit. Plus, we have just given food to the harvest food appeal, for local food banks, but will not be able to give to food banks regularly.

This is to ensure we can feed our own family, support an elderly relative who is now going to struggle due to being on a pension, and to make sure we can have some, albeit limited, heating on.

So, yes we are lucky to both have jobs, to pay our taxes. However, being in the middle we can no longer afford to help others.

it is not so we can change our car ( 11yr old and needs to keep going), or go on holiday ( our oldest child has been on 2 holidays in their life - one which cost under £300), it is so we can feed, clothe, heat and pay our childcare bill on top of rising energy, fuel and food costs.

instead of giving away my chidkren’s clothes, the best ones will now be sold to help buy replacements etc.

so from being able to help others, we are now not in the position to.

Yes this is correct. So all you deluded people on here wise up.

So many threads with so many posts expecting the government to give them handouts. Where do you think the government gets it from? They don't have a magic money tree.

Does no-one ever stop and think to ask themselves what they can do to improve their own lives? Whether it's cheaper, shorter holidays, cheaper mobile phones, no Sky, cheaper cars or one instead of two, buying fewer/no new clothes, if you have an empty room, rent to a lodger. What about working a couple of nights a week in a pub or working one weekend day a week while your partner cares for the children if you have them or vice versa? Have a look on the 'Make £10 a Day thread on Money Matters. Why would you not consider any of these rather than take money from the government?

Households should be able to live comfortably with two full time working adults. Support then provided for those who can't both work ft / one adult households etc.

The fact that two adults can work 40 hours each per week and still struggle to make ends meet is a national embrassment.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1091378/HMRC_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2021_to_2022_Web.pdf

Page 40 shows a breakdown of where HMRC collects its income.

Corporation tax flat before Covid, no element of social value (ie High Street bank that closes dozens of branches every year pays the same rate of tax as one that keeps them open, in-work benefits are subsidies for businesses rather than employees). EU citizens returning home due to Brexit number 400,000 to 800,000 depending upon who you listen to, but Income Tax rises nonetheless.

Until the electorate become better at critically evaluating the information published by government, many voters will be influenced by the offer of 'jam tomorrow'.

Yanbu. I think there should be some sort of government portal where we middle class types could create an account so we can get e.g. 50% off Waitrose and also access to homes in the Cotswolds akin to AirBnB but just for us. I'd even go further and ask that we get priority access during rush hour or a discount on black cabs. Who's with me!

Ffs 🤣🤣 no I'm sure absolutely nobody on this thread has thought of any of those things.

Jesus christ. Embarrassing. As if nobody has fucking considered any of these.

People are doing all this. They've done all this and they've nothing left to cut back. They didn't have sky or two cars or fancy holidays to begin with.

I recognise how utterly fucking lucky I am to have a couple of things left to cut back if/when the shit hits the fan. We've waved goodbye to £400 a month over the last two weeks. A lot of people simply cannot make enough savings to pay their inflated mortgage and electric bill. Cancelling Netflix won't cut it.

I'd even go further and ask that we get priority access during rush hour

Guaranteed seats on the District line at 5.30 pm and first class carriages for the middle class!

How is a pile of cash? The only way you would utilise or see that cash would be to
live under a cardboard box?