This may be unpopular - but what about the squeezed middle?

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They are talking about raising taxes on the average person now. Which will really effect lower middle class families who are already feeling the pinch due to increases in cost of food, gas and electic, increasing childcare costs and rent or morgage increases. They are going to increase pensions and benefits with inflation but lots of middle class earners are not having their wages increased with inflation but will now have their taxes increased. What about help for the middle class, especially lower middle class and working class who earn slightly to much to qualify for any help but will now stuggle with all these increases.

Well, James Cleverly, the foreign Sec disagrees with you, he says FA is vital in stopping economic migration, is he wrong? do you know better?

But if it does get siphoned off, thats down to the UK and mal administration.

You don’t have to be an international relations expert to know that the primary purpose of aid is to influence foreign policy of recipient countries. No country gives aid out of the goodness of its heart. Read up on it.

oh really? you re the one spouting BS but i have to read up on it???

Tell that to James Cleverly who gave a long and detailed speech on FA he said the main aim was to better the lives of people and reduce migration plus there is a trade bonus too.

That was a patronising and incorrect. Some other posters have corrected you but in case anyone missed it a net contributor is someone who pays in more than they take out through things like schools, NHS, benefits, etc..

Again, not an economic expert but it seems to somewhere around the £60k earnings mark on average, obviously heavily dependent on individual circumstances. Numbers vary as, again, based on averages and interpretation. It's part of the argument on things like private schooling and healthcare as the very highest earners tend to use those instead so are taking out even less and therefore subsidising everyone else even more. It's also why the simmering resentment, logical or not, of always subsidising everyone else and never getting anything out matters because ultimately we need those people to cooperate.

If only we learnt this kind of stuff in schools.

When you have a system in which huge numbers of those who supposedly “take out more than they put back” are actually doing essential work that keeps the country from completely grinding to a halt, including in its hospitals, schools, in social care, etc, I wonder at the intelligence levels of the people whingeing about their tax bills. It’s the deliberate ignoring of anything whatsoever but money to assess what you are “putting back” that is so incredibly tone deaf. Try telling a care worker they are taking too much out of the system, using too much free childcare, education and health services, or driving on the roads too much and running them down, and not putting enough back. Ffs.

The problem with those having less disposable income for ‘treats’, is that affects everyone else too. Think about the things they class as treats… meals out, beauty treatments etc.
Of course they're the people responsible for keeping many businesses open.
Restaurants are closing weekly, the beauty salons are less busy.

DP is in sales, a good proportion of his wages are based on commission, he down at least 20% off his overall wage.

There will be job losses and reduced hours.

I came down this morning and put my coat on. I'm saving the oil until it is really cold.

Also, it is debatable whether, eg, the tax received from those in the financial world who caused the 2008 global financial crisis will ever “put back” enough to make up for the harm caused by their activities in the first place. Many extremely wealthy, powerful people have taken far more than they will ever put back, and continue to do so.

Not to mention many extremely powerful, wealthy corporations.

You're right. There is a lot of support available for lower incomes (to the point where it is simply not worth working longer hours, in my personal position), but those who are just outside the qualifying bands, young parents with children and new mortgage commitments - it must be disheartening.
However, a great many of these very people must have voted for the party that has relentlessly squeezed the poorer and facilitated the wealthy. I hope they wake up come the next general election.

My university course leader also taught on globalism courses and he said exactly the same thing.

I support foreign aid, but there’s no point being naive, politics always finds an inroad.

Absolutely. People in essential jobs are usually putting in far more than they get out in wages. UC and tax credits for working people, free healthcare and schooling and so on is only giving these people back what they have put in.

Well, to be fair, Cleverly wouldn't come out and say we give foreign aid because we want their business and resources, now would he?
The 'stops economic migrants' spiel (though may have an element of truth to it) is to shut up folks who complain about the giving of foreign aid (usually the same folks who complain about immigration!)

If it’s going to be means tested I would like my contributions back please. You can’t retrospectively take something that people have paid into.

It’s always the middle that are squeezed unfortunately

We've gone from being reasonably comfortable - being able to afford a couple of staycations a year & not really having to worry about the odd treat, meal out or days out with the DC to being able to afford nothing much more than food and bills. It's so depressing. We have £13 to pay for all food until Monday - genuinely never thought we'd face living like this.

I had a dentist visit today and they recommended booking a hygienist appointment as my teeth are overcrowded and needed some care and also a mouth guard because of the damage caused from bruxism. Will not be able to afford either at any point in the near future. It's things like this.. yes it's great to have a roof over our heads and just enough money to eat, but what about the maintenance of literally everything else?

The OP says that pensions and benefits are going to rise in line with inflation. Are they? I wouldn't be surprised if they break the Triple Lock again and link pensions and benefits to earnings.

I am sure that it's hard to be part of "the squeezed middle" but it's definitely hard to live on the state pension. And if you get the full pension - the entire glorious £185.15 per week - you don't qualify for Pension Credit, so it's a delusion to think that people who are struggling will automatically qualify for any extra help that is on offer. We don't.

People on UC etc are similarly struggling.

What we forget is not only happening here in the UK. I was talking to an American, Californian last week ......he was paying 65% tax, paying astronomical health insurance, people are leaving the state in droves. Many USA high earners are leaving the country. I read that the Government was reluctant to raise tax here in the UK because they are worried that there would be an exodus of the high income earners. I don't know what the answer is..big money has the power, huge companies support parties with election donations, sometimes they are giving donations to both parties standing for election at the same time, once a party gets in power and then these big companies put their lobbyist to apply pressure and recruit the MP's who have lost. Actually the lobbyists of these huge industries are running the country.... they have bought the party elected, paid for their election by donations so they need to get payback. I am getting the feeling our vote means nothing. Secret meetings are held between the big businesses, the likes of Google, Amazon....etc with the HMRC to keep their tax obligations low.

Another thing which we need to think about is that some of those who lack integrity are representing us in Parliament are using it as a stepping stone to greater things. Look at what happened to Clegg.

I'm a retired pensioner and get a small pension from my previous job. I am just over the threshold for any benefits. TBH I am terrified. I pay rent, own nothing, and am alone. I am counting every penny about the financial stress is destroying me. I am in torment about fuel bills this winter. TBH I'm 68 and hope I won't be here much longer.

I totally agree that he punch for people who work and not entitled to help in any capacity will become worse - me and my partner work full time always have - we have 2 children, never claimed any benefits ever - privately rent in London - both have disabled mums in London. Both boys are pending diagnosis and EHCP in London and just told we will
bw homeless shortly after Christmas - we had fixed rent but average now in London is over £2100 per month without bills that is an increase of £700 per
month - if we move out of London I’ll have to start my2/3 year fight for boys assessments again which is ridiculous - my free childcare is in London so would need to pay childcare to move out, also I work in central london so fares and travel time increases and time away from disabled children seems harsh on them. We have applied for 18 houses and didn’t get any as too many people were applying - so far nothing in or out of London available so almost homeless - also move out means that both disabled mums
will not have support unless I pay privately for care but haven’t got the money.
what can we all do - so far we don’t have holidays my children have never been abroad, we don’t really go out much to save money, I have changed brands to own brand, haven’t been big in heating in generally usually only if really bitter cold, don’t have a new car - do have a car for 8 year old due to chronic pain condition - no savings either
i sought advise and was told I would have more chance if I didn’t work or took a pay cut and kicked
ky partner of 18 years out and then I might get support - any ideas ps I always worked and built a good career so not willing to not work and would rather my kids had their dad around as they have so far -
help
me

You are not being unreasonable. Both DH and I are retired professionals with private pensions. Neither pension is a full one. He took early retirement due to ill health with no enhancement for that and I hadn’t been in the scheme long enough for a full pension. DH now has his state pension, I won’t get mine for another 3 years. It’s far from certain that state pensions will increase with earnings next year (Truss said it would off the top of her head. Hunt said it won’t and Sunak is yet to comment). Remember pensions only rose by 3.1% this year! Our pensions place us, like so many working family, above the threshold for extra help, but significantly below the level of not having to be concerned or careful with money. Despite many who set groups in society against each other (e.g. working families and pensioners), it’s really about the establishment and the rest of us. Some pensioners are well off, like some families, many are not. Due to late divorces, many (me included) still have large mortgages and moderate incomes.

Whenever there are posts about those on a low income or benefits struggling we always get the same old advice; retrain, get a better job, take in ironing and stop wasting all the poor tax payers money on takeaways and cigarettes. We also get the stories about someone's mums, neighbours, cousin who has a 20 bedroom council house, gets given 6 figures in benefits and has 50 kids.

There seems to be a distinct lack of this helpful advice on these threads about the poor middle (insert class or earners as most don't know the difference anyway).

So many of you were happy to vote Tory when it was the "working class" and benefit claimants who were suffering. Those individuals should have worked harder at school or take on more hours. Well the same advice applies to you.

Only younger pensioners get this. Those eligible for the state pension before 2016 only get Basic State Pension of £141.85. Those who have saved for even a modest extra pension won’t qualify for Pension Credit.

@Diamondsareforever123 I feel for you. Together, DH and I have enough, as long as we are careful. But when the inevitable happens, the survivor will be very stretched on a single pension income.

Totally agree and the current government need to bear this in mind before the next general election otherwise they are toast.

@Seymour5 not necessarily true. Some actually get more than the new state pension because they weren’t contracted out of SERPS/S2P. My dad gets over £220 per week. For background, he was never on a high income. He was earning around £20k per year when he retired 10 years ago.

Of course someone has to pay for it, but it should be the top earners and big corporations, not the working people who will struggle to hear/eat if their taxes go up!