To think that working people should get help too

[cantthinkofabetterusername]

I read today about another COL payment next year for people on benefits, pensioners etc. Now I completely agree that the most vulnerable in society need help and i don't begrudge them a penny. My AIBU is working people are struggling too! I work 30 hours a week, dp does 50 therefore we get no government help as we apparantley earn too much. In reality we're scraping by most months due to increasing bills and general cost of living, I'm aware I may come across as jealous, I'm not im just bloody frustrated that working people who don't get government help are seen by the government as not struggling

Genuine question for those who think people on higher incomes should also get help where would you draw the line ?

Would you then feel bad for those earning more than you who weren't entitled ?

You sound horrific. From my side - we will likely fall into the 45p tax bracket now, worked hard and sacrificed so much in life that i still cry some days as that’s time I’ll never get back and relationships with loved ones that suffered who have now passed so I’ll never get to make up for lost time.

We have a lovely life now and I’m able to stay at home with my young children now due to all that hard work and sacrifice so I’m very grateful. Our outgoings are high and the higher cost of living will affect us as well as the tax changes so we have to cut back a lot and I worry putting the heating on.

However, the one thing that I am now relived about is that my friends, family and everyone else in the country who are vulnerable, on low wages, disabled etc will be getting help to avoid freezing and starving. They can gladly have our extra tax. We put also put some money away this year to spend on Christmas gifts for children in poverty, we could probably do with that money now, it’s in the thousands but this crisis has made me want to do it even more. It breaks my heart how many children will be suffering from this.

some people in this country have disgusting, selfish hearts and have a far more entitled attitude than any benefit claimant that I know. You need to go and purify it.

In the second quarter of the year, unemployment was the lowest it's been since the early 1970s. There was a very small rise in the 3rd quarter.

Many of those will be people who are short-term unemployed, and only between jobs for a few weeks.

If there are people choosing not to work, they represent a very small section of the workforce.

OP, you won’t get any rational debate around here. There is a lack of understanding about how the economy works. People will fall over themselves to tell you how there aren’t enough handouts being given out. All the while missing the point they are shooting themselves in the foot.

We now live in a society where dependency is celebrated and no one is interested in where money comes from. It may as well as be growing on trees. After all we did print and borrow a trillion pound to pay for people stay at home and watch Netflix for two years.

Today, the economy was well and truly trashed for decades to come. Anyone with any sense and earning power must be thinking about leaving this mess of a country, and letting the handout fans to fight over fewer and fewer scraps.

@Winceybincey So I'm horrific and should purify myself, like all the pissed off middle squeezed earners because we would like to keep more of what we have earned to support out families. Well I would reply what I think but I would be banned from MN. So don't mind me if I just ignore you.

Oh look, good deed of the day done, ranting about how selfish everyone else is. Aren’t you oh so virtuous.

@fernfen Actually I grew up on a very poor area, left school with zero qualifications. Lived in a shitty estate with an abusive husband until one day on my early 40's I decided enough is enough. Left him went back to collage then university iny 40s got a degree got a good job and half decent pay. I worked arse off to now listen to people like you who think you deserve a huge chunk of my pay each month irrelevant ofu personal circumstances because o got of my arse and should fund you. Yes I can be pissed off!

So intelligent enough to achieve all that yet can't understand that even if everyone went off and got a degree there would still be low paid jobs that happen to be vital to the running of society that very often even at full time don't pay enough that top up benefits are awarded . Those jobs would still be there . So perhaps those jobs should pay better ? And your anger is misdirected ??

@sst1234 100% agree on every post.

I don't think my household needs additional support, we are not high income but also not high outgoings.

My main issue with the announcements today is an additional blanket payment to all pensioners for fuel costs, when clearly many pensioners have no need of this additional support.

But the squeezed middle is a real concern now due to how high many costs are, especially housing and childcare.

There are plenty of wealthy pensioners and they of course have done very well out of the budget. But Tories always look after their core voters, the ones that brought us Brexit. UC is bonkers, work 16 hours and get your pay topped up to full time on minimum wage. This isn’t a country that prioritises working unfortunately. The U.K. has Scandi level high taxes but without the high quality public services. It’s just a mess.

Aww maybe you should work a little harder or take on a second job.

If there are people choosing not to work, they represent a very small section of the workforce One issue of concern is the rising number of people unable to work due to long term sickness - more than double what it was pre-COVID.

I'm guessing how the 40p tax rate works is lost on you. 🙄

You already have - you’ve insulted hard working families, the disabled, the elderly and any other vulnerable person.

This thread shows how economically illiterate the voting public is. Which is why we end up with the politicians we do. Basically, everyone is arguing over one thing - more handouts. Who should get them, how much, for how long.

It is staggering that no one cares about where money comes from. No one at all is concerned about this. Was there a single thing in the so called statement today that brings in more money, rather than handing it out. No. But then again, the same people were happy to trash the economy by shutting it down and paying healthy people to stay at home.

This country is well and truly a basket case, where politicians throw scraps at people and they clap like idiots. Without ever wondering or demanding that we have a strong enough economy that handouts are not needed.

I'm wondering if the 'reason' will be because we'll be going into spring/summer when they go up again in April and therefore there'll be lower usage for most, and so they anticipate lower bills and therefore not as much support needed?

I mean we're all aware that the weather can be cold and shite in April and May still, but it's not like Dec/Jan/Feb and of course there's those who rely on equipment or need heating more than average and who will be hit again - hopefully they'll get help still.
It's next winter I'm more worried about, the drop in usage from April will hopefully for me and others, at least mean I'm not spending any more than during winter but then when usage increases again it'll be really tough.

everyone? There’s some lovely people on this thread. Shame there isn’t more of them.

Wow insulted them by paying towards their cost of living at the expense of my own family and irrelevant of own expenses, there's a new one 🤣

Well you should care because if the middle disappears who do you think is going to help support the poor and vulnerable it will just be poor and rich. Since the rich have the means to ensure they avoid paying tax legally and in the end might just fuck off to another country if they get all the heat then who will pay?

@Spectre8 👋 exactly, well said.

You insinuated that they don’t get off their arses and that they’re now taking a huge chunk from your earnings. Can I just ask, do you now have to pay a huge amount more in tax each month since the announcement? If that’s so, you’re hardly struggling to support your family.

For most people income tax hasn’t increased. They just aren’t getting any extra help themselves.

I agree there was nothing in the budget that was about increasing the country's resilience or tackling our general growth/productivity issues.

Personally I was annoyed pensioners will get another untargeted fuel handout instead of investing in insulation which would at least be jobs and a permanent improvement.

Not this shit again, a lot of people who get benefits work. I work full time in a school, I'm a lone parent and get universal credit. Yes I get help but I work, don't be so narrow minded!

Working benefits are needed because many wages are too low to actually support a household, so the government subsidises businesses but if wages go up then costs go up so really either way we would all pay for it.
The col has just highlighted how low wages are and that if something happens the government has to step in, the squeezed middle in theory should have that buffer there already from their wages.

Thanks and to be honest as someone in the squeezed middle my whole thinking in terms of my long term plans has changed. As soon as my mortgage is paid off (by time im 47) and my NI years are in (at 55), thats it. After 55, I am cutting my hours and only working to earn enough to pay the bills and my hobbies. Cos my god I am getting sick of handing over more taxes and people just keep wanting more and then tell us to stop moaning. Well you need us unfortunately, as much as that sucks to hear that reality thats the cold hard look of reality.