Why won't any political party focus or help the squeezed middle

[Winterday1991]

Off the back of another thread, has got me thinking about the next general election.

Why is there not a party that will focus on the middle earners in the squeezed south east , where both partners work full time, who are struggling juggling mortgages, cost of childcare and self fund everything and are over threshold for any help or subsidies ie child benefit, cost of living payments, free childcare via universal credit?

We are a middle/highish income family and are just so sick of paying into the system and getting nothing back! The amount of tax we pay is insane, certainly not anywhere near value for money. Labour just seem to want to focus on single parent families and those on universal credit.

Any party who focuses on the middle will surely win the election?

£95k is not the squeezed middle! I'm a single parent, 2 children and I earn a reasonable wage as a nurse at £42k. I am not entitled to a single penny in benefits either but I manage, just.

What do you think other people are spending their income on?

And people earning far less than you have all those expenses too.

OP is getting pushback of the educational variety, it's informative for lurkers who may also be misguided about how much people receive in benefits.

We need to grow up and stop trying to eliminate views we disagree with.

Whereas everyone else gets all that for free?

It's a bit hard to have a discussion when someone who clearly has no idea how the benefits system works thinks that people on UC are pulling in the equivalent of a 95k salary.

Exactly. The OP clearly doesn't recall there is something called the benefits cap.

https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/benefit-cap/how-much-is-the-benefit-cap#:~:text=The%20current%20cap%20is%3A,lone%20parents%20outside%20Greater%20London

Come back and see that family when the kids are older and they have no pension. Squeezed middle sucks, but I know which I'd rather be.

The thing about mortgages and pensions, these are you investing in yourself. Pensions get tax relief dont they. At the higher rate.

It's really not hard for OP to look up this information themself instead of making assumptions.

What do you think everyone else spends their money on?

This thread is batshit.

The issue is the Tories have fucked over all working people, and half the pensioners.

i would classify myself as squeezed middle on £120k which a lot of people would disagree with but even i would say that equating a family on 60-100k with people on UC is BS.

Our nett income is £6700. Mortgage is £1k due to rise to £1400 next year. if we had a child, childcare would be £2000. So we have £3300 left. DH would have paid off student loan by next year so we would have £3800 left after tax. That is way more than £2k. so we are better off working (obviously).

And that is even before you consider the fact that only 5% of rental properties can be covered fully by housing benefit. The person on UC probably has to top up rental costs from earnings.

Yes i agree its hard but there are lots of people struggling way more than you. It doesn't negate your struggle but you can be sympathetic to those who have less while still acknowledging that life could be better for you.

So much of our income goes on mortgage, student loan, pension, childcare, council tax, energy, running a car, commuting etc.

All the same expenses as people earning much less. How do you think they are managing? I can assure you most are not getting benefits.

@Housesellingnightmare If you've been paying into a pension your whole life (assuming this is a workplace or SIPP) then why won't you be able to afford to retire? You'll have a private pension and state pension. Will your mortgage not be paid off?

How is that "squeezed middle"??

If you think that you and your family don't have a significantly better life than somebody on UC then I'm sorry but you're delusional.

Do your kids have hobbies, part of clubs etc? Seriously have a sit down and think about your outgoings at 95k a year. You will have a nice standard of living. I guess the problem is you want more?

How much is your house worth because your kids will inherit that and get a leg up that the kids of parents in a council house won't get.

But that’s normal. You earn money, you pay bills.

Of course it's not but then we wouldn't have the opportunity to set the record straight for other people who think the same way because OP would have realised her mistake and the thread would not exist.

We are a middle/highish income family and are just so sick of paying into the system and getting nothing back!

I hate to say it, but unless you’re a (very) high income family, that won’t be the case. It’s the other way round. Statistics show that the top 10% of taxpayers basically subsidise everyone else; middle income earners are just subsidised less than those who are on low incomes. And - unpalatable though it is - if we want better public services, then those people need to pay more tax, not less…..

cos we live in london. Lots of parts of the SE is now on par with London cost wise which i assume is where the poster is coming from. I would agree she is squeezed middle too but i think that trying to say that people who are far poorer than her are better off is in very poor taste.

OP maybe you need to downsize or something if you are struggling.

@cansu. nobody invests in public services. It's not ever an investment; it's a forced subsidy.