to think that 6000 per month is excessive for the government to take off my pay for tax?

[tootaxed]

Surely there should be a maximum limit that each person has to pay as tax? Six grand per month in tax is just excessive imo. And that is before NI contributions etc. If the government set a maximum tax limit they would take more care over how they spent their central funds. And I wouldn't have to work so many hours away from my DCs only to have 72 bloody grand a year taken off my income to fund their mis-spending.

Was going to post how peed off I am at DHs tax bill this month - more than I have ever earnt in a year and I am a relatively high earner too - but after reading things on mumsnet recently I won't - some of us don't see what is happening in sink estates, I have never been to one, I have never been out of work, I have never been hungry and I have never not been able to buy my kids whatever they ask for - maybe educating the rich about the poverty that is out there would be an idea!

What pees me and DH off more than anything though is people living on benefits when they are able to work, or my major bug bear - people having kids becausre the have a right to when they cannot afford to support them - the money we pay in taxes should be going on raising nurses and teachers salaries and increasing allowances to people with disabilities or disabled children to make their lives easier!

Mind you these are the views of someone who wants for nothing really - well I do but no necessities - I am sure if I were in a different socio conomic group my views would be different - but then I understand that as should some others on here!

Xenia, that's not true. Certainly not of our locality.

In one of the districts in our borough 60+% of those in benefits were claiming incapacity benefit.

All makes me smile . I take home about £1,600 a month. Husband hasn't worked since suffering from severe clinical depression/resulting in him becoming an alcoholic/now recovering from that Thank God but still being treated for depression - but NEVER having had any benefits or anything for four years as he is/was freelance - certainly payed his 40% tax for all the years he never stopped working. Often working 100 hour weeks. We manage to survive and still pay for two boys at independent schools (too far down the line to want to move them after so much disruption). We sold our "posh" house and moved to a cheaper area, using the money to live on. Money nearly gone. I work very hard - not 100 hours but certainly 60 hours a week! Can't imagine the joy of earning £6k for even one month - never mind the "problem" of paying that much tax!! Well aware that although I am hard up compared to most people I know and try not to be envious, I am well off compared to many more and can (just) afford good education for boys and we have our own house.

I have no problem with people having had kids before they go on benefits, I do have a problem with people procreating once they are claiming - but that one was thrashed out last week!

No Riven, because he is self employed and because we are married and because I have a "decent" salary. If we split up we could get more . He is "fit" to work and gets the odd day here and there. He is nearly 50 and worked in a specialist job all his working life - tv - so not easy to get work, not really "qualified" for anything much. Is now training as a counsellor and is going to do the "knowledge" to try and get work as a taxi driver but really, really difficult .... and frustrating. Still - we are all healthy!

article re % of unemployed on incapacity benefit

I thought you could get quite a lot of DLA? My friend with MS gets around £12k a year from it. It is not means tested - I asked her because I was surprised as her DH has a thumpingly good job.

It's a lot less than £12k.

Info and rates here in case the OP is interested.

Twinkie I agree with you. Our dreadful neighbours dont work, pretend they are separated as apparently you get more benefits as a single mother, and have child after child. They are now demanding a bigger flat as she told me yesterday "I wont compromise on space". The sense of entitlement and complacent assumption that someone will pick up the bill is breathtaking.

From what I see around me (live on the edge of a pretty rough estate) I think the state is in many cases infantilising healthy people that could work but choose not too.

Oh I checked with her - I was mixed up sorry - she gets full DLA but also a pension from a former employment

There's always someone better off and someone worse off wherever you are in the food chain. It certainly sounds like motheroftwo has a hard time.

I think what is hard is change. You get used to one standard of living whatever that might be and then have ot accept a reduced one because i n the original poster's case there's a car accident and brain damage in the husband or in mumoft's case the husband gets depression and cannot work or in my case even (although I don't except anyone to be sorry for me) - divorce much less money no involvement or help or payment from children's father. And almost everyone on the planet is better off than someone else so being content with what you have is perhaps just as good an aim as any.

Illness, death and divorce as well as redundancy are the things which make people have to acecpt a lower standard of living fro that which they used to have and it's that change which is hard more than the objective life itself at whatever lever you move "down" to. And yet people give up all work, join communes, monasteries etc quite regularly as a lifestyle choice so it' s just a state of mind issue I suppose, adjusting to different circumstances.