Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

[TruthorDie]

The moaning about them seems to be never ending. So tone death and indulgent on both counts. Not sure which is worse. A friends mum was ranting on social media earlier about winter fuel payments being stopped and how “worried about being cold” she was. Bad news is Lynn you haven’t needed to work since 1989, married to an oil exec and have had lots of the good life. I’m sure all of your Florida holidays keep you warm enough!

Bright children can get on anywhere, my siblings and l went to a comprehensive. We all have a couple of degrees, one of us has a PhD so it didn’t hold us back too much in life. Before anyone comes at it from the neurodiversity angle then l am and l wouldn’t be surprised if my younger sibling isn’t

Genevivia Sunak said "hard working people" numerous times every time he referenced bay on private schools.

He also said it about anything where it was about not having enough money.

Always the implication that just working hard enough would be all it needed.

Mostly about the same sector or people who were hailed "keyworkers keeping the country running" during the pandemic.

It's all just semantics. But they are used against people as a veiled insult.

Gene is also work on the same sector as you. My own ds is disabled so worked well around him (also a LP).

I didn't have a choice to go and get a high paying career because I have caring responsibilities. But I work damn hard in a Sector that's got harder during austerity and funding cuts.

But my point is that the country needs those who cover every type of job. Not every single person can be a lawyer. We need to who do public service service jobs, retail etc.

Average income for a single pensioner is £14,144*. In some areas of the country it's 10% less. Women are disproportionally represented in the lower end of the income scale ( as you'd expect).

I have offered to assist any local pensioners with a pension credit claim as many round here are entitled to it but for one reason or another don't claim it.

*source https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pensioners-incomes-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2023/pensioners-incomes-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2023#regional-differences

For many, it’s more about your right to send your children to private education - who do you think you are?

The VAT is a useful smokescreen for them to disguise their true feelings. They will never admit to it of course.

This exactly!

And then there’s the kids at failing comprehensives who don’t get their A levels and fall out the system without a degree.
I wish people would stop talking about state schools as an equal group and of schools.

The VAT is a useful smokescreen for them to disguise their true feelings. They will never admit to it of course.

Not here it isn't.

I couldn't give a shiney shite what people choose.

What I care about is people saying "we've worked hard to send our kids private" "we've made sacrifices to send our kid private" with complete rose tinted glasses to the reality for the other 93% of the population.

I worked extremely hard to get my disabled ds an ehcp to get a state education he could handle. Alongside working damn hard to get a job around caring for him as a single parent.

My kid didn't not do a private school because of lack of hard work.

And if someone doesn't want to pay Vat on the goods they are buying then use the state system the rest of us have to. It's not rocket science.

Above** 😂😂😂😂 your nuts.

Rose tinted is a perfectly normal used expression and used by the whole general population.

But I'm flattered about the fact all you had was insults I don't give a shit about 🤭

And I'm no victim. Don't you dare suggest I am.---- I'm a bloody strong woman who can calmly and effectively use the correct channels to get what is right and I don't need to throw my toys out over the internet like others do.

So why aren't the wealthy leaving all of Europe, where tax rates are higher than the UK and Europe has far better services to show for its equivalent high debt to GDP ?
Overall tax burden Germany 37%, France 46% Spain 42% Italy 41% UK 35%.

German workers of course earn far more than their UK counterpart (average) so their Government collects even greater amounts.

Above inflation pay awards? really? you know there are recruitment crisis's across Health an Education? how would you fix this? perhaps a lapel badge, as suggested by Hancock will do the job.

Uk inflation hit 11%, food & energy saw increases of 20% to 300%, 5.5% is nothing.
There will in increased Tax revenues too, plus it will reduce tax credits paid to the lowest earners.

Funny how you don't mention how the Tories could "afford" a 4% cut in NI or allowed migration to go from 200k p.a in 2011 to 764k p.a in 2022, nothing to day with their disastrous Brexit was it.

There you go again - ‘strong’, ‘hard working’ etc.

The implication being that others, presumably through pure luck? have not had to work as hard as you, and therefore, they should be penalised -
because they had the temerity to peer through ‘rose-coloured’ spectacles.

Your next fight will be with this Government when they decide to slash support for your child. Who do you think pays for that? That’s right, the taxpayer.

You will not be so quick to defend Labour then.

Housing, childcare and wages.

As you say wages are higher, childcare an housing costs are lower. People in Europe have more disposable income to spend on tax. Here people have no spare money.

Your next fight will be with this Government when they decide to slash support for your child. Who do you think pays for that? That’s right, the taxpayer

Well yes. That is what a decent society does. Supports those in need.

I don't think Labour will "slash" PIP. Many on MN will be disappointed.

Quite.

And I'm sorry, but the comment I've also worked in universities and academic staff are usually well aware that a student with straight As from a state school will usually be a lot better that a student with straight As from a private school is laughable! A. I am 100% sure academics don't know or care what school their students went to once they are on the course and B. Literally who cares whether they make a judgement on you or not.

Unlike lots of posters on here, I really DO know university staff, and they do not have the time or energy to make snippy judgements about where kids went to school.

No. It's about the politics of privilege. For the few, not the many.

And to be crystal clear, from my own POV, we could have afforded to send our DC to private schools. But we didn't. Because we don't believe in the system.

OK?

And of course, some are ‘needier’ than others.
How is a disabled child ‘needier’ than an OAP who is unable to heat their home. Why should a childless person or couple subsidise those with children.

I could go on but the point is this - penalising those who contribute most to tax receipts will have consequences - including capital flight and others simply retiring early or cutting their productivity.

Your ire would be better directed at the flabby and mismanaged NHS.

By all means kill the golden goose, but please don’t whine when your services and support are cut.

Why should a childless person or couple subsidise those with children

As a childfree person who has paid (and continues to pay) tax for the past 40+ years I can answer that one.

I am happy to subsidise other people's children. This is because I understand the importance to society of all children having a good education, good healthcare and whatever other support they need.

There may be others coming, but you are one datapoint.

And how many children are you happy to subsidise, per family?

Yes many in Europe have more disposable income.

At a stroke we could do something to improve that, build council housing, far cheaper rents, more money in the local economy, less in work benefits.

A new housing development nr me, 1000 new homes, the council is shouting from the roof tops that 90 will be "affordable" so either to buy as a shared ownership or to rent, the "affordable" bit means below market rate, so may not be affordable to many at all.

Why has the UK got the most expensive childcare and dentistry in Europe?

Some people are doing very well in the UK.

So in one post you moan about "unfettered immigration" but now find something else to moan about - too many families having too many children.

You chose to swerve the question.

Noted.

Backfired?

That's the Telegraph moaning that they'd been relying an a decent proportion of the most needy people not knowing about a benefit that the qualify for and deserve, and now some of them are going to have the nerve to apply to get it.

That article made me shudder when I read it this morning. The newspaper of wealthy Tories actually wanting poor people not to claim what they actually need, while fighting the battles of those on the highest rates of tax. The Telegraph is evil.

Oh i thought you were asking a specific poster, not me, i'll make a note of that!

In which case, the taxpayer should support, to avoid poverty issues, however many children families decide to have.

We cannot punish children for the life choices of their parents, we did that in the Victorian age and that worked out well didn't it.

So how would you solve labour shortages, without having significant numbers of migrants?

I hope they seriously look at benefit reform. I think Liz Kendall will. the current system is totally unsustainable.

How? We cannot cut back on pensions can we? or do you think we can remove the triple lock?

Most of the rest is spent on in work benefits. people in PT work will often be PT because of child and caring responsibilities or can afford, due to a partner or savings, not to have to work FT.

The biggest component of ‘annually managed expenditure’ or ‘AME’ is cash transfers through the welfare system, expected to cost £315.1 billion in 2024-25. 55 per cent of these are paid to pensioners, with state pensions the largest item at an expected £141.6 billion
Other big items include universal credit and the tax credits and benefits it is replacing (£92.0 billion) and disability benefits (£47.0 billion, around two-thirds paid to people of working age)