Fed up of my cousins comments about benefits and UC

[glassor2]

I’m a single mum of two kids, ages 13 and 5. My older son has a relationship with his dad, but my younger son’s dad moved away a couple of years ago and doesn’t see him often-usually once or twice a year. He doesn’t provide any financial support, and since he moves around for work (he used to live in Canada and now lives in Australia), it has been challenging to get child maintenance to chase him.

I work 3-4 days a week (sometimes more if there’s overtime available) and receive a top up from UC. My mum occasionally helps with child care, but she also has a full time job. It can be difficult handling everything on my own, but I manage.

Anyway, I have a family member I'm quite close to, and she often makes comments, not aimed at me, but towards people who claim UC. For example, she mentioned that it's unfair for her to pay almost £300 a month in tax while others can work part time and avoid paying anything (I don’t earn enough to pay tax) and that she has to pay more to subsidise the people that don't. She even told the entire family that she pays almost £400 a month, including national insurance, which made things awkward and nobody knew what to say.

From what I know, she doesn't earn a huge wage, so I can see why it would be frustrating for her to have to pay that much. It's a lot of money. However, it's not our fault, and if she's upset, her anger should be directed at the government, not at those who are rightfully claiming.

Everyone’s situation is different, and some people need help. I never chose to be a single parent, and I can't control the fact that my ex chose to leave and decided not to support his child financially. I'm doing my best, just like many others on UC are.

I don't think she's intentionally trying to upset me, but she is.

AIBU? How do I tackle this?

It’s not real people, it’s an example of how mad the system is. If it makes you feel better, the wife is a narcoleptic with a cough medicine addiction so needs childcare.

I’m on minimum wage full time I pay 800 a month part time childcare

Id dearly love to be able to work full time, unfortunately it's not an option due to disability. Not that I haven't tried to, I have but it resulted in me a) attempting suicide and b)then being unable to work at all for the next 3 1/2 years. Whilst I may not pay a lot of tax I've always felt working part time was better than not working at all.

Also it not just as simple as get more hours etc. I did ask for more hours at the start of the year, unfortunately due to how business is going everyone is currently on contract hours, there are no extra hours available. Which I can see being an issue for those on UC.

I don't claim UC but I imagine I'd be one of the people people complain about if i did.

And yes obviously I'd love a better high paying job, Im not uneducated (I have a BA degree! ) unfortunately being disabled wasn't in my life plans for the future. And also higher paid jobs tend to understandably come with more responsibility and as a consequence more stress and unfortunately that is something which massively worsens my condition.

Ha, it is ok. That poster is drawn to benefit threads like a fly to rotten meat.

I agree with you needmorelego

Seriously. How did you get a well paid job with those logic skills? Only fans?
I'm not on benefits nor single nor a parent but I can certainly see why it would get difficult.
I get 2k a month take home (degree, professional, experienced)
Rent is 1k, bills food and petrol are 1k.
2k gone before child related expenses. Where is the nursery fees coming from?

Then she'd probably be entitled to PIP if her medical need is that bad.
Is PIP acceptable? Or bad?
Or is just UC bad?

She’s not a real person.

real world how UC works
40k wage - 2600 a month
UC top up ( includes childcare capped at 1000) £1500
childcare cost £2000 south east
rent £1500 social 'affordable housing'
Leaves 600 for food, car , bills ect

Duh I know that 🙄

Ha ha, I was getting a little worried then.😀

Well pip will soon be UC too like all the other legacy benefits 🤷🏼‍♀️

Remember its not just income people pay tax on. So while some may earn 41k, they may pay less other tax than someone on less.

@glassor2 Oh I have an idea why don’t you make another account on here and next time you spend time with the cousin skip the post and show her some comments?

And everyone pays tax on purchases

I would get this toxic person out of your life.

You're doing great.

Fuck her off.

Just have positive people in your life.

Just cos you have a blood relation doesn't mean you have to put up with their crap, bullshit or undermining you.

I had that same experience in May. I'm over it. Life's too short.

This isn’t how taxes work. Earn £25k, half of that is tax free (nil rate band) so income tax is 20% of £12,500. Same with higher rates of tax. You get charged at different bands.

Oh bore off,

I chose to have a child that I don’t want someone else to raise. I was claiming money back from uc to pay my childcare alongside my rent and other elements because my wage wouldn’t cover my rent council tax childcare fuel for car tax for car insurance for car…. Electric gas water food repairs etc!!! I had stopped claiming childcare costs until this coming September which means I wasn’t taking it off the government like I had been so why aren’t mothers allowed to stay home longer and not take the funded or even 85% paid or tax free surely it’s no better off. I’ll be taking even more funding from them when In reality without the pressure I’d stay home till my child was a little older and not take the childcare that isn’t actually free the government fund it. It’s such a backwards way of running things and you muppets that mona. Have no clue

You don’t pay tax on expenses so MPs are not additional rate tax payers (unless they have another source of income). Many back benchers don’t have other sources of income. I wouldn’t do their job for the pay they get. Travelling up and down the country, spending lots of time away from their families unless their constituency is close to London. I earned more WFH full time. And that’s before you consider that a couple of them have been murdered in recent years.

I’m talking about the tax burden. Someone on £25k pays about £2400 in income tax. Someone on £125k pays about £42k in income tax. But you want them to pay more….People earning £100k+ get a really bad deal in this country when compared to many other countries. That’s why they are leaving. But you want to drive more of them away. Bite the hand that feeds you.

Well health related benefits are soaring. So many more people claiming to be too ill to work. It’s totally and utterly unrealistic that these claims are real. No other country has seen such a ludicrous ‘ill health’ explosion. And speak to any GP and you’ll hear how frustrated they are that people aren’t helping themselves at all. Do they take medication? do they eat healthily? Do they exercise? No, can’t be arsed.

Most single parents are opting to do this though!

Maybe ask why people are too ill to work?

you seem to think that it's unfair for your cousin to have to pay tax - where do you think the money to pay benefits should come from FFS?

Her cousin is not a net contributor. So she takes more than she pays. She is a hypocrite.

Yes. Some buy more than others.
Smokers, drinkers, drivers for eg will pay a lot more tax than a non smoking tee totaller with no car.