The autumn budget should cut benefits before increasing tax

[Leett]

There is talk of Labour breaking their election pledge and increasing income tax by 2p. I doubt they'd do that because voters will revolt. However they need to do something with the state pension due to increase by 4.7% next year.
I really hope they cut benefits / pensions before the deciding to increase taxes.

You really hope liebour cut benifits and Pensions? Wow. Heaven forbid Amazon and Google start paying proper taxes.

Presumably you believe pensions and benefits should be cut because you are in receipt of neither?

I receive benefits.

How about we cut working age benefits and pensions for those that never bothered working.

And you want them cut?

Which ones?

Child benefit

I have never understood why pensioners MUST get a proper raise of at least inflation every year while working families are expected to take the hit year on year of below inflation payrises, which are effectively pay cuts.

There seems to be this expectation that working families can just weather this, while pensioners supposedly have no capacity to weather a tiny reduction in their purchasing power at all.

Meanwhile we all know that many pensioners have no mortgage or housing costs to pay, free bus travel, and concessionary rates for loads of stuff like leisure centre access, days out, tickets etc.

Every year workers suffering 3 or 4% inflation get offered crappy payrises often 1 or 2% below inflation, pay eroded for years on end, yet heaven forbid anyone go near the triple lock 🙄

Thought as much!

I have never understood why pensioners MUST get a proper raise of at least inflation every year while working families are expected to take the hit year on year of below inflation payrises, which are effectively pay cuts.

Simple - No political party want to lose the vote of the group with the biggest turn out. Fuck the younger generation though, they can screw them over all all they like.

@Leett child benefit??? 🤣🤣🤣 And how much are you earning a year? And your husband??

Why does this matter

The triple lock needs to go. Along with free bus passes and prescriptions, opticians etc as a
bare minimum.

It's because pensioners vote and they usually vote towards the right end of the political spectrum. That means that you'll never get a right-wing government "reducing" the deal for pensioners and if a left-wing government tries to, they'll get torn to shreds in the right-wing media (see winter fuel allowance where stories of poor, suffering grannies were pushed, despite them still getting the allowance, rather than the wealthy pensioner who was actually going to lose the allowance).

They won’t cut any benefits because they want to go after the easier target - the tax payer. Just read that they’re likely going to scrap the two child cap for child benefit, which is ridiculous. I would get rid of the triple lock and bring in the four point rule for existing PIP claimants.

My eldest son is medically signed of work permanently..he would be entitled to full benefits if he were to live independently in a flat .
However there are no availability of council flats anywhere near us ..but if there were ,he still wouldn't be able to move out . because the benefits are not enough to live on .
As a single disabled male ,every penny would be going on bills( so he wouldn't be able to have the mobility scheme car ,as that money would be needed for bills to ..he's physically not able to drive..but I'm just trying to make a point that bills would rule that out if he could drive )
And he still would not be able to manage financially on full benefits..we have tried many times working out how it would happen to give him his independence..but without us massively subsidising him ,it can't happen.
And I just wonder if people actually think though how much a single disabled male gets and then look at all the bills ...my son would be choosing between food or paying bills .
And until you are faced with this situation,you have no idea of the limited money available.
When it comes to families claiming top up UC and single mums ...they do receive ,what seems to be an adequate amount
But a single disabled male is not on enough money to live independently.
Unless he doesn't want to eat , of course,which I'm sure some people who think benefits should be cut , wouldn't care about

I think the first change to benefits should be that some age related ones start at a later age. Free bus passes and free prescriptions say at 70.

I would replace the triple lock by a double one, of inflation or 2.5%.

I agree the triple lock needs to go. I’d probably add another means tested layer, or increase the threshold for pension credit. But pensioners who can afford to buy million pound houses without a mortgage (looking at my parents..) should not be getting this level of protection at the expense of the working age population.

But it’s not just pensions/income tax/benefits that should be on the table. What about taxing gambling winnings? Taxing multinational companies which take the absolute piss with their tax set ups? Taxing the very wealthy?

Labour just seem so very afraid of doing anything vaguely novel.

Other changes can happen before benefits are cut, and income tax rates altered. For example, the yearly ISA limit could be halved to 10k. If you can afford to invest or save over 10k a year, you can afford to pay tax on the income generated from it. There are other measures too that wouldn't hit people on lower incomes.

The triple lock should absolutely be paused. Free prescriptions at over 60 is ridiculous

So what if you have an accident tomorrow and become disabled and can no longer work and your partner has to quit their job to become your full time carer how would you pay your bills. Don't ever think your immune from needing benefits things can happen in a second that can change your life forever. I worked full time and paid tax for 20 years before needing to use the benefit system and im so grateful for it I don't know where we would be without it.

It's the demographics!

I also receive child benefit. So in theory I am receipt of benefits. But we pay pretty much the entire amount back every year because we earn too much. It’s clearly not the same as most other benefits.

Well, because if you’re going to scrap/means test pensions and other benefits then why should you continue to be paid for your lifestyle choice?

I mean I’m playing devils advocate here, I receive (well my husband does) child benefit. Personally, I’d rather see pensions left alone and child benefit means tested, but that’s just me!

So the rich can benefit but the poor get poorer? Yeah right.