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.

@EasternStandard where would you raise money from?

@Shadowfacs it is like child benefit is

People won't just accept having less to spend though if they think their money is being spent on things they don't approve of. Immigration for example is partly such a hot topic because lots of people don't want their money spent on housing asylum seekers and paying for their taxis and translators. You can argue the rights and the wrongs of it all you want, but ultimately we need a wider consensus than we currently have that this is a good use of public money otherwise there will be huge dissent and lots of resentment. The same goes for disability benefits and to some extent triple locking pensions. If you don't have the consent of the general public then the democratic system will work so that parties will get elected that will force the cuts that people want.

The problem is housing costs. Even big business can't afford to pay everyone those sorts of wages.

This which disproportionately impacts younger people

Carers I'll accept that it's due to insufficient social care funding by the government.

Cleaners and retail staff. Should have worked harder at school? At some point don't people need to take responsibility for their lives and not rely on the taxpayer?

@Gallowayan no you have it wrong current pensioners take more out of the system then they paid in

"that the generation born between 1946 and 1966 have been (and will continue to be) huge net beneficiaries of the welfare state. All in all, they get back around 20 per cent more – in education, health care, benefits and pensions – than they put in through taxation."

i think you mean there were 5 workers to 1 pensioner don't you

But we need cleaners and retail staff. If everybody worked harder at school at got better jobs, who would clean or serve us when we want to spend our money?
Such a stupid argument.

@Ccsvs so should people find their own social care? Why should people work for a pittance providing care so someone can protect an inheritance.

@zipadeedodah Yes!

Child benefit is means tested though. Only those on the lower incomes receive it.

Well, we're either like Scandinavia and have high taxes but good services, or like the USA, low taxes and no services. Can't have it all ways.
To me, I am more inclined towards the Scandinavian idea but everybody's different.
There's a few good ideas on this thread, maybe the Govt should read it.
And it does always seem families have to suck it up; my aunty was getting the winter fuel allowance and she lives in Australia!

State pension is NOT a pension.

Fine thanks.

We do have high taxes, the lower and middle earners are taxed lower here but really who wants to tell them that’s where the tax rises are to equal to Scandinavia

Why pensions? Many pensioners only have their state pension and pension credits, which amount to around £14000 in total, could you live on that? I’m not a pensioner but I work with the elderly and it totally pisses me off the belief that all pensioners have lots of money! The living wage is £12.51 an hour yet pensioners are expected to live on significantly less!

Benefits claimants should be made to earn their benefits that way they will get some job skills that may just make them employable!

What's your source for this supposed 2p tax rise?

If the voters revolt, so what? Starmer sits on a 150-ish majority and has no need to face the country until 2029.

You are making way too much over some pre-Budget speculation from what is clearly a not very clued-up source.

[edited for typo]

It’s only 5 grand less than I get after tax.

but with lower living costs.

Wrong! The State Pension is legally defined and classified as a benefit within the country's social security framework. It functions as a regular payment from the government, based on a person’s NI contributions that provides a foundational income for those who have reached State Pension age!

For wages to rise the government needs to stop using businesses as a cash cow. Most businesses largest expense is pay roll. Not just the wages, but NI and pensions. We have high VAT rates depressing the real revenues that businesses can make. It's very hard to make any money hence the rolling off a large number of staff that is going on at the moment.

Most people who are recieving working age benifits are working!

Which benefits claimants are you referring to? Many already work. Many PIP claimants work.

'Illegals'? These are the people who enter the country illegally and go to ground so can claim and get nothing.

If you're going to show your Reform colours, at least get the descriptive words right.

On the ‘so what?’ increasing taxes and slowing growth is already causing issues. The last budget shows that.

I worked retail and cleaning at the same time due to my dh ill health and having young children not because I didn't work hard at school just life circumstances you can't always control. I worked full time in retail and was lucky to get that because most shops only offer two or three shifts so not much chance to get overtime.
I'm not sure what else I could have done unless I left my dh and kids to fend for themselves.
Someone has to do these jobs.