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.

Ah, pitting the benefit-poor and the in work-poor against each other.

Whilst the very wealthy are having a great time with their millions and holiday homes.

Anyone who thinks stopping much needed welfare and taxing middle earners are the only solutions are entirely brainwashed. Have fun licking the boot.

I am disabled and can only work three days a week. I get PIP as the amount of work I do is not enough to live on. I physically can not work any more than I do.

It’s great if you can survive without being on benefits, but for some of us they are a lifeline. But sadly we all get tarred with the same brush as people who are taking advantage. We aren’t all like that

It is for UC and no it isnt ridiculous. It will help reduce child poverty.

I think ‘ fairness ‘ is really starting to creep . People generally accept they have to pay taxes but are feeling aggrieved at those who contribute nothing and never have to worry how budgets might reduce their income . People are so stretched now there’s nothing else to give and there’s no gain to be had by putting everyone in poverty .

I think all working people with a mortgage who might like to move house at some point and retire sometime in their sixties are assuming we are fucked.

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?

My parents are pensioners, they got the equivalent of child benefit and it wasn't means tested...

Personally, I’d rather see pensions left alone and child benefit means tested, but that’s just me!

But pensions haven't been left alone. Look at the age despite no increase in healthy life expectancy. Todays youngsters won't get free prescriptions at 60 etc

do you are clearly not too ill/too disabled or bogged down with caring for someone 24/7. how would you feel if a family member would become severely disabled through illness or accident and you had to care for them and give up work. Would you still want the support cut?

We will all hopefully be pensioners one day. Some pensioners can't afford to heat their houses over winter. We will reap what we sow.

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

It's about workers and income vs wealth.

In ye olden days pensioners were seen as poorer than working age people in general now it is often the opposite

I wouldn't cut pensions. But I'd happily guy benefits for healthy people. I'd probably leave PIP in tact.

They have the winter fuel allowances. What about newborns? Do they not matter?

Yes agree re the triple lock. I saw an interesting snippet by sky news which explained it was originally introduced to rapidly close the gap in pensioner poverty. Pensioner poverty has massively reduced but now child poverty and workers poverty is rising quite quickly. We do need to review benefits. It does need to be a safety net but I do think there are some people who choose not to work and the increase in mental health issues needs to be dealt with.

I think ISA limits should be reduced and I say that as someone who normally tries to save the max… as this would be easy pickings and relatively pain free.

Many people who are entitled to a free bus pass don’t use it, so scrapping it won’t make much difference.
But I do think that prescriptions shouldn’t be free until you reach pensionable age.

Most healthy people on benefits are working minimum wage jobs we need cleaners, carers, retail workers and childcare providers etc

To the pp asking why pensions are uplifted every year but working people’s wages are not.
Working people have the flexibility to go and find a better job/more hours (even if it doesn’t feel like it). Pensions are a fixed income.

You do know that pensioners may have struggled to get a mortgage, let alone pay them off?

Pensioners who often lived with their parents for years while they saved for a deposit for the houses you resent them owning now?

Pensioners who often worked more than one job with fewer holidays and no cushion of the Bank of Mum & Dad to bail them out when the mortgage rate rose to over 15% in the early 90s or who thought a fixed rate mortgage of 10.5% for three years was a good deal?

Pensioners who didn’t get paid a penny if they didn’t work?

Female pensioners in their mid to late 60s who are still working because they were part time workers whose contributions haven’t passed the 35 year mark to ensure a full state pension and are now having to retire seven years later than they expected to when they were 30?

Or who were stay at home mums and weren’t advised that they should pay National Insurance to safeguard a pension they should’ve received at 60 - except governments moved the goal posts and failed adequately to inform those women?

Those pensioners?

But people start retiring before 70. So do we not want pensioners to retire and move aside for younger job hunters?

As an aside I have paid for prescriptions my whole life and I’m 3 years off 60. Things really start ramping up prescription wise over 55 and it costs a fortune. We’re supporting 3 young adults, uni fees x2 and private mental health cover, prescriptions and treatment for another condition for one that should be covered by the NHS and isn’t.

I’ve already not bought one of my more expensive prescriptions for me I was heavily advised to. Limping along for several more years (that has been pushed back) until I can retire. Pensioners coming up now are not wealthy baby boomers enjoying cruises. Many of us have to fund uni,make up NHS shortfall for dependants and are supporting both young adults and elderly parents .

Cutting free prescriptions and bus passes at 60 is a ridiculous idea.

Yup and that's on them for working minimum wage jobs. If they want to make ends meet either get a better job or work more hours.

Most tax payers are not rich.

When MP expenses are massively cut & companies like amazon pay proper taxes then maybe look at that. Right now the poor are getting poorer while the rich sit and shout “let them eat cake!” Its corrupt as fuck.

So if everyone got a better job what do you think would happen if their was no carers, child care shops etc. How is everyone supposed to work without childcare for their kids and carers for their elderly and sick relatives and how you going to eat without shops

A lot of the problems are to do with the distorted housing market.

Benefits are already so much lower than ever before that people are forced to use food banks and about 150,000 people died due to the austerity cuts. Why would you want to cause more deaths and more suffering?