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.

74% today but over the next ten years that will drop notably

and the 25% who don’t still exist

and yes the loss of social/council housing is a complete disaster and should be rectified - by taking from the rich not the old ( unless they are also rich)

I am still a believer in greatly increasing inheritance tax - get the wealth off them when they are dead and don’t need it any more

Hahahaha. I'd rather be a 'looney leftie' than someone who doesn't have a grasp of the English Language:

People in the UK without legal immigration status, often referred to as "illegal immigrants," are not entitled to UK benefits and receive no payments. However, people seeking asylum who are awaiting a decision may receive support that includes weekly payments to cover essentials like food and clothing, if they are not able to support themselves and are not in full-board accommodation.

'Illegal' - Not Allowed To be Here = No money from the Government
'Asylum Seeker' = Someone who is known to the authorities and is awaiting a claim.
Geddit?

I know someone who has worked in retail for 20 years in the same shop. She stacks shelves and helps customers find things. She can not work on the tills as she has no idea how to handle money. She has learning disabilities and lives with a family under the Shared Lives scheme.
Pretty awful for someone to say she should have just tried harder at school.

No, people in low income jobs have the necessary criteria for the state pension. It needs to stay.

It is pension credit with all the add ons that needs abolishing.

Quite honestly paying benefits based on how much you have contributed will never fly here! Too many people with skin in the game to want that to happen.

I wish it would though. Have far more robust checks before you can claim. Nearly 1 m of our young people neither in education or work. How on earth can that be sustained and why should it. Bet it’s the households where little work is done anyway.

30% of income tax is paid by 1%. Some on this thread want more whilst screaming that we need more benefits for all!

If someone is claiming PIP it’s because they have extra costs related to disability. Depending on how high those costs are I would have thought most people would work full time if they are able.

Yes, but they are the best who will get the rude awakening.

There are many health issues that could be dealt with in better ways than in financial benefits.
A full rethink on these could save money to upgrade the nhs and other services to provide those
This was part of the white paper
Unfortunately for political reasons mainly it was voted down. All parties MPs with the exception of Labour ( half ) voted it down despite the investigation being instigated by the Conservatives

Its perfectly valid as the projected spend is unsustainable

Pension credit is paid to those who are on the bones of their arse. Why would you want to make life more difficult for them ?

You don’t get PIP because you can only do three days and wouldn’t have enough to live on , you get PIP as you have a disability simple as that - I get PIP and I work full time , if you were not entitled to it you wouldn’t get it regardless of rest of your income

Yes, that’s the problem. Ultimately things will have to change whether people like it or not, and it would be far better to be rational about it and implement evidence-based policies with a coherent, joined-up plan across the various Government Departments and do it now in an orderly manner. But as you say, highly unlikely because so many people are entitled and will refuse to vote for the changes needed. Instead they’ll continue to complain and squabble over irrelevancies that are a drop in the ocean of the national budget and then wail when living standards continue on their spiral of decline, which is inevitable without such measures being taken. Very depressing.

I agree but I do think the maths on this needs to be reassessed
Those on pension credit actually end up better off with all the add ons than those just on a full state pension. It’s not exactly encouraging people to work and isn’t right

Do you? That’s nice dear

Or die on the job. Though, probably according to some on here, that would be a plus because fewer people claiming the state pension. 😒

They have had 50 years to prepare.

I prefer my taxes going to hardworking people who have contributed throughout their lifetime whether that be a cleaner or CEO. Not the lazy.

If she’s working full time then what more can anyone expect.

All jobs are worthwhile and this comment obviously doesn’t relate to those who are working

How much do you think they’ll get after the debt crisis? I’m lucky enough not to be reliant on any benefits and have put a good level of critical illness insurance in place to cover my risks. If I were in a different position I’d be absolutely terrified of what’s coming but instead net recipients seem to cry out for ever more. They’re just accelerating the train crash.

It is only fairly recently that there has been a shift towards more people being expected to save for a private pension alongside the state offering,
There used to be pensions associated with certain types of employment, often with defined benefits and for the public sector, but also some of the larger private companies. However, the expectation that all employers would be legally required to set up pension schemes and both they and employees would be required to contribute is a relatively new phenomenon for vast sections of the population.

Yes, you could say some people should have done more to save, and as somebody who went without a lot to save for the future (and is supposed to feel guilty about it nowadays, apparently), I would absolutely agree with you, but the climate was certainly different in the past. One big factor in all of this was the increase in life expectation over the twentieth century. When Lloyd George set up the first old age pension in 1908, I believe the average claimant only drew it for three years after retirement. Compare that with how long people draw on the state pension nowadays.

I agree

PIP isn’t paid to deal with health issues. It’s paid so that more disabled people can live independently by addressing the effects of the extra cost of disability on everyday living. That’s what it assesses for. There is a valid reason as to why it’s paid as a cash benefit - disabled people are the ones best placed to decide how to spend it to support their condition. Disability isn’t one size fits all and what might be appropriate spending for one person wont be remotely appropriate for someone else. Some people use PIP to buy in their own care provided by friends or relatives, and together with carers allowance this is considerably cheaper than relying on the already overstretched and expensive social care system.

There are not, and have never been plans to convert PIP or any other disability benefit to vouchers and services rather than cash. The idea of vouchers was floated and deemed to be inappropriate. Which it was. You don’t appear to know very much about the intentions behind PIP.

Instead they’ll continue to complain and squabble over irrelevancies that are a drop in the ocean of the national budget and then wail when living standards continue on their spiral of decline, which is inevitable without such measures being taken. Very depressing.

This is what so frustrating

Agree

and @Doodlingsquares its only since 2018 !!! that all employers had to pay into a private pension.

I’ll say it again Thats 2018 !!!

Indeed.

I know quite a few pensioners that are very well off. Some others not so.

However, they met such resistance when cutting winter fuel allowance, the grey vote has power. I know people who thought it was awful that they would take 'their WFA' even if they merely spent in on holiday or gave it to grandchildren because they really didn't need it.

Everyone wants the best services, we need health and education and social care but no one seems to want to pay more for that.

According to some posters on here its dead easy to just get a job paying more money and presumably then set aside some for retirement - why do we not expect current pensioners to have done this, just as we are being expected to?

Particularly as younger generations have wage stagnation, higher housing costs & less generous private pension schemes.

Who have had 50 years to prepare ? What an awful sweeping generalisation to make. There are many life events which can affect peoples’ earning abilities, and not everyone is afforded the same life opportunities. My own mother was self employed. Worked hard all her life and paid a self employed stamp, which was the norm at the time. As she came up to retirement age my dad died so his income was wiped out. She ended up with a reduced pension and now claims pension credit. She was never lazy, just a victim of circumstance. You need to get off your high horse and smell the coffee.