AIBU to not understand the fuss over minimum wage increases

[RaspberryYogurts]

I work full time and earn just a bit more than minimum wage, and I keep coming across comments from people saying they think it’s great that the rates are increasing. I don’t get it. It’s the same thing every year. Sure, our pay will rise, but so will everything else. So how are we actually going to be better off?

I worked it out last year, and I’m sure it was only a £20-£25 difference as council tax, water rates, etc, also went up. I’m grateful that I can afford a roof over my head and food on the table, as some people don’t even have that, but is this really suppose to change our lives / make things easier? Am I missing something here??

I now earn £10 per hour more than minimum
Wage. I have worked for thirty years in the health sector, Two degrees, plus post grad training. I manage a lot of people. Due to the NMW hikes we are cutting staff. I have been given an under inflation pay rise, and now get taxed £2000 more per year, to do even more work, with less staff. Meanwhile I am turning away young graduates to do entry level jobs because they haven’t experience or intrapersonal skills to do the job and I am employing registered professionals to do unqualified roles because they can’t stand the stress. Rachel Reeves is clueless. She has just blown every NHS trusts budgets.

I agree, I've heard some say that they're less likely to promote (or for people to accept promotions) as they can't afford to up the promotion pays as much. NMW doesn't affect me as a worker as I'm self-employed - I was hoping to hear some things that might help me, but only got some vague lowering of business rates that doesn't sound very concrete, and a VAT decrease would have helped. My DP and I work together and pay ourselves slightly above minimum wage, and we would have liked to take on an employee at some point but the changes in the last budget with NMW and NI have kicked it into the long grass