Welfare spending to rise by £73.2bn to £406.2bn

[topicalaffair]

Over the next five years, the OBR is forecasting that UK welfare spending will rise by £73.2bn to £406.2bn.

How does everyone feel about this? I’m livid because I pay lots of tax. I don’t mind paying tax to maintain a civilised society - but this? This is surely taking the piss and will result in weaker and weaker services as the amount of £ available reduces day by day.

YANBU - it’s totally deranged. The every growing uk population can’t function effectively on such a benefits for all basis.

YABU - this welfare spending bill is truly representative of need.

If "fending for themselves" meany dying, would you be okay with that?

If it meant not quite dying, but getting so ill the Govt has to spend a lot more money on them via the health service, would you be okay with that?

I took all of the advice I could get when filling out my son's DLA forms. It was overwhelming and during an especially difficult time when my son was in hospital.

You can follow all of the advice, write the correct things etc but it means nothing if you have no medical evidence to back it up.

I worked from the age of 12 until I became disabled at 28. From as soon as I was required to pay tax, never once did I think "I wish this wasn't going towards benefits". I knew I was lucky to have my health.

I did resent it going towards military willy waving contests with stupid leaders in other countries, and I did resent it ending up in the pockets of people who are already mind-blowingly rich. It never once crossed my mind to be annoyed that I was helping fund benefits.

Would you stay up all night to care for a loved one and then go to work the next day? What exactly would they live on if their wages paid for carers?

What's the alternative? If the country goes bankrupt (i.e. the IMF stepping in with emergency loans), things will be a lot worse and then very hard decisions will have to be made. Far better to finally get control of the country's finances in a controlled manner rather than pretending nothing is wrong and constantly kicking the can down the road.

It is.

I’ve been through the process, so i know what it’s like, but thank you for assuming. I don’t need to ‘educate myself’ as I’m disabled myself . You seem to ignore my points about him spending the money on camera equipment and chocolate and pe0si though. Do you believe that everyone who has a condition or disability should get money to spend as they please, or even in direct contravention of the medical issue for which their PIP is awarded? I’ll admit that I helped him to apply for it years ago, I didn’t realise that he would spend it on this and o don’t believe the tax payer should be just giving benefits to people for medical conditions that they don’t use the money towards helping!! The key is daily living and mobility - the money is SUPPOSED to be to pay towards additional costs associated with those, for expAmple my medical expenses per months far outweigh my benefit. I would be MORE THAN happy to provide receipts of get vouchers to spend on paying for the services for my disability. Anyone who says this is ‘inhumane’ or ‘dehumanising’ is part of the problem and the reason our country is in the state it’s in with the benefit system. I worked until I was ill health retired due to lifelong and life limited disability. I paid in for over 30 years. I won’t have you tell me that I’m in the wrong here, I have the lived experience both sides and it’s NOT fair to expect working people to be taxed to the hilt to prop up those who don’t want to work but could if they chose to, or those who are better off on benefits.

What do you mean money going to the already mindblowingly rich? Do you begrudge the mindblowingly rich using public services paid for by the mindblowingly high taxes they pay?

BS … my own parents had sabbaticals of over 10 years with various ailments during the 80s and high unemployment. That wasn’t their fault.
But to say they/everyone always worked and always paid in it’s not quite true.

I agree. However there are other ways to get control of our finances rather than demonising people who are too unwell to work.

Totally agree. So much economic illiteracy here that you’re going to get a kicking tho!

There's no "demonising" involved. Not giving people money isn't "demonising" them.

No there aren’t. Welfare is skyrocketing compared to any other area of public spending. It is very much the main problem here.

No, anyone should be allowed to use public services, that's the whole point. The richest person in the UK and the poorest person in the UK should be allowed to use the same state school, the same NHS, the same police help, if they choose.

I'm talking about government giving friends deals and creating loopholes in taxes etc so the rich just keep getting richer.

Easy to say that when no one is advocating sticking you in a camp (sorry, "dormitory" 🙄) on account of a disability.

Remember, the only thing between you and benefits is sheer luck. It isn't good planning or better skills or moral superiority; it's luck.

Ooohhh! Tax advisor here! What are these magic loopholes you talk of? Interested now!

And how do you do that? I know you want to stick people in workhouses, but if you think you can do that without causing the aforementioned major crime and unrest, you're dreaming.

Answer my questions about what happens to disabled people who can't work when the benefits are stopped and I might answer your question 😘

Yes - we need to pay more tax instead of bleating. Otherwise, we can't have nice things.
Everybody needs to pay more tax & stop bellyaching.
A previous poster has said that increasing pensions are the biggest chunk & that's true but that's going to ease off in time because we're not going to live forever.

I gave savings and insurance like many many other people. I am materially poor (crap car, no iPhone etc), no haircuts or nails or skiing holidays because security is more important to me.

Yeah right, so care for someone through out the night then go work but fail to earn enough to pay what a team of carers will charge...

Ignorance is bliss.

So you made it up then. Right.

They'll only last you so long, but the optimism is cute.

Too many posters are in total denial what the future will be if changes aren't implemented. It is very sad as it will hit many harder than they can envisage.

I have a link all ready to go, but you clearly don't want it.