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.

Any party that tackled that issue would become unelectable.

And let's not forget we really need to start thinking about defence lest we really start getting pushed around by bigger boys

Not ‘like everybody else’. Your personal allowance - that tax free £12K - starts to diminish when your income reaches £100,000 and currently disappears at something over £125,000.

Then there is the joy of the Additional Rate of Tax.

I am fine with both of these, by the way.

Elon Musk said that no one will be working at some point as everything will be automated

Also this!
The vast majority of UC applicants are working but not being paid enough to live. It’s essentially a business subsidy to avoid minimum wage having to go much higher.

Rebt control is needed and needed urgently.

He is not getting PIP because of his being a drug user, more likely because of poor mental health. If you are going to spout such nonsense at least tell the truth.

Yes. And millions of the electorate will continue to vote for the party that pays them.

Source please!

The 40% still hits you hard. I don't earn 100k but but I do pay high rate tax and I have just started to move closer wage wise to losing my child benefit for my son because apparently as a single parent who is currently supporting her son and come september her daughter in to uni I'm considered to be well off unlike families who earn 60k between two people and get to keep there child benefit.

Ironically I used to be on tax credits and have worked super hard to get a better place in work, to support myself and my children. I'm finding the system a bit of a joke TBH. The first year I lost tax credits was hard and now the realisation that a substantial amount of my bonus will go in tax instead of towards of supporting my daughter in uni which could of cut down the debt she will take on. As I say two people earning my wage together wouldn't face the 40% tax or be lose there child benefit and would get two personal tax allowances.

I belong to a few Facebook universal credit groups. People are sometimes asked to post their statements. The amount of rent some people pay is ridiculous

Younger people often bear the brunt of most of the anger in terms of benefits but we don't often talk about older people

As of November 2024, there were 1.99 million benefit claimants getting UC aged 50 or older, an increase of 560,000 compared to February 2020

Health-related exits from the labor market have risen by over 20% since 2015.

There were news stories about it

Government urged to scrap sick notes to get 50-64 year olds back to work - The Centre for Social Justice https://share.google/dz8k4kAGhQiu80a9c

PS for clarity, the Additional Rate of 45% kicks in at just over £125K, the same point where the personal allowance is lost.

Its irrelevant. You have a disability that doesn't prevent you earning a lot of money. Other people have disabilities that mean they can't work. It's not hard.

The poster hasn't lied. He simply stated he's a drug addict and gets PIP. He never said he received PIP because he's a drug addict. I think you need to read posts properly before sprouting off yourself.

So what is your solution for people who are less able than you, who can't get full time work? What is your solution for those, many in essential services, who can't earn enough to buy a house, or afford rent? Why are we pledging so much to other causes, unlimited budgets for the asylum seeking issue, yet welfare is always under attack. Do people not see the connection between enforced poverty/lack of opportunities and riots? Spend on welfare, or spend on health. Spend on education or spend on prisons, those are the choices. But give us your workable solution, as asked for on page one.

This is somewhat incorrect as most benefits for persons of working age are reassessed every couple of years. You'd need to continue being/proving you're disabled to continue receiving disabled benefits.
This includes PIP/DLA and ESA - all subject to review.

Why mention that he is a drug user then? It should have no relevance whatsoever. So don't tell me how to read a post. Good Day!

The increase is likely because of the transfer from legacy benefits

I agree Child Benefit should consider the income of both parents, unless they live apart and one does not support the child.

Why so defensive, hit a nerve.

Yet another thread going nowhere useful.
Unwatched

@EasternStandard austerity meant little investment…..

we didn’t arrive here overnight

As said taxes are high already, where did you want the money to come from? more borrowing?

Yeah, sure, if that's what you want to think. Makes no difference to my life.

😂 thank god you let everyone know

The amount of tax going into individual landlord hands is crazy. We need more social housing