Labour increase benefits bill. AIBU To think what’s the point in working?

[topicalaffair]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15520831/Labours-push-lift-two-child-benefits-cap-hand-25-000-windfalls-thousands-Britains-biggest-jobless-families.html#

‘Official estimates suggest the cost of scrapping the cap will total £13.6 billion over the next five years.

The Tories said families currently affected by the cap are in line to receive windfalls worth an average £25,000 each over that period.

But the biggest families will gain far more. Thousands of families with five children will receive around £10,900 a year while those with six children will get an extra £16,600 a year.
Almost half of the families involved have no one in work.‘

£13.6bn over 5 years = £2.72bn per year
Total UK government spending this year = £1230bn

So providing extra funding for children will cost us c.0.22% of the budget per year.

Meanwhile the right whinge had an absolute hissy fit about means testing the winter fuel payment for richest generation in history (and let's not even start on the triple lock, which costs us over £10bn
year)

The whole system maybe disbanded anyway. Deserving and deserving will be affected.

While I don't agree with tons of benefits for those who can work and know how to milk the system (my brother is one of those), the biggest problem is scrapping the child benefit plunged many many children into poverty.

Poverty in the UK should not be so prevalent, truly, it shouldn't. So bring back child benefit is said to reverse that and this is the right thing to do IMO.. I'd still rather there were chancers milking the system than genuine people suffer. Besides, it's not the fault of the children is it? They had no say as to who they were born to.

Until there is a 100% foolproof way of weeding out the chancers from those genuinely in need then I'd not want to see a single, genuinely in need person suffer.

I'd rather see outrage for the billionaires who pay less tax than they should. The corruption sorted, the off-shore accounts. Alas, it always seems to go for the those on benefits.

The definition of ‘disabled’ seems to be .. flexible. Mild adhd? Disabled? Some anxiety and overweight? Disabled? ‘Can’t leave the house’ Disabled? Etc. Just no.

So do YOU know how to weed out the chancers without ever harming the genuine ill? Because please tell the gov how to do it.

Ps, and disability is different to being off through illness. As if that needed pointing out to you!

The bottom line as with everything is that the current benefits Bill is unsustainable. Particularly as we need to spend more on defence which is the ultimate role of government. Over 50% of the.country take more out in benefits than they contribute. So the money will run out or our children and grandchildren will have to pay more and more for our debt and live smaller lives as a result.

Forgive me if this has been already mentioned as I haven't RTFT but Merkel said Europe has 7% of the world's population, 25% of its GDP and 50% of its benefits (I think this figure is higher now). And that this is obviously unsustainable.

I wondered how long it would be before someone mentioned billionaires and taxes.

To ignore this is wrong. It should've been mentioned before.

People on means tested benefits get reduced council tax (not talking about single person discount) and other utility bills. Yes that includes the families on upto 70k in benefits.

Yet a low paid person or retired person (basically anyone not on means tested benefits) surviving on a fraction of that gets ZERO discount.

Agree. It’s hard to get people not to vote for expanding benefits. Although maybe Labour will piss enough people off for it to swing back.

How many billionaires currently live in the UK?
How much tax do they pay?
What proportion of the overall tax take does that amount to?

‘Benefit bashing’

‘gang smashing’

Two futile soundbites beloved by the left.

Stop outsourcing thinking to meaningless slogans.

Have a look at the likes of Amazon.... Thanks very much.

They have the money and mobility to leave if they feel they are paying too much.

They aren't a bottomless pit

I can’t find the pp now who said Rachel reeves stated something along the lines of ‘why should non students pay for student loans’ or some such. The irony.

Is there a reference for that statement from Reeves?

Left, right, ffs, grow up yourself while having a go at someone else.
Have an adult conversation without all this 'left and right' nonsense.
Most people in the UK are middle ground.

The op has a point re those soundbites.

It's not flexible. It is actually pretty precise. "You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities"
According to DWP criteria substantial effect includes not being able to perform an activity consistently, safely or in a reasonable timeframe. Reasonable time frame stipulates that it is no longer than twice the length of time it would take for a non-disabled individual to perform the same activity.

See what I did here? Made a statement and provided some evidence. Could have just told you this information is "freely available online" though.

The OP only has benefit bashing soundbites

And many started to leave after Brexit.
However, I cannot see the likes of Amazon leaving, esp when they paid no corporation tax for a couple years. They were given a massive tax break under Rishi.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/sep/26/amazon-uk-pays-corporation-tax-for-first-time-since-2020

@Locutus2000 your post had it right, I think!

Because I don’t genuinely believe they are better off than if they worked! Unless they were to get a very high paid job they’d probably get a UC top up anyway.

Anyone who is able to work but doesn’t and claims UC either has a young child (so would get UC top ups for childcare most likely anyway), or if no young children or disability then they have to look for a job full time and prove they are doing so.

No one is allowed to just opt out of work for life and claim benefits, if they are capable of working.

I think you’ll find that Labour are very definitely left. Labour are increasing the benefits bill amongst much other shit. If you don’t understand the differences what can we do.

And the OP has only ever posted benefit bashing stuff on MN. Smacks of an agenda to me.

Really? Tell me what ‘soundbites’ I have?