Should there be an official mechanism to pay the £100 bonus back?

[Katypp]

Clearly the Chancellor's £100 payment for council tax A-D homes is far too broad and is coming to many people who don't need it.
We've had plenty of posts on here from people who say they will get it unnecessarily, live in big houses, have high incomes etc.
Surely it would be a good idea to set up some sort of official mechanism to make it easy to pay the £100 back to the Government if it is not needed? A button to press on online banking to reject it, or a website to make repayment simple?
There's plenty who say they will give it to charity etc, but will they really?

Then come up with a mechanism that directs it that way, not just to A-D property bands. Freezing thresholds while giving handouts to people who don't need it is as stupid as it is insulting.

Good choice

There's plenty who say they will give it to charity etc, but will they really?

And those people will not click a return button either...

Its being paid in January. I thought we would get it in November.

Well the fact that there isn’t another very obvious way of doing it, means that the way the government is doing it might be the simplest and cheapest way. it would probably. Br simple for example to pay out to everyone on Universal Credit. But I think be government wants to make sure that those just above that threshold also receive it. Similar with pensioners - they could probably easily select those on pension credit but what about the ones just above the threshold.

why do you thinK it is insulting for the government to give you money? If you don’t think you deserve it, there is a simple solution - pass it on to a worthy cause.

I would rather see them extend the personal allowance by £500, therefore giving you an extra £100 in your pocket. Freezing thresholds just to give it back like this is mental.

It is the people that earn enough to not qualify for state benefits, but not enough to get by in the modern world with any quality of life that my sympathies lie with. The alarm clock class. That's who deserve the leg up. Not even a leg up really, just leave off the fiscal drag.

It is a bit stupid. It should be means tested. We are in Band D, but have no mortgage, no children living at home, 2 salaries (mine 20 hours a week/DH 26 hours a week - and both get decent pay,) and we have a mid 5 figures sum in savings. Often have a surplus of 35-40% of our salary left after bills and outgoings.

We don't need the £100. I wouldn't take it if I didn't have to. DH and I will very likely donate it to Cats Protection League.

Nice idea OP, but I wonder how many who protest will ACTUALLY give it away .... Don't we always get the same question about the winter fuel allowance?However I do think this huge overall sum could probably be better spent by the government, it's just the latest in a line of small things to butter up the voters, instead of tackling the really huge problems.

I agree doing it through council tax bands seems flawed in some ways, but I think it's because it's a more efficient - and therefore cost efficient - mechanism for the government than setting up a whole new way system. From what I understand there's been a fund set up alongside it, so local councils can still help households that fall outside the bands but need it. I agree, if you're getting it but don't need it there are plenty of fuel poverty charities you could usefully donate to.

Sunak used exactly the same mechanism for a £150 COL payment in 2022. It is probably the most efficient way.

If it had just been given to benefit claimants there would have been lots of moaning about that too.

OP you're saying there would be no admin involved, but you're talking about a completely new process - that doesn't just happen without any work!

Did you do the same with the 2022 payment?

Did you say this in 2022 when Sunak used exactly the same mechanism to give everyone in band A-D £150? Whilst also freezing thresholds?

its only a hundred pounds

No, I didn't think of it then.
Not sure what point you are trying to make here?

There's a mechanism for refusing the over 65 winter fuel payment. Unless this is a one off perhaps they can adapt that.

In reality far too few people will reject it to justify the extra administrative costs incurred in setting up a mechanism.
People are making a lot of noise about it now, because its a way to attack the government from a position of moral high ground. Or because they've taken offence at being lumped in with the worse off on account of their CT band. (So many people so anxious to tell everyone how huge their house is, how wealthy they are, how nice their area and they're in band C and £100 is so little to them, they'd not bother picking it up if they dropped it. Makes me smile).
How much of this fuss would actually translate to returning the money to the public purse I'm sceptical about. Particularly given its often the same people complaining who whinge constantly about how much they contribute to it already.
The genuine people who don't need it and would prefer it to benefit others will donate it. Which is great, because they'll be directly supporting those in need rather than sending if back to the black hole of the exchequer, where the difference it will make to the country's finances will be as good as none.

Send it to me if you don't need it.

Just that some are just moaning because it is a Labour thing and that they probably didn't moan when Sunak did it in 2022.

Yes, taking with one hand and giving with the other is always stupid, whichever colour tie the chancellor wears. It is nearly as stupid as taxing low earners but then topping up with universal credit, just allow work to pay and let people keep their own money!!

However the difference here is that Sunak freezing the thresholds at the time was a small tax rise, now that we have had 5 years of this, the compounding affect is getting more and more egregious, and relies on the working public's lack of understanding of how terrible fiscal drag is.

There’s already a way to pay additional tax should you wish. Google HMRC and let us know how you get on

@Everanewbie some of us don’t earn enough to pay income tax, though as I’m band e (3 bed terrace) it’s a moot point here.

Am I frigg giving mine away. Ive never taken anything 'out' of the system so I'll take this £100 with both hands thank you.

Yes, I am Band E too, so naff all to help my family in this budget, I just need to sit back an accept an ever increasing tax bill and an ever decreasing living standard, while people on this thread discuss how they can give away taxpayer money they don't need.

You can already just pay it to HMRC voluntarily.