£25,000 benefits cap

[Xenia]

Average family has £26,000 to live on including housing. So from 2013 the most benefits available for one family will be £26,000 including housing benefit. Sounds like a sensible plan. Well done George Osborne. How did we ever get to a contrary position in the first place?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11463435

What will happen to stay at home mums pension who are married to higher rate tax payers? Are we saying that being a mum is no longer a job worthy of a state pension? CB generates pensions credits for children under 12 so what will happen to these?

Also doesn't the tax credits system work on household income so it wouldn't mean reinventing the wheel to look at a household rather than an individual? The if it were worked out on a household over say 45-50,000 wouldn't it save a lot more money?

My DH works 45-50hrs a week.

He earns £30k a year before tax.

We pay for everything. We have a mortgage and we pay full council tax/prescriptions etc.

Yes we get Child Allowance etc and thank god we do because I use that money each month to go towards feeding and clothing my family.

But....if DH were to stop working he would be able to claim up to £500 a week without going out the front door and we would qualify for free prescriptions, no/reduced council tax etc....

That means, when you take into account what DH's wages are that actually go into the bank - ie after tax and NI - we would be financially better off if he didn't work.

...and this is precisely what the govt DO NOT want us to do, yet it is financially more beneficial to us if we did.

"imo very few people would ever get 26 grand, I think the goverment have said that figure as they know that there will be an uproar that anyone could get that much, that way when they really set to work on bringing the poor to their knee's , no one will care.
and it has worked, we even have people saying, cut the disabled peoples benefits(ok one loon, and one troll) but still you only have to look at mn to realise that kicking the poor is a well used pass time"

Just reposting it as I think 2shoes has got it right.

I need to have more kids then so I can afford that plasma TV.

viva...yep, and those holidays abroad. And before anyone comes and says not all those on benefits can afford plasma tv's and holidays abroad there are quite a few, even on MN, that do...but not all.

plasma TV's are £3k a pop.

If they've got plasma TV's they're either

working cash in hand
taken out a loan/credit at 40%apr
been given it
bought it before ending up on benefits
stole it off the back of a lorry

oh and another option to with the list above

they saved up for it.

Yes - even those on benefits can scrimp and save and go without other stuff to save.

mamottat...or simply bought it?

PMSL - yeah right - buy one of the means I mentioned above.

lol plasma tv we have one 21 inch tv and holidays abroad yes we had one where flights were paid for as axmas and birthday prsent and we stayed with friends so no accomidation

our holiday is to go camping or book a deal on the £9 a night rooms ,

Oh FFS, not the plasma TV argument again!

yep - that plasma TV again.

I've got a Plasma TV.
It's fucking ace.
It cost £600.

(They haven't been £3000 for about 10 years)

tell you what nelehluap - you can come over to mine for a coffee later once my DS's are in bed.

I'd love for you to sit down with my figures and show me how I can pop out on Saturday and get myself a plasma without having to resort to credt. Was going to be at home for the weekend while my boys are with their dad, but if I can go and buy a plasma (and maybe book a holiday?) that would be great.

Fucking Plasma tellys

ahh - ok I was a bit off with my price - I wouldn't know - I've not even thought about buying myself a new TV the clunky 6ft deep, 10 tonne one the LL left in the house works just fine.

Couldn't do £600 either though

although............my LHA goes in next week and my IS the week after - I suppose if I didn't pay my rent next month, and skipped a couple of bills I could do it

;) - the cheapest ones on their are £389. You can almost certainly get them elsewhere. They are no more expensive than any other telly these days, but you don't get them in the smaller sizes.

They really ought to shake off this reputation as symbols of conspicuous consumption.

DC talks about fairness but how can it be fair for a household with one earner on £44K and children to not be entitled to child benefit,when a 2 earner household on £86K can receive child benefit.Most of the parents I know cannot afford holidays, school trips or childrens parties anymore. So much for the Tories supporting marriage and mothers who stay at home. Bah humbug

I worry greatly for children.
We can sit and debate for hours how adults should/shouldn't behave.
Children don't have this choice, they will just have to put up with whatever this government dictates, and I hope to goodness that there are some real opportunities availabe for poeple so that they do not have to rely on benefits.
Children living in poverty combined with the huge cuts proposed in public services = a BIG problem

people on benifits still pay vat and tax on every bill they pay heres a good idea why not give wages to the goverment and nobody gets benifits then this joke of a goverment can give everybody £10 spending money per week and the red cross can come round every week with food parcel then stupid boy osborne will then be happy.

Oh god kaj don't give them ideas!!

coalition, however little it seems to you, 389 pounds is way more than I can afford to upgrade an inessential appliance. No, I don't have Sky TV, either - and that means no tv at all, as I live in the sticks. My dishwasher has been broken for over a year and I cant afford to get it fixed. There are lots of us...

sieglinde - They still aren't more expensive than other TV's. 389 is a lot less than £3000 or £600.

Yes, but I still can't afford one, and both of us work. Hence the annoyance factor.