Child Benefit Cuts to over 43,000 salaries

[kirsty1055]

Can't understand what the problem is???!!! 43,000 each month amounts to over £3,000 per month??? We'd happily swap our salary with someone earning 43,000...my husband works 40 hours a week and has to work over christmas and his salary is 12,000!!!! We have 3 children. I'm angry that ppl with the high income can moan about it when my husband is actually contributing towards them receiving it???!!!

The system may be in place, but there is no point in having a system if it doesn't hold the right details.

We have never claimed ctcs or any other credits and I would think many higher rate families of our age with teenagers may never have claimed anyway.

This change doe not affect our family - pour combuned income is about £20K. CB buys all the stuff for the kids and I would miss it. I think that it is unfair to remove it from high rate tax payers, for goodness sake they pay eniough in Tax and Ni etc... Why shouldn't they get a bit back? Also is there a loophole here where diretors who may take huge dividends instead of PAYE salaries can still calin the benefit as it is based on your salary or are all sources of income considered via self-assessment? I am just thinking of my boss witj 3 kids who pays himself min wage to get stamps and then draws rest in dividends to avoid Ni...? These are the unfair loopholes that need to be closed.

I am a bit uncomfortable with the comments about lower income earners paying for higher income earners benefits.

That is not true.

High income earners do pay a lot more tax and national Insurance contributions (specially double income families), so in fact they are paying for their own and other people´s benefits.

I am alright with MY CHILD not receiving benefits because I work. I also pay more childcare, and tax than others, so I may be having less disposable income than other families.
And I didn´t vote Tory anyway.

Please do take away my money but stop the unfair comments.

we don't get tax credits. CB is our only benefit

And we have three children under the age of 6!

I agree with Lizard2. We can sit and discuss this for weeks on end but positive action is needed.

The tories hate single mothers, unmarried mothers and now it would seem all mothers in general.

I remember what life was like under Thatcher and it was every person for themselves so this idea of a Big Society is laughable. They're using the banking crisis as a smoke screen for getting rid of the welfare state and while I agree there is alot wrong with this country at the moment, it's interesting that the first group they target is women and the home.

I hope to god someone organises some sort of march on Downing Street!

I agree with Mumtorobbie, let's take to the streets and protest!!! The sooner we ger rid of this govt the better, they are only interested in big business and have no idea wht it is like to be ordinary. Perhaps tory voters have got what they deserved? I bet most of their voters are the better off....who will lose their child benefit (rue the day)

The idea that parents get nothing back from the state apart from child benefit is ludicrous. What about 14 years of education, maternity care, nursery places and healthcare? The repeated statement that working parents see no other return for your taxes than child benefit seems almost wilfully stupid.

I think it has gone past simply the unfair removal of benefits for some individuals and not from others that are in fact better off. At least for me that is no longer my main focus. It seems that families are being targeted at the minute. The investment in children is going. Which is of course our investment in the future. Whether you personally have children or not there is no denying that a lack of investment in children will impact our future as a country.

I still hold my ground in not sympathising to those feeling hard done by for losing their child benefit but I do see that there needs to be some universal benefits that show a constant investment in people and the future. Those who know they definitely do not need it though should stop claiming it, the question is though what is the magic household income marker that says "We don't need it anymore!"?.

People, no matter how rich, will never say not to 'free' money. The rich don't get rich by turning down cash.

one topic that hasn't been touched is that childcare vouchers should also be means -tested ... You can have two high income earners both claming tax and NH relief on their childcare fees. Three years ago our household had a joint income of £60K but the childcare for our 3 year old cost us £20 /day for up to 10hrs ( without vouchers and the over 3yrs old nursery rebate it would have been £38/day) .This was clearly unfair when we could have afforded £38/day.. I alone was earning £110/day.
Might pop a note through to the chancellor???

"It is not right for the poor to pay taxes to subsidise the rich"

This does not happen. The 'better off' pay more tax and receive less benefits than the poor (as it should be).

However - this scheme means that single income families on 45k-80k WILL be paying tax to subsidise families better off than them - namely the dual income families within this bracket. They have created a system to solve a problem which didn't exist, but in doing so have in fact created the very problem they were trying to avoid.

Genius.

Well they must have been reading my mind!!!! found this hidden away.. they kept it quiet but quite right too!!!

The introduction of means testing for child benefits is in-line with upcoming changes to childcare vouchers, due to be implemented in April 2011. Previously, both have been applied universally and every parent, regardless of income, was eligible to receive the same amount of child benefit or saving on their childcare vouchers.

However, childcare vouchers have now been means tested and from April 2011, parents on a higher and additional rate tax will receive a lower benefit than those on basic rate tax. Instead of receiving £55 per week as before, higher and additional rate tax payers will only be able to save £28 and £22 per week respectively after the changes take effect. There?s a useful guide from HMRC which explains the changes in full.