Why work when you can get a good salary on benefits?

[Orwellian]

Sorry to come over all DM but I just can't believe the amount that is given out in benefits. I just read this story; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087857/Romanian-Big-Issue-seller-given-legal-right-claim-housing-benefit.html
and this lady is getting over £25k a year tax free (and will get housing benefit to boot soon) as well as her nice little earner from selling the Big Issue (isn't that supposed to be for homeless people, not those on £25k per annum?).

Anyway, it just got me thinking. What is the point in getting into debt at university to achieve a high career (which will take years to climb the career ladder), when you can simply achieve the same income by having several children. I did a calculation on the Turn2us website and there is actually not much difference (especially when all the extra benefits such as free school meals are included) in a family with one higher rate taxpayer and a similar family where nobody is working once everything is taken in to account.

I never see my husband because he works so many hours. Maybe I should suggest he gives up work as we would only be slightly worse off on benefits but he would be around to help me with the children.

Just seems a strange thing to say what with all the Lefties threads in the run up to the election and so on. I have always thought that MN had quite a balance of views with probably a more left-wing bias. The politics and news sections always seem to attract lively debate. I guess when I think of MNers I don't think of people who take everything at face value and believe anything they are told. So it's a surprise that a member sees MNers in that way.

Misssarcastic..... Yes, £5 a week whilst on jsa

I wouldn't call 25k a 'good salary' - certainly not to support a family of four children. Doesn't sound like a lifestyle to aspire to .

I think you should do what you honestly think will make you and your family the most happy Misssarcastic. I think that's what almost everyone does.

I believe in "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

This doesn't mean that no-one will ever consider the effects of their lifestyle and choices on others. Helping others can be very rewarding, and is a good thing to do and encourage.

Personally I've trained and worked as both a nurse and a teacher of young children.

But it annoys me when people don't recognise that usually they do what is in their and their families best interests. Other mothers are just doing this too, even if their opportunities and choices are different.

Politicians often encourage a less tolerant view as they know there are often votes in it. Especially from DM readers !

To get £26K(the cap) you'd have to earn £35K.The HT band begins at £42 K,it's bonkers. Either benefits are too high or the higher tax band is too low.

HRT band is too low for sure, it has been eroded over the years to catch more and more people.

I say that as someone who's a bit of a lefty I just think it's a sneaky way of getting more tax without having to announce a tax increase, and people feel like they're doing well if they go into HRT band and so they don't whinge.

I agree.

I'm sure when I was a girl, if someone was a HRT payer they were really proper rich. Not the case at all any more, but there is still this idea in the group consciousness that HRT = absolutely minted with 16 ponies.

Exactly when in reality it's little more than somebody on full benefits.

Kind of clever of the Tories though as all 3 parties-benefit recipients,those on the higher and lower tax band will all look at the other with frustration for not understanding their needs/frustrations instead of venting our fury on the Tories who take from all of us whilst making sure the rich are protected and get to carry on as normal.

Genius!

MrsHeffley except that it was G. Brown esq who famously used 'fiscal drag' (the deliberate policy of raising the tax thresholds at a lower rate than inflation) to capture ever more of us in what was then the higher rate income tax threshold.

I know for a fact that the number of people paying higher rate income tax under the Labour administration went up by around 20 - 30 %.

Yes and it's just about to go up a bit more.

Sorry I thought that high rate tax kicked in on incomes over £42,000ish, is that not right? That would be an awful lot of benefits!

wrong thread!

Benefits are capped at £26K which you'd have to earn £35K to get-£7K difference.Yes you could say thats an awful lot of benefits or you could say that's an awfully low figure to start paying higher tax. Take your pick.

MrsHeffley Does that £26k include housing benefit?

26k is not what most people on benefits would get .It is either with housing benefit in central london or things like DLA which is very hard to get and all for the additional costs a disability causes.

The woman in the article is claiming Hb , has a disabled child and 3 other kids. All the money she gets she needs.

i agree with your previous post mrpants

The woman isnt getting the HB is she? Her landlord is getting it.
Its hardly down to here that she is probably being charged a ridiculous rate for her home.

I am sure she would be just as happy with £50 a week for rent but I doubt the the landlord would accept it.

People always get angry on these threads about greedy claiments, getting tons of money in HB.

They seem to forget who the greedy ones realy are. Charging sky high rents just because they can and 'greed is good' as long as you are not poor.

So what do those not on benefits do when faced with ridiculous rent/mortgage bills?

Become homeless MrsHeffley and I can't see how chucking more families onto the streets is going to help anyone, can you?

ScarlettPimpernel - I was thinking exactly the same thing! Never has a poster been more inappropriately named

I loathe benefit envy and can't even be arsed to rant about it as it's pointless. I don't care who gets what - I'd rather have a good job, mortgage and financial prospects than worry about the latest family in the paper (a Tory paper) claiming this that and the other and supposedly living the 'high life' buying flatscreen TVs with their fortunes (or is it that they buy them from places like Brighthouse that charge a million per cent interest?). I said I wouldn't rant but have started to!

Those not on benefits have the ability to move. If their inome is so low that they can't afford to then even whilst working they may qualify for housing benefit.

there is a lot of ignorance surrounding benefits. that everyone that claims them is a feckless layabout.