OMG - Gordon Brown will scrap Nursery Vouchers

[rob1974]

BBC says here that Gordon Brown is going to scrap childcare vouchers:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8279701.stm

We get two lots of vouchers and save about £150 a month. There's no way we'll both be able to keep working if they scrap them.

what is the point in offering 10 hours free childcare if the parents are working. The only people I know who can really take advantage of this are parents who don't work in the first place, or have grandparents to bring and collect the children after 2 hours. How many jobs can you get to fit around 2 hours childcare per day

Otherwise the only benefit is 10 hours off your weekly childcare bill, in which case you may as well get it from vouchers

Utterly pointless

i was amazed to here that the ammount being paid out to people without jobs is now greater than what the goverment rakes in from tax.

if this is true then where does all the money come from for public servies, nhs etc?

my dh is in the forces am i going to go to the bank one pay day and find no money in it?

Fuck. I suppose I should be smug grateful that third (and last) child has a summer birthday instead of being a middle class moaner about it (quicker into school).

I think we need a Femmo MN party in the next election. If not to be all doomy about the economy, at least to put these issues back in the centre of politics.

Yes, I know the money's got to come from somewhere but...

ive just looked at this on hmrc website...i dont think it means childcare vouchers, it is some other scheme 'Employer Supported Childcare scheme'

website here

Its not v clear reading but i dont think it means the vouchers themselves...hopefully someone more informed will be able to clarify.

That's it. I've finally made my mind up to become the plaything of the idle rich. I'll lose two stone overnight, suddenly become stylish and have really good hair, and will make sure anything clever stays IN MY HEAD - and I'll not have to worry about paying for childcare, or rent and food ever again. (I'll tell my lover(s) that I need money for the upkeep of a very, very small dog, who will in reality be ds, living in a shoebox under my bed.) Oh, the carefree life we'll lead ... (Well, ds won't obviously, as he'll be in the shoebox, but I'll be sipping as much mineral water as I want, and really living it up!)

if they get rid of CTC and child benefit they'll see a lot of families out on the street.

Well yes, if they are relying on CTC and child benefit to pay the mortgage then they will be shagged

too many people with big mortgages

too much national debt because of the big mortgages on a pile of bricks

DOOOOMED

well - more like relying on CTC and CB to pay the other bills and feed the family. Mortgage has just dropped dramatically (and when it was taken out wasn't that big in comparison to our income).

Because of course all top rate tax payers are taking long lunches at the office sipping champagne while the nanny looks after the children in their 7 bed Georgian mansion.

Not just them MP- loads of renters will be evicted if their income drops (us) and they can't claim HB without breaching tenancy

I agree with MP, we are pretty screwed and that there will be swingeing cuts. But but but - this is not a net saving unless the cost of educating the 2 year olds is less than the cost of the tax break vouchers, which will depend on quite how low an income a family will need to qualify for the new scheme....

Agree with allnew too - this isn't going to help many people to work, unless they have a lot of other help around these two hours.

How old are Gordons boys incidentally? Wonder if he gets the vouchers/tax benefit?!

Have actually switched over to watch the speech now.

and not just those that are working, those currently unemployed often (us) often rely on CTC and CB to get through the month - £100 a week for a joint claim for JSA just doesn't go very far with a family of 5.

what's all this talk about this being to help the deficit? the bbc link says he's gong to cut these vouchers (which were not means tested) to target free childcare for lower earners.

that will not make one iota of difference to the national debt.

it will only serve to irk the middle earners and may make working an even less attractive option.

Message withdrawn

this better not mean childcare vouchers. argh. DH will NOT be happy.

They'd ahve to rejig IS back again as ATM th bit for children that used to be paid with IS is paid through CTC.

So we'd just swap benefits (DH on a very low income as PT self employed, me a carer) which is going to be costly for admin, esp. as many would need social hosuing etc.

I thought the policy in fact was to drop the limit? I'm no Tory but until we get other info there's no point giving vulnerable people (where are threse jobs anyone?) sleepless nights- which is what happened to us at first

agree with whoever said it was irrelevant what policies they announce now anyway, as they won't get in at the next election. Gordon Brown seems to enjoy introducing ridiculous policies which ignore public sentiment and making an arse of himself - need I mention the 10% tax rate

DoNotPress - exactly - more costly buearcracy - it's a bleeding nightmare as it is now

'No incentive to work hard under this government they only favour people who are happy to lie back and let others work for them(sorry I know that's a bit unfair in some cases but I'm pretty angry) '

A bit unfair??

Or perhaps you'dlike my excuse for not working and to see a child stuggle with autism (or rather for me, two children?) so they cannot attend childcare and you have no family nearby to help. With a recently redundant DH who is starting his own business and studying FT on every night exceopt the one you are studying PT on.

I know which I would take.

A bit unfair? FFs

This whole govt has been about knee jerk reactions to the perceived issues of the day. ANd managed to fuck up, for example, the criminal justice system. Now its child care.

There you go, he's just announced green jobs. LOL. WTF does that mean?

she can swap me if she likes - not long term (I hope!) situation, but still lots of fun and so relaxing

What he is scrapping is the salary sacrifice scheme childcare vouchers where you can opt to pay £150 per month (I think) maximum to an operating company you then don't pay tax on that £150 that you "sacrifice".

It's nothing to do with CTC childcare element of the EYFS free pre-school education scheme.

I do think it's right that they do something. How is it fair that a higher rate tax payer saves more on his/her childcare than a basic rate payer, which is what happens at present?

I also slightly resent my non-working, very well-off friend's baby getting a day at nursery subsidised by the taxpayer so she can go and get her hair done.

Here we go