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Original poster

tax credits chat re cuts 2016

110 replies

SuMBODY · 08/10/2015 19:17

namechanged .

as a family of 5, both me and dh work full time, 1 of the dcs is disabled so we receive the disabled and severely disabled element of tax credits, as well as a little extra as our wages aren't the best.
With the proposed changes to tax credits, we are set to lose approx £70 a week, now this may not seem a lot to some, but having a child with extra needs, this money is a huge relief to us and helps us immensely.
Now the thought of losing it means some serious cutbacks to my family , overtime is not an option at present for me or dh because I have only recently gotten my 20 hour contract upped to a 30 after 9 year !
It is an extremely worrying and stressful time for my family, and I imagine others are feeling it too.
it is awful that the cuts are mainly being targeted at those who work, yes the benefit cap is being lowered for those that don't work, but that's another thread.
I keep seeing articles online and in newspapers that estimates families will be up to £1200 worse off a year, when infact we will be nearly £3000 worse off.
As long as David Cameron and George Osbourne are sitting pretty after claiming their petty expenses is all that matters I suppose Angry
They dont see how it is affecting everyone as individuals :(
just thought id start a post incase anyone wants to discuss.

OP posts:
Original poster
SuMBODY · 08/10/2015 22:37

Don't know if it will do any good but

Petition in place

OP posts:
bloodyteenagers · 08/10/2015 22:39

Then there's the tax allowance that's supposed to balance the cuts out. Don't know why they bothered. Increase of £200 a year.

Claiming housing benefit. Again something working families can claim. The family premium is going.

Not sure about the exemption card. But that's probably going as well.

The cuts will end up costing more than they are saving. More people will be made redundant because employers either won't be able to/don't want to, pay the increase of wage.

Original poster
SuMBODY · 08/10/2015 22:42

sally it is an absolute disgrace that the 'working poor' are the main ones being targeted, those solely on benefits who only receive child tax will not be affected by the tax credits cuts, however some may be affected by the benefits, I want to make it clear that this isn't a personal dig at those don't work !

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 09/10/2015 11:32

Meg - I wasn't referring to people who get large amounts of tax credits for childcare, that of course is fair and enables them to carry on working when they otherwiae wouldn't be able to and will be short term. I was referring more to largish families with one low earner getting hundreds a month in child tax credits ( not for childcare) and having a sahp as obviously the more kids you have the harder it gets for both parents to work. Lots of peope would ideally like a large family but don't get a pay rise for additional children. I agree with the cap coming in in 2017 for tax credits for 2 kids.Sorry if that sounds harsh but I think tax creidts have got out of hand now and we need to draw the line somewhere.

Babyroobs · 09/10/2015 11:34

Sally - Some of the money you lose will be made up by an increase in housing benefit( assuming you get HB) especially if you have a very high rent.

thornrose · 09/10/2015 12:09

I have had my head in the sand about the imminent cuts. Thanks to this thread I have just done the calculation. I stand to lose £500 a year.

Is the Entitled to calculator accurate? After all the horror stories I thought I'd lose way more.

thornrose · 09/10/2015 12:23

Actually when I've taken a closer look I will lose £1500 in tax credits but will receive an extra £1000 in HB.

So someone is still picking up the tab, just another benefit department. I'm not sure where the saving is in cases like mine?

BishopBrennansArse · 09/10/2015 12:25

Call Contact a Family, they've got some great people there who may have some suggestions.

Alfieisnoisy · 09/10/2015 12:36

It's madness.

I am currently not working as DS is autistic and it's a struggle to cope on my own.

However I like to "do the right thing" and went back to work last year until my son's difficulties became too much.

Just put my old salary into the entitled to calculator...I would be £1300 a year worse off by working.

So as far as I am concerned I will not go back to work now until my son has left school. It's already a struggle and I'd be far worse off financially in work than out of work as a Carer.

I thought the Conservatives were supposed to be supporting hard working families. Obviously that means "hard working families earning enough to not require tax credits".

The rest of us can go fuck ourselves evidently.

Oh and as far as asking about taking refugees. What we SHOULD be asking is where Shiny Dave has suddenly found the cash to do so when he's been pushing austerity for years.

I hate this Govt so much it's actually not good for my health. Hateful patronising bastards who couldn't care less how many people they destroy with their policies.

suzannecaravaggio · 09/10/2015 15:51

family credit was pretty similar to tax credits wasn't it?
you could claim it if your income was low and it would top you up to a certain level based on how many dependent children you had

CookieMonsterIsOnADiet · 09/10/2015 16:42

People coped before tax credits by limiting their families to what they could afford.

The sad fact is many played the tax credit system using it to cut their hours, not work at all or have new additions that there own wages couldn't support. Now it's coming back to bite those people.

m0therofdragons · 09/10/2015 16:47

Which calculator are you using? According to tax credits we are supposed to be worse off but the reality is £30 less per month and that's because I've earned more. Unless there's a truly accurate calculator then I really can't worry about it until it happens.

NewLife4Me · 09/10/2015 16:48

Cookie

No they didn't, they struggled like Sally and then Family credit came in, by a conservative government.

So sorry for you sally and others.

Original poster
SuMBODY · 09/10/2015 17:02

On the results page on entitled to, there's a section to see how you will be when tax credits cuts come in next year.
some people like myself, could afford 3dcs, dh had an excellent paid job, but got made redundant after 14 year, after taking his current job, the wage decrease waapprox £900 a month drop.

So now we are in the situation where we rely on those tax credits to keep things afloat.

alfie I don't blame you, I have just done a calculation on myself and dh with the Dcs , then another one based on my cousin her dh and Dcs , 1 of whom is also disabled, so the same family set up, however none of them work, and entitled to said we are £41.50 a week better off than her, however rent and council tax and school dinners is £155 per week, so technically we are no better off working at all :(

OP posts:
brokenvases · 09/10/2015 17:19

I've just searched and I too would be better off not working :(

Original poster
SuMBODY · 09/10/2015 17:36

broken not sure if you have signed the petition, it's worth a punt, but it probably won't change anything :(
Mr c and Mr o sure have a lot to answer for, they have been questioned by various agencies/journalists on the cuts and the effects it will have on people, but they keep dodging these questions because at the end of the day they are the ones sitting pretty with 2 houses and x amount of ££££ in the fortunate position of not needing handouts.

OP posts:
sallyst123 · 09/10/2015 18:43

We dint get hb. The only support we get is tax credits.
& you are right it is the working poor that will be affected. It is completely crap. There are so many more in our situation.
We just have to keep bidding on the housing lists in the hope of social housing which would give us cheaper rents which would recuperate some of our loss.
Or a lottery win would do just as well!!Smile

Viviennemary · 10/10/2015 14:57

Family Allowance was the old name for child benefit and it wasn't much. And you didn't get it for the first child. Some people got FIS (Family Income Support) but only very hard up people.

Alfieisnoisy · 10/10/2015 15:31

There was Family Credit too wasn't there? Or is that something different?

It's before my time as a parent.

All I do know is that my Dad in the 1970s was able to support a family with four children on his wages as someone on the assembly line at Fords. We had a holiday every year too and my Mum only worked now and again.

I suspect life is just much more expensive now.

NewLife4Me · 10/10/2015 16:15

yes, there was definitely Family credit which was the product of John Majors government. We had this before tax credits.

Alfie

I think we were just as poor in the 70's tbh, but now we expect a better standard of living and more consumables. This imo is what people can't afford these days.

What I do find odd is why so many people are surprised at what this government stand for and what they are doing.
I know very little about politics but grew up listening to older generations telling me that Conservatives make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Then a little bit of study told me that conservative gov supported the traditional nuclear family with the man working and a sahm.
This is exactly what they are trying to achieve now by messing about with childcare, so parents will find it hard to work, also making it difficult for sp as they don't like these neither.
Unless you are rich, can afford your own childcare and married the gov won't support you at all.

There I go like a broken record again, but people don't believe me when I tell them.

suzannecaravaggio · 10/10/2015 16:23

we expect a better standard of living because society as a whole is more prosperous and has a better standard of living

we dont find it odd that people expect to have indoor toilets and electricity, in order to participate in modern life people need things like internet access

expatinscotland · 10/10/2015 16:54

'Unless you are rich, can afford your own childcare and married the gov won't support you at all. '

And if you're under 25.

NewLife4Me · 10/10/2015 17:02

suzanne

Yes, of course but we don't need all the gadgets we have today really.
A better standard of living is something people should be happy to work towards, during their lifetime, not expect when they are starting out.
We had nothing when we started as did our parents, but we saved for what we wanted and now almost 30 years later have a better standard of living than when we had two small dc.
This is irrespective of tax credits btw, they didn't exist in the 7o's nor when we had our first babies. They came out when ours were toddlers.

expatinscotland · 10/10/2015 17:09

There's always someone who comes along and claims that gadgets are behind any ill in society Hmm and young people just expect too much.

The race to the bottom mentality is a far bigger scourge.

NewLife4Me · 10/10/2015 17:20

expat

Definitely not.
My point was maybe with all the cuts we will end up pretty similar to what we were in the 70's when our parents couldn't afford the latest trends.
We may go back to a time when young couples start of with nothing as they can't afford to buy new furniture.
It was an observation that maybe our expectations might change.
certainly not blaming any evil on anything.
We will lose about £200 per month, can't moan as I don't work and there are people who do work who are losing more.
Awful situation, but to be expected from this government.