How likely are they to do this?

[AngelsInWinter]

Politicians saying that they will maybe limit child tax credits and child benefit to three children as of the next election (may 2015).

Really worried about it.. Will it happen? I don't even know who is in power, or who would need to win the election to implement this

To clarify, in case I didn't understand your question...loans and credit cards are NOT the same as welfare payments, borrowing money does not mean someone else is dotting your bills, just because you've never taken on any debt makes no difference to the fact that you are expecting other people to support your child.

Dotting...footing!

'Others' don't foot anyone's credit card bill or make their loan payments, no, it's not the same thing at all. You can afford your current family on your current income without going into debt and that's a good thing. So why not be satisfied with what you have rather than angrily looking to blame others for what you can't afford?

I am satisfied... a fourth child would be an amazing bonus.

I'm not angry.

I don't know if we couldn't afford it, you make do, right? DP could up and leave me, I'd somehow have to still pay for the kids.

If you can afford to support a child on your current income and have no reason to doubt that the income is secure for the foreseeable future then it's not unreasonable to go ahead and have another child. If the main earner in the house later unexpectedly loses his/her job/becomes incapacitated so that they can't work/buggers off leaving other parent to cope, that's when the safety net of welfare support should be there - can you see the difference?

Yeh of course I can. Thanks though :) I wish someone would answer my original question ...!

Nobody can answer it Angels, it will probably come in at some point, who knows when and whatever party wins the next election!

Thank you. It's hard to know whether or not to try for a baby. We both want to but I don't want my other three to go without. Thanks though.

I did answer! I said whoever gets in next will follow the same sort of line on this.

Do not rely on it in the future OP.

UKIP/Tories/Coalition will cut most
LibDems alone a bit less
Labour less again
Green less than Labour
Scot/Welsh Nats less than them
TUSC/Left Unity not at all

Of course you should have children and of course the whole society should
support each other
Those kids will be doctors/home care workers/bus drivers etc for us when we are old. We all benefit

My uninformed advice (ie I haven't seen any draft manifestos to know if this will definitely happen) is that if you are reliant on state support to be able to afford another child you would be very foolish to assume that support will continue for the next 18 years. All of the main parties agree that the welfare bill is too high; there is a broad public consensus that large families should pay their own way not rely on the state. Put together I wouldn't, in your shoes, take the risk of having a baby you might not be able to afford when you have other children to support too.

Unless you would be comfortably able to support a 4th yourself, as well as your existing 3 without credits, I wouldn't risk it. The odds are not in your favour for that gamble - the credits are far more likely to go than stay, whoever gets in.

What is incredibly frustrating is that all parties agree the welfare bill is too high. Yet if you look at the figures, the largest chunk of benefit spending is actually pension payments and pension credits (about 50%). This is not including the amount paid to ex-public sector workers in final salary pension schemes.

Yet none of the main parties are willing to address the elephant in the room which is that pension payments need fundamental reform. Otherwise all we're doing is rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. How can any party seriously expect to tame the benefit bill if they're protecting half the budget because they're terrified of the grey vote??

I agree, nice guy2. It's actually only a small proportion going to families in our situation.