F*****g Goverment! Im so upset - I dont know what to do

[MammyShirl]

I just called Inland Revenue and they said we are not entitled to any help with childcare so basically I can't afford to work and I cant afford to not work. I don?t understand this government, they don?t seem to want to help people who want to help themselves. They just waste money on no-hopers!

I might as well chuck my boyfriend out, leave my job and say I'm homeless to get any help, and on the way damage my leg so I can be registered disabled and get a free car - its sad but true!

So what's next for people who don?t get help with childcare - where do us people who want and need to work stand? Is there no government funded nurseries?

What are my options?

We earn what I consider low wages well under 30k, we are in a lot of debt and just about makes ends meet each month, we dont earn enough to pay our bills we just balance it. i work part time and we need the money. my mother looks fter my dd but is now finding it difficult so i need to get my dd into a nursery, ive been looking for a couple of weeks and yesterday, trailed arouns chiswick/acton from 10 - 5pm, i was so tired, they are so expensive and i really stupidly thought we would get some help with the costs - but no! nothing! so what do i do now, we cant live on my dh wages, we cant afford to pay the nursery costs as it costs two thirds of my monthly wage. i am desperate, what the f* is this goverment up to. when i lived in australua they really take care of you, their money is well spent and not wasted on no-hopers like it is here. im sorry but i cant express or say what i really want to say as i will come across arrogant and racist which im not im just saying what is true! the goverment needs to start taking care and putting people first who want to help themselves, they really do have their priorities wrong.

im so anrgy and i feel so low, my debts feel like a ton of bricks on my shoulders, i work hard and always have, i dont spend much, i dont have much. i pay rent, my bills and ive worked since 14, i see people from school living in nicely decorated houses, do they work? - no! they get all because they can, because they choose to cheat the system, but who is they clever one? not me the mug! i should learn a lesson from them that i cant fight this system i should just join it or suffer in silence as no-one wants to hear from me unless im disabled, homless, single or a refugee. sure they need help but what about all the falling people around them, soon we will be in the same boat as homeless people an dthen they will have to help me and it would cost alot more then it would if they just gave me some f help now so i can look afte rmy family.

i just want to screaaaaaaaaaaaaam!

sorry if i offend anyone but we should be allowed to say what we feel, i dont hate anyone just the goverment.

A bit of a side track here - but is the real problem that too many employers get away without paying a living wage! Why should tax payers pay someone, for the sake of argument, working a full working week at Tescos additional money to top up their earnings so that they have enough to live on? Tescos then pay people less knowing that the tax payer will top up and more profits go to their shareholders who are certainly not as in need of it as most of their employers!

I just can't work out why Government should effectively fund private employers because they don't pay enough to live on!

My dd is now at the local state preschool (as of this month) so I don't pay fees to them. However, when she was at a private run play school we did pay fees. The play school displayed posters giving info on how to apply for vouchers. Depending on the borough where you were resident you could apply when your child reached 3+ yo or 4 yo.

Wow Fairymum - someone who agrees with me - at last!!

Not side tracking jmg you are right.

Helsbels - as an aside the voucher schemes (like the busy bees ones) will change from April 2005. You'll only be able to have £50 a week in vouchers, but they will be free of tax as well as National Insurance. There's a thread somewhere on the site where I posted about this before - don't have a lot of time to look it up again right now as am actually quite busy at work.

The other "nursery vouchers" (the ones which pay for pre school or nursery and come via the council) are a bit of a misnomer as they aren't physically vouchers - they are usually paid directly to the nursery. It has been a bit of a postcode lottery until now but I think from this year all children should get the funding from the term after their 3rd birthday.

That's good to hear; both DH's & my employer refused to participate in the BusyBees type voucher system.

Fairymum and Twinkle - you will get nursery vouchers. They are not means tested. WHEN you will get them though differs from area to area.

I know "money" is an emotive topic and I do not wish to upset or offend anyone.

My DH earns over the threshhold on his own, I also work 3 days per week. When my DD1 was 4 I received nursey vouchers the term after she was 4 for three terms. She was, and still is at a private pre-prep school. The money was paid direct to the school and deducted off our termly bill.
DD2 is currently at a private day nursery for the three days that I work. I have just had it confirmed that she will get nursery vouchers the term after she is three (Easter). At nursery we will continue to pay the monthly bill (£420 per month for 3 days per week) and they will give us a cheque back. She too is transfering to the pre-prep school (nursery class) in September and I will also get them then.

Fairymum - I too would love another but it is too difficult financially....

Oh, ment to add that between having DD1 and DD2 the age for reciving vouchers has been lowered. BUT talking to friends in other parts of the country it appears that it is not 3 everywhere, someplaces it is still 4.

Quick question re:Fairymums post:

"It seems those of us on higher incomes have to pay a lot more for everything".

Apart from income tax what do you have to pay more for than someone on a moderate or low income?

I don't understand that statement. My private childcare would cost the same whether I was earning £10k or £100k.... as would my food, gas/electric, travel expenses etc.

Blimey! I don't want to sound critical but my dh earns a fair bit less than half of £58K and we live in London in a 3bed house with a reasonably hefty mortgage AND he pays child support for his daughter. We could definitely afford a couple more kids on that kind of money. If you want another one I would say don't let your perceived lack of cash put you off.

Because we don't get any tax credit or anything - it sounds like we are moaning doesn't it???

Yes, I don't understand that either.

In fact, having a higher income means that you can make savings because you can afford to take advantage of "bulk buy" type special offers, and you don't have to rack up loads of interest buying things on hp etc.

I don't (and quite rightly in my view) qualify for any extra help btw.

Twinkie - But I am only entitles to £10 per week and we earn £32k. Doesn't really go very far don't you think?

Aloha - I hope you're right - I have to say that I haven't really given the financial situation too much thought - how expensive can another one be when we've got all the kit already...

Dino - I think its just the childcare aspect that is a concern.... I think.

Twinkie - Yes it does.

Not sure M2T; i guess the more you earn the more you buy and the more you buy, the more you need?

Sorry, that's a bit facetious. i can safely assume that our income is well below Fairymum and Twinkie's and above yours. Our main resentment is a massive mortgage and very little equity on a very ordinary semi.Wve had to move around a lot and the positive effects of the housing boom seem to have passed us by.

Yes M2T I agree. I would rather have the extra 50K joint income that Twinkie and her DP have than £545 from the govt that we have.

I think my food bill would increase if I was on 100K though. Would be indulging in more meals out, M&S food etc....

Mind you, I'm not even considering private school for ds. I think you can get onto a very expensive treadmill - the most expensive nanny, a very expensive school, the biggest and newest car and a big house in an expensive area, and then it does seem as if you have no money, I suppose. We have a very old and stupidly tiny Fiat, nursery fees and live in what is perceived as a 'dodgy' area, though we like it here and have a nice house and that all keeps our costs down. I still think we are wildly extravagant and live well though.

I hope this doesn't degenerate into nastiness (says Z, scuttling off to watch from a dark corner)

I can see this ending up in an arguement so I am off of this thread.

I think the problems occur on the just above ave. income people say 30-35k. It is not that much more than £25-30k when you take extra tax into consideration but the drop in 'help' is marked. Then again, the line has to be drawn somewhere. A good point was made earlier that it depends where you live. I have been constantly surprised by the differences in childcare costs highlighted by this site.

Marialuisa - Surely though the mortgage you have is the mortgage you chose to have because you could afford it. Same for mine.

Sorry.... this is totally off topic.
Mammyshirl - Have you been onto the IR website and tried the calculator yet?

now I know why I don't post on mumsnet much - now Aloha's post was maybe not aimed at me but felt like a slap in the face - genralisations and sweeping staements here: I do not feel the need to compete for the most expensive car, nanny etc... you have got the wrong person. WE chose PE as the schools in our area are extemly poor and yes we are lucky we can afford that, but we do not live in a big expensive house, have a big expensive car and spend our lives keeping up with the Jones's...We live a modest life if you would believe me and are very lucky to have no debts, credit card bills etc..
I was not complaining I didn't get tax credits I was trying to help Twinkle and fairymum - but I'll bow out now

Well, mortgage is well below the max we could borrow as we found the repayments too scary. it is still about £600 per month which I think is pretty huge considering the comparative lack of equity. No, it's just frustrating that we have not very much for our money. DH was offered a job at Reading uni which he would have much preferred to take but we simply couldn't afford to live there.

Marialuisa - We got a depressing mortgage statement through last week.... we got a 100% repayment mortgage and added our legal fees of £2k onto to it as we had no significant savings. We've been paying it since April 2001 and we haven't even paid off the £2k legal fees yet!!! Depressing eh?
Mortgages are a nightmare.

I hadn't realised this thread had degenerated! It's taking me so long to type one post today (I'm actually having to do some work!) that by the time I post another 5 are there already.

I wasn't trying to have a go at anyone, just think that no matter what you earn you should try to live within your means and things don't necessarily have to cost more because you earn more. Although I'm not doing a very good job of that myself at the moment!

Sonnet - you've been very helpful - I'm sure Aloha's post was not aimed at you nor indeed at any specific poster - please don't be offended!