Not sure how accurate it is but I’d be very happy if it’s true.
OK, so my husband may earn in the higher tax bracket, but I wouldn’t say we were ‘rich’, every penny counts and all that.
What I have always thought unfair is 10 years ago I had a child and was told the government would give me £80+ a month until she left education. How can they now change the rules when she’s only 9?
I have always thought, a better idea is simple not give it to the higher tax bracket IN THE FUTURE. ie let people know from 2013 if you get pregnant whilst earning X amount you will not be entitled to child benefit. Thus, people won’t have got used to this money before the government takes it away.
Further more, how can 2 people not in the higher tax range but earning a joint income of 80 grand still be entitled to it?
Any views? I am easily lead so could well change my mind!!
My mummy days are long over so this has no personal effect but my daughter discussed this on the telephone this morning.
She was furious about an interviewee on TV saying that families would be “struggling”
My daughter is my carer so despite a university education her income is £55.55 a week. Her husband was made redundant a couple of months ago so she gets income support for him.
‘Struggling?” she said, “Does that mean shopping at Tesco and not Waitrose?”
This government is quite happy to make benefit cuts which really do mean that people are ”struggling” I am sorry that I just can’t get my knickers in a twist about cuts to incomes that are 10 times (or more) the benefit levels for some families.
I appreciate your point about moving the goal posts but as a disabled former tax payer this government has not only moved the goal posts but the whole dammed field by putting a limit on the time I can claim contributory ESA
Sorry but I agree with Jane, Im a carer too and struggling. Ive found all our monies go on the roof over our head, food and only just managing to keep a car on the road. No money left for anything else. We are existing.
I do not feel sorry for anyone who is about to lose child benefit because it should have been means tested years ago. Everyone can learn to live within their means, if and only if their means are adequate not inflated.
No sympathy here either. I worked for 40 years before this bliddy disease forced me to give up work and claim ESA and it’s been a nightmare to get it. I resent the fact that I paid into the welfare system for all those years and had to jump through hoops to get the financial support I now deserve to get. Yes, I said deserve! Anyway, why should ‘we’ pay people to have children? Rather than impose financial limits I think child benefit should be given for 2 children only and then it’s down to the parent(s) to decide whether they can afford to financially support any more. This is fairer imo and would put a stop to the feckless breeding for a living.
I was just mentioning this as it’s in the news today.
I was wrong, the government are still taking from the higher tax code, but they are now looking into those with joint incomes over £78,000 not getting Child Benefit either. The government has indeed moved the goal posts and that’s what I think is unfair.
Basically I’m about to get a bill for nearly a thousand pounds a year…To me, that is outrageous, regardless what salary my husband earns. A friend living near me has 4 sons. Her husband’s salary is just within the higher bracket but because of this she’ll be £250 down a month…Obviously, when they decided to have children they were promised this money, how can that be fair?
Interestingly, Catholics aren’t ‘allowed’ to use contraception…
Hi, fififlower, I do agree with you about taking it away retrospectively, and yes it would be better to apply going forward so people know where they stand. As you say you were told you would get this money every month until your child left education and now they are changing the rules. Btw, I agree with susie too about her getting ESA, after all she paid into the system for 40 years and she should not have to fight to get what she is entitled too. I don’t actually think they will cut the child benefit from higher earners, I think they will find it very difficult to implement, since women claim the benefit ad they may not know what the husband earns,the husband may not tell them or want to tell them ad also where the high earner in the household is not the child’s parent. Cheryl:)
Hi, my husband is just in the higher tax bracket and i don’t work, so to lose child benefit for our children will really hit hard. We don’t shop in waitrose as another post suggested just tesco and aldi! We don’t have endless holidays abroad or smoke, drink or socialise lots. It is so wrong that two poeple can earn nearly the limit each, pay far less tax each and will still get child benefit for any children they have. Lots of people are struggling at the moment, but to say that stopping child benefit for the “rich” ( i wish) will stop “feckless breeding” is utter rubbish as these type of people (who keep having children for the benefits) will never actually be top rate tax payers, even though some of them actually get far more money each month than we do!!
Most people spend to their earnings (I know I did when I was working) and it’s a blow if that figure is unexpectedly reduced but unexpected reductions are happening to lots of people who become ill or loose their jobs.
I just want to input some figures to help inform the debate.
The government decides on an amount that you need to live on. This figure is paid to couples claiming income support or JSA. If you are on this low level benefit your rent and council tax could be covered too. Only rent to an agreed figure, you can’t get benefit to cover anything too large or luxurious. Mortgage interest could be paid (but not capitol you’d have to find that yourself.)
The figure is £105.95 per week
Claimants can add extra for children by claiming Child Tax Credit but it is hard to work out how much this is so lets just look at the adults
So my question is this – if after housing costs are covered (not capitol remember) do you have more than £105.95 for you and your partner.
If so you have more than the government says you need to live on and would not be eligible for means tested extras.
Do you spend more than £106 per week on:
Groceries
gas and electricity
travel
clothes
water rates
If so I think many families in the UK today would take issue with the notion that you are “struggling”
Please don’t be stupid. Read my post again. Where did I say the “rich” were the feckless breeders? I was saying that stopping child benefit after 2 children would stop feckless breeding…meaning the serial breeders who have never worked but choose to have child after child and fund their lifestyle on benefits.
Please don’t be stupid. Read my post again. Where did I say the “rich” were the feckless breeders? I was saying that stopping child benefit after 2 children would stop feckless breeding…meaning the serial breeders who have never worked but choose to have child after child and fund their lifestyle on benefits.
Way back after our first child was born (in Germany) we came home to England and found that the first-born was not entitled to Children’s Allowance (as it used to be called).
Way back after our second child was born (in Ireland) we came home to England and found that a child born overseas was not entitled to Children’s Allowance.
So, until the third child was born we got exactly nothing (zilch, zero, nada, etc).
OK, so I might be biased against those who are not preparerd to do what it takes to survive.
But, it is generally accepted that the Government screwed up with their first proposal. There is no justification for people with an income 3, 4, 5, or more times the national average to get money from the state to “help with their children”. Somebody did suggest that an easy solution would be to exclude all higher rate tax payers.
This has produced a lot of complaints - many of them justified.
There was an alternative.
This would involve looking at the family income, and setting a ceiling level, above which there would be no extra support for any children.
The normal term for this is means testing - and you can just imagine the screams there would be if that were proposed.
Personally, I would be delighted if the total income for my wife and myself was up to the national average.
Regardless of how much money comes into my house via my Husband’s salary. What ‘gets my goat’ is the ‘moving of goal posts’ and suddenly findlng myself nearly a thousand pounds worse off next year. My friend will be down £3000 per year!
What next? I won’t get DLV or IB because of my husband’s job?
Regardless of how much money comes into my house via my Husband’s salary. What ‘gets my goat’ is the ‘moving of goal posts’ and suddenly findlng myself nearly a thousand pounds worse off next year. My friend will be down £3000 per year!
What next? I won’t get DLV or IB because of my husband’s job?
I’m sorry to tell you that is exactly what’s going to happen.
DLA is not means tested so no problem there but when you are migrated from IB to ESA there will be a time limit on contribution bsed ESA (unless you get in the support group) Once that time limit is up (under debate at the moment but best case will probably be 2 years) you will revert to means tested ESA where your husbands wages, private pensions, investments or savings could reduvce your benefit to zero.
I’m sorry to tell you that is exactly what’s going to happen.
DLA is not means tested so no problem there but when you are migrated from IB to ESA there will be a time limit on contribution bsed ESA (unless you get in the support group) Once that time limit is up (under debate at the moment but best case will probably be 2 years) you will revert to means tested ESA where your husbands wages, private pensions, investments or savings could reduvce your benefit to zero.
[/quote] I worked because I had to. Like everyone else, bills to pay. I can no longer work due to MS so the government gives me DLA.
Am i right in thinking therefore, that in the future people won’t get a salary because their partner earns too much??!!
“We’re not going to pay you because your husband earns £100,000…”
Interesting discussion. One thing that seems to be a simple psychological fact is that people absolutely HATE having money that they are used to receiving taken away. The practical impact might be much more severe for a low-income family than a high income one, but the sense of indignation is probably much the same. There’s plenty of pain to be shared around at the moment - I’m sure we’ll all get our slice. Let’s not be too hard on anyone who is feeling sore about it, regardless of how we view their situation relative to our own. It all hurts.
Interesting discussion. One thing that seems to be a simple psychological fact is that people absolutely HATE having money that they are used to receiving taken away. The practical impact might be much more severe for a low-income family than a high income one, but the sense of indignation is probably much the same. There’s plenty of pain to be shared around at the moment - I’m sure we’ll all get our slice. Let’s not be too hard on anyone who is feeling sore about it, regardless of how we view their situation relative to our own. It all hurts.
Alison
[/quote] Alison, HOW VERY TRUE! I couldn’t have written it better myself. That was what I wanted to say but obviously couldn’t get my words out.
It always makes me laugh when people say, ‘If you can’t afford kids, don’t have them’ Bit late when you’ve given birth, grown to love them and THEN the government takes £250 a month from you…
I don’t think I’ve ever actually met anyone who felt that they were rich enough to have kids, have you? They’re an expensive hobby, whatever your marginal tax rate!