90 Years on Benefits

Exactly Hetty58. FAR more money is lost to tax dodgers than benefit scroungers, because the sums are huge. But anyone with a reasonable amount of money has an accountant to save them as much tax as possible. It's not even regarded as being wrong, most of the time!

One rule for the elite and another for the poor.

REALLY GabriellaG54? Do you remember the man who is currently in an NHS ICU clapping for the vote against increasing nurses wages?

Where did you hear that GabriellaG. I was talking to a friend on the phone earlier today who is having to make a claim as she has lost her job because of this virus. She told me she would be receiving around £74 a week, sometimes every 4, sometimes every 5 weeks.

Good grief GabriellaG54 you should have informed the benefits hotline. That is disgusting.

I was talking about your benefit cheat story!

There always will be scroungers, at any level of society, con men and scammers, blackmailers, anything not to earna living.

Similarly there are just as many people entitled to benefits who do not claim them, through ignorance or because they are too proud to. I worked for Age Concern, as it was known then, as a volunteer Home Advisor for 10 years and time and again I dealt with people who were living in desperate conditions who were not claiming the benefits they were entitled to, and unwilling to do so.

I also took to appeal cases where benefits had been refused. On appeal, well over 90% of claimants were granted the benfit they had applied for, but some just refused point blank to apply for either Attendance Allowance or Pension Credit.

For every cheat there is someone who should be receiving benfits and isn't.

If any one can devise a system that both catches all the cheats AND gives benefits to all those entitled to them. there is probably a knighthood, if not a Life Peerage awaiting you.

Although perhaps unintended, UC resulted in long delays in receiving money for claimants:

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/problems-universal-credit

CherryCezzy
I will try to find it and post link on here. It was only a couple of days ago.

GagaJo
What has the man clapping got to do with my post?
No, I did not see it.

I didn't originally see it here (Mirror report) but in looking for it online am posting this meanwhile.

There was a programme on TV recently, can't remember which channel, following staff in their dealings with people claiming UC. What came out of it was they were vastly understaffed and were working under great stress. I believe that the rate paid to UC has been increased by £1000 to bring it up to the same amount as sick pay which is £94 pw.
What happens when all this over will they drop it back to what it was before or will they carryon with the increase.
Also I object very strongly to the word SCROUNGERS being used to describe people claiming benefits.

So NOT 90 years on benefits then. The title is misleading.

Actually, we have all been "on benefits" for the whole of our lives just as we would have the benefit of any insurance we could if we needed to, claim against. Weasel words do not change the fact that you are just the same as those who have to claim - you were just luckier it seems GabriellaG54.

So very, very much more is lost to the state by tax dodging. When will you start on those people? Perhaps you can tell us about the people you "know" who do this?

I was a student nurse many many moons ago and my net salary was £11 per MONTH yet I managed to dress well, have a very full social life and shared a flat with one other.
Yes, the pay is not the highest but you do the job because it's a vocation, like teaching.
If it's money you want then it's better to decide on another career.
I do agree that their pay could be much better but you know the pay structure from the outset.
What I do not agree with, is bank nurses and teachers getting triple the amount ph for doing the same job.

Oh, I certainly could GracesGranMK3 but I know much of this is repeated on FB and other social media and the persons involved are known and have been punished.

An edited email that I received today:

Gabriella, the country would be screwed now if every nurse had decided to go for a well paid career instead of serving their country.

How about we pay them what they’re worth? They are literally putting the lives on the line for their country right now. I genuinely hope BJ is getting better. I hope he looks at those highly skilled nurses and feels guilty.

Barmeyoldbat Also I object very strongly to the word SCROUNGERS being used to describe people claiming benefits.
I think posters have made it very clear that applies to SOME people who work the system and that other people are deserving claimants. No-one said they were scroungers.

An acquaintance who is self-employed has come unstuck!
His accountant can show that the business makes marginal profits so no income tax is paid. He is now furious that he can't claim as a claim would be based on profits!
Objecting because a couple of parts of the business 'show a loss' while others show a little profit. Ridiculous that HMRC say that the profitable parts are expected to be lumped in with the 'loss-making' thereby removing his right to claim!

I doubt whether the majority of nurses made the choice because they wanted to 'serve their country' above earning enough to live on. If people were paid their worth then footballers would be on NHS salaries and vice versa. Life doesn't work that way.

It could though. I’m aware I’m idealistic, and when I was a uk teacher, the salary was fine for me. But these people are saving lives. They COULD claim symptoms and isolate, but they’re not.

I’d like to think Boris will have an epiphany while in hospital.

mcem, I too know someone like that. A lot of her income is under the table. She’s come unstuck now. Shame.

They'll probably be able to give him some cream for it.

I know a couple in their late twenties, neither of whom have worked a day in their lives. One of them has a young child from a previous relationship. They seem to move from one council property to another on a whim, and they can afford a car, since one of them recently passed their test at the sixth or seventh attempt.

I don’t envy their lives in the least, though. The child is at school and I don’t know what they do all day, except wander around the shops or smoke and drink. It seems such a meaningless existence. It’s even odder in that I know the family of one of them, and they’re all hardworking, decent people who wouldn’t dream of acting that way themselves.

Oh yes GabriellaG I see. When she rang earlier my friend told me that jobcentre plus did mention an extra £20 would be paid (short term) to new claimants if a couple of conditions were met. One was her earnings in February and the other was the date of her claim. She does not qualify for the extra money, thanks for giving me the information though.

mcem my dd was talking about this a few days ago.

Those that like OP said "hid money under the table" to show little profit have not got stung!