Ok Tell me off if we've discussed this before my memory is not too good but i was just in the chatroom and we were having an argument over benefits. I mention no names as i respect peoples confidentiality but there were 2 of us who believed people who were not ill (mentally or physically) should not recieve benefits and there were 2 of us who believed benefits should increase as people out of work dont get enough to live on.

The 2 people who were all for benefits said they would happily give up more of their own wages towards helping people who couldnt work and that people who earned a lot (ie, over 60k) should pay even more.

I dont really know where to stand on this because ill admit i dont really know many people on benefits who shouldnt be, but i am annoyed that having worked so very hard to get to a position where you earn a lot of money (and i do admit some people work harder than others to earn) you should have to give so much of it away to others who do not work that you end up having as much money yourself as someone who doesnt work as hard.

Do you lot think benefits should increase? Are they just right of are they too low or too high?

As you know from the chat room kittykat, I'm against benefits to undeserving people. People who are mentally or physically disabled or can prove they are actively job seeking should be able to claim benefits. However, I object to people who think they don't have to work and can live off other peoples taxes who have worked hard to make a good living for themselves. If the rich are simply taxed more and more to fund these leeches, then there will be no incentive to work hard and become rich, as you will be taxed to death and someone who does nothing could be claiming a large chunk of it. Also, these people, who I would term 'the underclass', generally spend most of their benefits on alcohol and drugs and have no intentions of finding a job. They may also earn extra money illegally, which of course is untaxed, such as through selling drugs, prostitution, and selling stolen goods. In my opinion, these people should be entitled to nothing and it should be cracked down on a lot harder than it is. That way, less taxpayers money would be wasted on these people and could be used to generate more for the NHS, education, pensions, etc. As a knock on effect, tax revenue would increase due to the underclass being forced into work with no benefits available to them, and therefore would be paying income tax.

Am wary of answering this thread in case I get slated or criticised when people do not know my situation.

So all I will say is please feel free to share your views here, of course, but also bear in mind that many people who receive benefits do because they genuinely need them.

I am on disability benefits due to a long-term health problem which makes me unable to work. On a good week I can manage 2 hours voluntary work.

I constantly work on getting better, and desperately hope that one day I will, but for now I need benefits to feed myself, keep a roof over my head, and allow me enough money to travel to my appointments. Other stuff on top of that is a bonus :)

I don't want to go into any more detail, nor do I want to have to justify myself to anyone for receiving benefits. That's all I'm saying. Sure, some people scam the system, but many claimants are genuine. And those of us who are need enough money to live on.

Before I got my disability bonus I spent 6 months on £40 or so a week. £10 of this went to rent and £15 to debt repayments. This left me with £15 a week to live on. For most of those 6 months I had a can of Kwik Save Irish Stew a day and a bar of chocolate. It was horrendous. I couldn't attend many of my health appointments because I didn't have enough money for buses or trams.

I think that under 25s on JSA or basic income support still get around £40 a week and this is just not enough for most people to live on especially if, like me, they have big debt repayments to deal with. (And no I didn't get myself irresponsibly into debt).

So I think that benefits should be increased. However I can see that some would argue this is a bad idea because it would encourage more people to go on the dole when they should be working. I don't know what the answer to that is, but people need to have enough to live on.

Obviously enough to fund a PC and an internet connection though I see?

In any case, both me and Kittykat stated that people who CAN'T work (i.e. through disabilities) are a totally different kettle of fish to those who WON'T work (i.e. dossers who live off the taxpayer and have never put anything in).

Not strictly benefits but one area which needs looking at is the Disabled Students Allowance.

This is a fund that comes from the government and provides upto £3000 of equipment to allow a student in higher education an easier life.

In some cases this is justified, and provides useful equipment to people who cannot use their hands or are very physically handicapped, in others it goes to someone with dyslexia.

The thing is, there are no proper checks into whether a student already has a PC and in many cases they get a brand new P4 2.4Ghz PC with DVD-ROM, CD-rewriter, 17" display, scanner and printer even if they have a PC of their own.

If they carry on with their studies (usually two or three years) then this equipment is theirs to keep.

I don't know how many grants are allocated, but I worked for one of the North West's leading suppliers and we delivered about 50-60 a week. There are about six of these specialist suppliers in the UK.

Originally posted by t020
Obviously enough to fund a PC and an internet connection though I see?

Yep.

Mainly cos I can't leave the house much.

Computer was bought on a credit card years ago which I am still paying for.

Internet connection is the cheapest one I could find.

So I'm not exactly loaded!

Mainly I use the internet for health and medication research, and for contact with other people with similar illnesses.

Only recently have I started also using it for other things like this forum.

It decreases the inevitable social isolation which occurs when someone is too ill to go out.

Does that justify my existence here?

Originally posted by purplepippa
Yep.

Mainly cos I can't leave the house much.

Computer was bought on a credit card years ago which I am still paying for.

Internet connection is the cheapest one I could find.

So I'm not exactly loaded!

Mainly I use the internet for health and medication research, and for contact with other people with similar illnesses.

Only recently have I started also using it for other things like this forum.

It decreases the inevitable social isolation which occurs when someone is too ill to go out.

Does that justify my existence here?

You conveniently chose to ignore the rest of the post from which you quoted.

It can't be much fun being unemployed but I can't speak first hand because I have always worked for my crust

What shouldn't be forgotten is that any income gained on benefits is disposable income. Things that working people have to pay for are all free gratis for those on benefits eg rent, council tax, prescriptions, school meals, dental fees and optical charges, almost free use of sports facilities, no charge for education courses and creche and I dare say there are many more.

When all these are added up they probably have more money to spend than many people who are working.

Originally posted by t020
You conveniently chose to ignore the rest of the post from which you quoted.

And why not. It was just a statement of 'opinion' that required no answer. The rest of your post said this :

"In any case, both me and Kittykat stated that people who CAN'T work (i.e. through disabilities) are a totally different kettle of fish to those who WON'T work (i.e. dossers who live off the taxpayer and have never put anything in)."

And....? Of course there's a difference. What's your point?

The sky is sometimes blue. Please don't forget to reply to this statement.

Nomme

Originally posted by Mo
It can't be much fun being unemployed but I can't speak first hand because I have always worked for my crust

What shouldn't be forgotten is that any income gained on benefits is disposable income. Things that working people have to pay for are all free gratis for those on benefits eg rent, council tax, prescriptions, school meals, dental fees and optical charges, almost free use of sports facilities, no charge for education courses and creche and I dare say there are many more.

When all these are added up they probably have more money to spend than many people who are working.
I wouldn't say that's true Mo.

I have to pay for eveything myself (Dentist, Prescriptions, Mortgage, Council Tax, Water Rates.....etc) and hving been unemployed previously I would still say I am better off working now.

I wouldn't say that people on benefits have more disposable income than those who work. People on benefits are given enough to survive on.

I could post rates all day long (since my day job is for Jobcentre Plus) but there are so many variables that it would be hard to give an accurate figure. It all boils down to circumstance.

I can say though that compared to a working family, people on benefits gets enough to survive and thats it.

Unless they are claiming and working, which is a different matter.

You and your family may be elligible to claim income support or working tax credit to help up your husbands wage (since he is the only working partner), again it depends on income.

Child Tax Credit is another benefit which you may be entitled to.

Have a look at the following website for more info: Inland Revenue (https://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Home.aspx).

HTH

Perhaps Pippa was given the computer as a present, or was able to buy it when she was working.

We can't judge people on their posessions when we don't know when they got them.

i've lived on benefits when my husband walked out and left me, mainly cos i wanted to be at home for my young child at the time
living on benefits dont make you rich by any means you are given just enough to live on and still make you struggle to pay bills and buy little things like gifts for the kids at christmas

i now work and support my family myself

the main thing that annoys me is the young people that dont want to work i know so many of them and they are never chased up to find jobs and evade the working system all the time, maybe conscription should be brought back in lol

My son gets Disability Living Allowance and Incapacity Benefit. He was bullied at school and ended up with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

That was from age 10 and he is now 21 and only just starting to get his life together. He has started college a couple of days a week and that is all he can manage. We help him as much as we can and I have no problem with people getting benefit as until you walk a mile in their shoes you dont know their life.
Eventually he will work and he will contribute. As parents we have always worked and not "scrounged". People need help until they can help themselves:o

He also has to pay for dentists, prescriptions and all the other things that working people have to pay for. He does not get anything free. Remember the difference between means tested benefits and others.

Originally posted by alchresearch
Not strictly benefits but one area which needs looking at is the Disabled Students Allowance.

This is a fund that comes from the government and provides upto £3000 of equipment to allow a student in higher education an easier life.

In some cases this is justified, and provides useful equipment to people who cannot use their hands or are very physically handicapped, in others it goes to someone with dyslexia.

The thing is, there are no proper checks into whether a student already has a PC and in many cases they get a brand new P4 2.4Ghz PC with DVD-ROM, CD-rewriter, 17" display, scanner and printer even if they have a PC of their own.

If they carry on with their studies (usually two or three years) then this equipment is theirs to keep.

I don't know how many grants are allocated, but I worked for one of the North West's leading suppliers and we delivered about 50-60 a week. There are about six of these specialist suppliers in the UK.
Spot on, and well done for pointing this out.

If dyslexic people are entitled to free equipment to help them learn then why arn't other students entitled to free health care? It really annoys me how I have to pay perscription charges, especially since I have to get a lot of perscriptions because of my bad skin. Last time I went to the chemist, my perscription cost £31.50, and I'm going to have to get another batch soon.

I've had 2 years out already, which I spent working and paying tax. I would have expected some of my tax to support my further education, but I've not seen a single penny of it.

I'm not saying dyslexic people shouldn't be allowed free learning aids, but it would be nice if other students like me with severe minor conditions got entitlements too.

Originally posted by Sidla
Spot on, and well done for pointing this out.

If dyslexic people are entitled to free equipment to help them learn then why arn't other students entitled to free health care? It really annoys me how I have to pay perscription charges, especially since I have to get a lot of perscriptions because of my bad skin. Last time I went to the chemist, my perscription cost £31.50, and I'm going to have to get another batch soon.

I've had 2 years out already, which I spent working and paying tax. I would have expected some of my tax to support my further education, but I've not seen a single penny of it.

I'm not saying dyslexic people shouldn't be allowed free learning aids, but it would be nice if other students like me with severe minor conditions got entitlements too.

Yes. There is an excellent program to aid dyslexia called "Texthelp Read and Write". It costs £99 and is a fantastic tool to add to any word processor. My gripe is that they are giving computers away when people already have them.

One guy I delivered to actually told me not to bother unpacking it because he had a better machine of his own and was going to sell this new one he had been given.

....and they get £200 minidisc recorders to record lectures too.

One guy I delivered to actually told me not to bother unpacking it because he had a better machine of his own and was going to sell this new one he had been given.
That really takes the biscuit. They really should check things like that.