Many of you will know about the uproar in the UK over plans to cut child benefits for higher rate tax payers, punishing families with one higher-rate earner and a stay-at-home mum. Spain gets by without child benefits for anyone.
Admittedly, for a while we had Zp’s ‘cheque bebé’ of €2,500 for all babies, but that’s being axed from 01/01/11. There wasn’t so much as a whimper from the Spanish public when the govt. announced this cut.
I was also astonished to learn that Cameron’s coalition government plans to cap the benefits any one family can get in a year at 26,000 Pounds. That’s such a lot of (your) money being dished out by the government. When it comes to benefits, the UK is truly the land of milk and honey.
I think the way this government has gone about qualifying the axing of child benefit to higher rate tax payers is diabolical. It has been unfairly assessed. It should be based on income per household. HMG have access to the top financial experts. Please don’t tell me , that between them they could not come up with a way of doing this! 😯 Every household who have children eligible for child benefit, should declare the joint income of the parents/guardians, when completing a tax return. Self employed people will find a way around their declared income, it’s not difficult!
On the radio yesterday, someone called in to say that a salary of £44,000 was not a huge salary for anyone living in the South-East. Housing and the general cost of living is higher here than in many other parts of the UK. Many families have to budget to the last penny and losing CB WILL make a difference to them. I fear that the children will suffer longer term. For example, have you seen the price of children’s shoes? 😯 I can buy shoes for myself cheaper!
I accept there is an urgent need to get us back in the black, but there are plenty of other places to look first. How about paying ZERO benefits to ALL immigrants until they have contributed to the system for at least 5 years?
Unless they sort out a fairer way of paying out the CB, then I for one, will not be voting for the Conservatives again.
The problem is it is not really a conservative Government, they gave away too much to the lib-dems and have too many of them in cabinet! We have a Liberal Government that about 15% of the population voted for 👿
It would break our hearts to see our family move abroad, BUT…if we were in their shoes now, we would be booking a flight out of the UK, probably to Australia or New Zealand. The UK is not a country that I think has a great deal to offer my grandaughters in which to grow up into.
If they should ever decide to go, 😥 ….. we would follow! 🙂
I’m afraid lots of people still have not got the hang of this coalition lark have they? We have not got a Tory government, I wish people would get that into their heads. We simply did not give them a majority at the last election. As a consequence they can’t look after their natural continuance, the rich. Hence the sight of people who earn more than £44,000 a year being the first to whinge at benefit cuts.