The shame of Austerity Britain

I swear many of these problems would be less severe if we stopped paying foreign aid. I don’t understand why there isn’t a huge argument over it. The public seems to forget how much we give away to countries that don’t need it or use it for the correct purpose

Welshwife. I think you answered your own question. You stated most are paid thousands less than years ago but personal allowance has gone up, therefore roughly the same income. But everything has gone up over those years, so in real terms low and middle earners are still worse off. However, I do agree with you when you appear to say we should pay more tax to get the services we rely on that are free. If we all had to pay for education from age 5, all medical costs via insurance and all the other perks we take for granted, it would cost far more than a few pence extra tax.
I got into trouble for suggesting we contribute to nhs on here the other day with people saying why should we pay for meals in hospital etc. Well ok, let's pay a bit more tax on the assurance that it is spent solely on the services we all need.

Minxie totally agree but feel it is probably to do with all rich countries beholden to helping poor countries, even if those same poor countries can afford space programmes and huge defence/ nuclear budgets. Mad I know but isn't the whole world bl***y bonkers?

We should pay more in taxes. We should also be proud to help and support other countries in need. I'm happy to do both.

I thought there was a move afoot to look into how the aid we gave was used, but it all came to nothing as so much aid giving is linked to trade deals. It isn’t really aid, more of a backhander.

Jallimall08 - I suspect most of it is paid on the 'never never'. People don't like to go without even if it means getting in debt. There are still an awful lot more who aren't managing any of this and struggling to pay rent or buy food.

What financial rewards are given to people to have more children?

ilovecheese isn’t child benefit only paid for the first two children now?

And benefits have been capped forcing families to move to cheaper areas of the country.

Almost 30,000 single parent families were made homeless last year, up 8% on five years ago, according to official figures.

I thought George Osborne chickened out of cutting child benefit to the first 2 children only? A shame because that was a very good idea and very popular with non-lefties. I think only child tax credit / universal credit is affected and it was implemented years later then was originally proposed. I could be wrong, I don't follow these things closely - I have friends who depend on child benefit but more that have had to give it up because they earn more than £50k - I actually think that's really unfair too.

Apologies Beau. I think you’re right. It’s child tax credits and universal credit that has now got a two child limit, not child benefit itself.

Austerity Britain. Check out the ‘I’m stumped. Can anybody help?’ where assistance is required for items to put in a present box for a not very well off DD. I have never seen such a list of luxury items. If Gransnetters can afford Jo Malone doodads and spa days it is more than I can.

I actually do not see many signs of austerity and I don’t think the rest of the world would call us poor.

Monica
I am on your side, and no, 'you cannot have your cake and eat it'.

As I understand it there is a restriction on benefits to only 2 children, however those already in receipt of benefits keep it. The restrictions only apply to those having more children after the rules changed.
Like many on here I would agree with paying more income tax. Unfortunately it wouldn't affect me very much as I am on a very low income, most of which is covered by the personal allowance, but I would be happy to pay a little more on the amount of taxable income I have. It would also mean I could gift aid more to the charities I support, so it wouldn't increase the government's revenues, but at least I make sure it does some good! I'm not suggesting we go to 33% - no government would dare anyway - but a 1p or 2p increase would surely make an impact if spent wisely.

Jallimall08 - I suspect most of it is paid on the 'never never'. People don't like to go without even if it means getting in debt

I'm not so sure, I think people learnt last time when they got into debt and we had the credit crunch.

Do you think we could be heading for another credit crunch knickas and are people are getting into debt or are they just spending and not saving for the future?

I think very low interest rates for a long period have lulled people into an expectation that interest rates will always remain low. Many do not have the slack in their budgets to cope with an interest rate increase of 1%, let alone 3 or 4%.

I do not think people have learnt, or remembered anything from the last credit crunch. If they had indebtedness would be falling not rising. Many younger people do not remember the last time interest rates were over 5%, let alone the consistent 5 - 10% that most of us will remember.

But no sympathy for those who bought new cars, expensive holidays or maxed their mortgage to get an even bigger better house.

I'd have no sympathy for them either, MOnica,but the fact remains that, as you said, if interest rates rise they will be in trouble and no longer spending , so the economy will suffer. It;'s not good that people are freely spending money that they don't have.

But I wonder how many are getting into debt just to cover everyday living expenses. Do you have figures to show that it's not happening?

lollee I assure you that the people I know who have had a drop in salary in no way find it made up to the same amount due to the personal allowance going up. The few hundred of extra allowance translates to only a small proportion of the money lost.

I don’t think that anyone suggested raising the tax level to 33% but simply commented that it was the existing tax rate when some of us started work.

Many people have cars on a lease system now and need to change them every couple of years or pay the remaining amount agreed when the lease was taken out - when we bought our last car the salesman told us we were very unusual actually paying for the car - not a great big car but a small modest one which does a good mileage.

Bemoaning the cost of national debt is missing the point – we must invest in the economy
A country that stops investing in public infrastructure will find everything it does becomes more difficult
For a government to always cut investment first is bad for the longer term health of the economy. In this sense, a government is just like a company. A firm that chooses to carry on working with the machinery it bought decades ago will not have to pay much debt interest, but it will gradually lose out to competitors that invest in more productive, efficient machines.
www.newstatesman.com/politics/economy/2017/11/bemoaning-cost-national-debt-missing-point-we-must-invest-economy

This point was lost on Margaret Thatcher who used the bonanza of North Sea oil to clobber the unions , especially the NUM, rather than invest that money in the country's future - infrastructure, housing and sustainable energy for when the oil and coal were gone.

How many of those going to foodbanks are genuine?
How many go to takeaways each week rather than buy a pound of mince etc ?
Take out Fish and chips and pizzas etc are a luxury when you consider what they charge.
Perhaps we need a bit more education on how to manage.

Wow charboy just wow

Oh dear charjoy have you visited a foodbank, or volunteered at a foodbank or just read about them in the Sun/ DM/Express???

The majority of claimants at food banks are genuine. They have to have been referred to it by a doctor, social worker or job centre and they can only get help every so many months or so many times in a year.

Is the system perfect, no of course it isn't, but this shrugging things off just because, say, 5% may be cheats, is lazy thinking of the 'No bread? let them eat cake'.variety and we all know what happened to Maria Antoinette.
The other 95% of Food Bank recipients are in desperate need and to shrug them off as not mattering is contemptible.

I don’t think it’s easy to go to a Food Bank. You have to have a voucher from a Health Visitor, GP, CAB, Jobcentre etc. You can only use the FB three times I think.

The users have usually not been eating regular meals.

Ill health is a very common feature. Almost two-thirds of users had a health condition, half of households using food banks included someone with a disability and a third had mental health problems.
Debts and a long tail of repayments are often dragging them down.
They can be months behind with bills and having to pay back bank loans, credit cards, loan sharks, pawn shops and payday lenders

No, you can't just turn up and ask for a bag of food!
It does have to be a referral.