In praise of Iain Duncan Smith's Welfare Reforms

www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/chartered-institute-of-taxation-ciot/article/ciot-serious-concerns-for-business-over-universal-credit-pro

Another problem for employers and the self-employed caused by IDS.

falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/exclusive-coalitions-pursuit-turns-nasty-as-debt-collectors-hound-poorest

Is this what we really want?
Should they not be hounding the richest for the taxes they do not pay?

Once again no thought for the small business durhamjen RTI reporting (by law within 7 days of a payment)means that I am unable to have a two week holiday. Our business pays wages on a weekly basis. We always have and the guys simply refuse (or probably cannot afford) to change to monthly. This means that I am legally obliged to report a payroll payment within 7 days of the said payment in "real time" so I cannot do this two weeks in advance like I can the payroll. Another wonderful gift to the small business from this sh*tty government !

IDS is hitting poor pensioners with welfare reform as much as working poor of all ages, who are the bulk of those going to food banks.

Welfare reform is not only about the unemployed, which includes those lost or sanctioned off benefit (and so no vouchers to food banks) over 60 and disabled / chronic sick lost benefits.

If you get a state pension and benefits, you get taxed even if between them still below the basic tax allowance.

Unemployment benefit is only 3 per cent of the benefits bill, and includes those raised retirement age women 60 from 2013 and men from 65 to 66, yet people over 60 are not listed in the unemployment statistics by government.

97 per cent of the benefits bill is the working poor and poor pensioners, which includes half of women over 50.

You get your state pension payout even if remain in your job.

Winter Fuel Allowance is threatened after 2015, but if below retirement age and lose benefit, also lose access to Cold Weather Payments.

These are your children, to the great grandparent generation alive today.

Worse is to come from 2016 with the Flat Rate Pension, that is not more, but less or nil state pension for life for your children from 60/65 from 2016:

- End of Pension credit new claimants from 2016

- End of State Earnings Related Pension and State Second Pension, so no triple lock guaranteed annual rise for these additional pensions

- End of housewife's 60 per cent state pension from husband's contributions new claimants from 2016, with housewife no state pension of her own from too low waged / less than 14 hours each job to qualify to pay for NI credits and no state pension pro rata if less than 10 years NI credits

- End of widow inheriting husband's state pension

- End of divorcees having a state pension from husband's contribution, when none of her own

- Less state pension as need 35 years NI credits instead of now 30 years and to be fully paid up in SERPs / S2P. Will not be able to top up NI credits from 2016.

Five years ago when I retired, you needed to have paid NI for 39 years, so the 30 years now is an anomaly for the lucky few who are between 60 and 65. 35 years is still less than people older than me had to pay in for.
We also do not get the guaranteed flat rate pension.

Five years ago when I retired, you needed to have paid NI for 39 years, so the 30 years now is an anomaly for the lucky few who are between 60 and 65. 35 years is still less than people older than me had to pay in for.
We also do not get the guaranteed flat rate pension.

https://fullfact.org/live/2014/jun/statistics_authority_work_pensions_complaints-33473

The statistics authority sends more letters to the DWP complaining that it's got its statistics wrong than any other government department.
I am actually close to feeling sorry for IDS as he's got himself so much in a mess.

No praise for Smith from me: an unpleasant little man doing a sneaky, unpleasant job on behalf of his equally unpleasant and inadequate master. Yes, there is benefit abuse and yes, it is necessary to tighten up the system. But, no, it is not right to harass the weakest members of our society whilst letting the real crooks, be they benefit scroungers, bankers, or massive tax-avoiders, get away with it. But then what do you expect from Smith, failed leader of his party, massager of the truth about his own past, and lucky enough to enjoy a soft living thanks to his wealthy in-laws. Not exactly a safe pair of hands to sort out the nation's welfare problems, I would have thought.

There isn't a safe pair of hands in the Tory party, papaoscar. Every time I write on here, I feel quite ill at the heading. Need to start another thread on him.
The strange thing is that IDS was in the forces. He should realise that everyone is important, and needs to be able to live. His job was an extension of the welfare state. He was supposed to be protecting the people in this country, not making them worse off.
However like most of the rest of the government he has always been in the 1%. He has no idea how the majority of people live in this country.