Don’t Pay ……….. Will you be signing up? I’m in!

DaisyAnne

HousePlantQueen

I am seriously considering cancelling my DD and paying for usage only.

I wonder how many will do just that?

We cancelled our DD last year.

I'm not signing. If I use it, I shall pay for it.

We've never had a DD. Until recently we got a quarterly bill, checked our meters, if it was very close to the billed usage we paid the bill. If not we sent the meter reading in for a bill correction. Now we're with someone else who only does monthly bills and we're doing the same thing. Except they got a bit stroppy about us not sending meter readings each month so MrA told them to come and read the meter themselves.

MaizieD it's so interesting how many people don't understand how tax works

I've seen many people angry that if they earn over 50,000 they have to pay 40% tax but if they earned £49,000 they would only pay 20%

People have literally turned down pay rises because they don't understand.

Up to 12,000 I think it is, No one pays tax on that amount.

Then anything between 12,000 and 50,000 is 20%

Then everything over 50,000 is 40%

Which means if you earn say 55,000 you still pay nothing on your first 12,000 then you still pay 20% on 38,000 and you only pay 40% on the 5,000.

How on Earth will not paying help?! Like everyone else, I'm concerned about the rising cost of gas and electricity, but I'll pay for what I've used, which is what we all should be doing.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't qualify for any financial help towards fuel bills - not old enough/not on Universal Credit of pension (my husband still works, I don't, due to having had a stroke). We'll have to pay, no matter what it costs. It means that we'll have to reduce our consumption, and we'll need to cut down on other things wherever we can.

HousePlantQueen

I am seriously considering cancelling my DD and paying for usage only.

I have done this as it means the energy company doesn't have a large chunk of my money in its bank account, in advance of the bill being due.
It does mean I have to be on the ball each month (I'm billed monthly) to put in a reading and pay a suitable amount.

I am relieved to see that most people realise how very unwise this refusal to pay would be.

There are always ways to save money. As someone mentioned, cancelling certain subscriptions like Sky along with other memberships which aren’t essential, would be a good start. There are lots of other examples and it’s up to all of us to decide what we personally can do without.

Just one or two sacrifices, along with the generous help from the government and suddenly the picture doesn’t look too bad at all.

Oh dear JE stop defending the indefensible we in this pickle partly due to this criminal government not a generous government

Bluebell I read that as pickle party and confused myself

True though

I have literally paid my fuel bill by taking up shoplifting as a hobby.

??

I think this, Jennifer is a ridiculous statement:
Just one or two sacrifices, along with the generous help from the government and suddenly the picture doesn’t look too bad at all.

Try telling that to someone who is already working 3 jobs abd having to use food banks! How very privileged we are.

I don't have to use the foodbank as my massive tv makes me dust sandwiches whilst I am at work and I take the toilet roll from the staff toilets and a few tea bags here and there, so I think I'll be ok. I've also offered to sell my body on the back of the toilet door in my local wetherspoons. I just wish people would be more resourceful. Gravy sandwiches are very nutritional and you can hug the mug you made the gravy in (instant obviously) for more heat

BlueBelle

Oh dear JE stop defending the indefensible we in this pickle partly due to this criminal government not a generous government

Well I am getting £900 towards my fuel bill and I think that's pretty generous.

This is a crazy idea I won’t be doing this

Chestnut

BlueBelle

Oh dear JE stop defending the indefensible we in this pickle partly due to this criminal government not a generous government

Well I am getting £900 towards my fuel bill and I think that's pretty generous.

Well it will go some but nowhere near all the way towards meeting the anticipated average bill of £3600 Chestnut, but there are many families and disabled people who won’t be getting that amount.

I honestly think some of you have absolutely no idea what the lived experience of people with no savings, paying rent and trying to bring up a family on minimum wage, or living on the state pension alone is like. More and more people are being pushed into poverty every week, it’s indefensible.

This apparent generosity is a direct result of the two recent by-election losses... the original plan if you remember was a £200 'loan' to be credited to our electricity account then clawed back in a year or two.

Jane I love you! ?

I do realise that it must be very worrying for some who may have already made many sacrifices, but those on a very low income as well as the disabled will have additional help.

In addition, the government has said that it will be constantly monitoring the situation, so there may well be additional measures announced at some point.

The disabled should give up sky tv <shrugs> I mean some of them don't even leave the house and removing their entertainment package will be motivation for them

I don't think the reason for this assistance matters, what matters is it's being given.

I’m not signing. We should be getting extra help in the Autumn and not to pay anything is ridiculous. I can understand people who are really unable to afford their energy paying only what they can after alerting their energy company to their plight. There is a difference between “won’t pay” and”can’t pay”.

I don't understand how it will help letting your energy company know you can't afford to pay. If you don't have the money what can they do?

Some of you genuinely don’t get it do you? In 2021 the average annual fuel bill was £1,277 . It rose to £1,971 from April 2022.. It is predicted to be £3615 from January 2023. Even £900 per year, which most households will only get a proportion of leaves a deficit of £2,388-£900 so they will be £1,488 worse off than they were a year before - just on fuel. The minimum wage is £9.50 per hour. So if no tax is deducted somebody on the minimum wage would have to work 150ish hours just to pay the additional fuel bill. That’s a whole month’s extra work per year just to pay the additional fuel bill even if they get £900 paid by the government. Or to put it into context for pensioners, they will be £1488 worse off, on an income of £9628 if they are a new pensioner, less otherwise. That has a massive impact. Yes, I know there have been small rises in minimum wage and pensions, and maybe they can cut out Sky, shop at Aldi etc (most already do) etc. but how can you not see how much worse off they will be?

They should just work harder maybe do some piece work in their sleep