can i just say that for the past 10 to 15 years i have tried to contact itv about the rise in child benifit in the budget .it is comendable that the chansellor puts up child benifit, but can i please point out that if you are on income support benifits child  benifit is deducted as income so people/familys on income support are no better off. so working families are better off so disabled people with children are not.

Well here we are again with another budget against the hard working british motorist and taxpayers.Tax tax and more tax, with an increase in Child benefit? Great more money for the immigrants to claim for and send home to their off spring in their own country. When is this governement going to learn that increase's in child benefit cost the British taxpayer more and more every year.Ok it is meant to help the children in poverty here in the UK, but the system is being exploted beyond belief by those entering into Britain.

Dont get me wrong i am not against any one wishing to come into the UK for a better life. But there is a line that must be drawn in paying out benefits to these people and the misuse of the system generally.

First of all the Child allowance should only be payable to those who have been legally entered into the UK and have resided here for more then 5 years and have made contributions into the services as a whole!.Secondly the child benefit should only be payable to those who can prove without any reasonable doubt that the child is living within the UK and not abroad. YOU CANNOT GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY HAVE A CHILD AND CLAIM CILD BENEFIT IN THEIR COUNTRY SO WHY IS IT ALLOWED IN THE UK???

If you are entering into the UK and are pregnant then you must pay to have the baby in the Hospital,where else in the world can you enter a country HAVE A BABY and get free medical help, all sponsered by us the british taxpayer....nowhere!!! Whenever we travel abroad we have to take out insurance, so where is there insurance when they enter the UK...pure and simply they do not have any we fund them all the way....its wrong!

All these handouts cost us the taxpayer millions of pounds per year with millions being sent home to there country! This is wrong the government needs to act,but alas none have the back bone to stand up and speak out against this,as the do gooders of this country would unite and call it racist. It is nothing to do with that but to protect the UK economy and to stop millions of pounds being illegally claimed and sent back to their homelands.

The country is at breaking point, the NHS services cannot cope and is also at breaking point,with government promises all being ignored.Many British people feel demoralised and let down by this government after voting them into power. Services are unable to cope and it is getting worse every day, we cannot treat our own people, those in poverty, the elderly infirm and disabled..yet we handout cash to all without even batting an eyelid.

I am sick of this government and the lack of understadning US THE BRITISH who fund the UK, what was once called GREAT BRITAIN is no longer Great, just Britain...Come To Britain Feel Free To Enter, Help Yourself to our Services and Take All you can and all we ask is nothing!

WAKE UP BRITIAN WE NEED A GOVERNMENT WHO CAN BRING THE GREAT BACK TO BRITAIN

 

 

I agree 100% with this post what about the 1000's of people driving on the road without a driving license.

how many have UK status last I count herd there were over 300,000 in uk illegal people so how many behind a wheel it's about time the trade license was tane of dealers or 5 to 10 years jail sentance for sale of a dangerous wepon thats what a car is if your not legal to drive it.

did you know you can buy a  second hand car with road tax without a license.

my point get them off the road less congestion less chance of getting more folk hit by  with drivers with  no insurance.

carry bags if you have a car this will not affect you but if you travel on the buses this is a killer bag duty.

unfair to folk who don't have a car. 

 

 

 

 

 

Child benefit should not be a right, ti should be means tested.

What is the point of a family whose income is considered above average, receiving child benefit?

I know of *plenty* of families who live extremely comfortable middle class lifestyles and want for nothing, yet these families are getting £20 per child, per week.

If this family has three children (which is common) they will be getting £240 per month. That's £3,120. per year.

Total the amount for all three children up until they are 18yrs of age (if they stay in education, which is highly likely), you get the grand total of £56,160.  That's money spent on ONE family with three kids and that doesn't include any increases along the way, financial or babies!

 

 

I guess the author does not have children. Those 'middle class' families that you refer to are hard working people paying their share in tax and national insurance contributions. That is why you can call them 'middle class'. Is it not reasonable that they should be entitled to child benefit the same as everyone else or should it be yet another hand out to those who choose not to work and let the 'state' take care of them?

It must not be forgotten that those children of the 'middle class' families will grow up with a 'work ethic' and will go into full time employemnet and will ultimately be paying to provide you with a pension. I doubt very much that the same could be said for those children that come from the 'work shy'. They will undoubtably grow up with the same attitudes of their parents and avoid work while they are supported by hand outs.

Child benefit, if wisely spent will pay for after school,clubs, to allow thae parent/s to continue in full time employemnt or it will pay for tuition in swimming or music. This helps develope intellegent, bright children who will go on to become worthwhile members of society. Alternatively, let all the child benefit go to the work shy, whose children will probably be parents themselves at 15yrs or will be in young offenders institutions/prison etc. Still at least the parents could afford their pint and cigarettes, while the children were young and impressionable.

 

Ken Dodd had the right idea.  Stash it away under the bed so the government can't get their mits on it.  We work hard for what we earn on a minimum wage and a big chunk gets taken away for supposedly more "deserving cases".  We're going to be taxed straight into a cardboard box.  Ah well come the big sleep none of this will matter ...

Strange though how many of those "deserving cases" earn 10 times what I earn.

In response to the opening thread, I would like to put some clarity on the issue of Child Benefit being deducted from Income Support. I work for the Department for Work and Pensions, so the information I am about to give is true -

Child Benefit is only deducted from Income Support for claimants who have been in receipt of Income Support prior to April 2004. This is because Child Benefit is no longer deducted from Income Support because the Family and Child Premiums were abolished in April 2004. So, all new claimants from April 2004 are only awarded the standard Personal Allowance (currently £59.15 for a single claimant and £92.80 for a couple).

Child Tax Credit replaced the Family and Child Premiums in April 2004 because Income Support no longer pays for children. The rate of Child Tax Credit is much higher to the Family and Child Premiums Income Support currently pays for existing claimants pre-April 2004.

Therefore, anyone who claims Income Support and has children will not have Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit deducted.

 

 

 

 

 

tazjay..."I guess the author does not have children"

If that is aimed at me, how wrong you are.

I do have children although they have all finished in education and all are working and paying taxes themselves.

I have been on both sides of the fence regarding child benefit (or child allowance as it used to be called).

I have been in a position where I could easily have not collected my allowance as we were very comfortably off, but I have also been in a position where I had to take two jobs to make ends meet.

I am glad my child rearing days are behind me! 

 

<quote>I have been in a position where I could easily have not collected my allowance as we were very comfortably off, but I have also been in a position where I had to take two jobs to make ends meet.

I am glad my child rearing days are behind me! </quote>

Many people I know rue the day their child rearing days ended because now they no longer have the child allowance, they, like me, need to have two jobs to make ends meet.  I don't see why people should be given a tax rebate just because they have kids.  

 

When my son reached 17yrs (and ended college) I was still on my own (divorce) and *really* missed my child benefit.

At that time, I was still doing a Mon-Fri 9-5 job and working every Sunday 10-4.

Even with 25% off my council tax bill I still struggled to make ends meet.

 

 

 

 

Aye the government (like one of my colleagues) seem to think you only need help if you have kids whereas couples with children are usually the most affluent of all groups.  Two incomes to start with mean they're better off and many complain that the allowances isn't high enough despite being able to afford holidays, cars, etc, etc. 

25% off the council tax bill is the only concession made for single people - the rest is geared towards making people (particularly couples) better off than they already are.  If given at all, child allowance should be means tested.

Eh?

I agree - well said.

 

rosiet2008:

Aye the government (like one of my colleagues) seem to think you only need help if you have kids whereas couples with children are usually the most affluent of all groups.  Two incomes to start with mean they're better off and many complain that the allowances isn't high enough despite being able to afford holidays, cars, etc, etc. 

25% off the council tax bill is the only concession made for single people - the rest is geared towards making people (particularly couples) better off than they already are.  If given at all, child allowance should be means tested.

I agree about the means testing, rosiet - I mentioned that a couple of posts up.