>>
>> And you're needing to prove tax on income you've had and spent or saved.
>>
>> Now imagine you need to 'pass' the gateway for Universal Credit so you can pay
>> your rent and feed the kids.....
>>
Well you started the thread drift, just remember that!
Believe me I have a great deal of sympathy - I've always had a fear of having to live on benefits and even as somebody who has never had to I want a system that allows people to have a decent basic life in that situation. I honestly believe we should accept the inevitable deadweight cost of that and by doing so we would make society better for everybody. The idea that welfare has to involve shame, deprivation and administrative hurdles to prevent it being a lifestyle choice is one that has taken deep root in conservative (small c) thinking, ever since the invention of the workhouse.
Removing that would have a cost but it would also bring upsides, not least that people would be much more inclined to take risk to improve their lives if there was a reliable safety net, maybe even a Universal Basic Income. Anybody on UC who takes a job that doesn't work out has to endure the process and the gap in income all over again.
When I and the boss first set up home having taken on a mortgage, and even more when we had children, even as someone with skills and a decent job our financial insecurity was always in the back of my mind. I can still remember how my spirits lifted when I first had 3 clear months of salary saved against the proverbial rainy day.
I became my dad. In the 1950's, even though our family of four lived in a 'slum' along with about 50% of the population, the neighbours thought we were well off. We weren't, but Dad could see into the future. Every week his wage was divided into separate compartments of a cash box so when the coalman came the money was always there to fill the coal hole and we always had shillings for the meters. We even had money to go on holiday for 2 weeks in the summer, saved in 1/50 increments over the year. He could have been the inspiration for Wilkins Micawber.
I often say money doesn't matter as long as we don't run out, and I mean it. If it does run out, or even threatens to, it becomes the monster that pushes everything else out.
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Tax Returns new
Tax Returns new
