Govt to tax the lower paid and cut dole

[hopi watcher]

I think the fairest thing would be to cut Unemployment assistance, but not the Unemployment benefit.

Benefit and assistance are currently the same amount, but you get Benefit for 12 months (if you have been working for 2 years) and then get switched to assistance, which is means tested in theory.

Benefit should remain the same to allow people to adjust to the lower income, and because they have earned this benefit through their prsi payments.

Assistance could be cut to 150 a week for those with children, and say 120 for single people.

No doubt you could live on that? Strange suggestion from one with a Labour avater. Another who fled the WP perhaps?

[hopi watcher]

I would totally agree with that. I would however go one step further. For people who have been on Unemployment Assistance for more than five years, I would not make any payment in cash, but in vouchers that could be used against such things as clothing and food but not against alcohol or cigarettes. These are people who chose not to work when there were jobs a plenty and people from all over Europe were flocking to this country. While I'm prepared to make sure they have the basics (maybe topped up by charities), I don't think they should ask the taxpayers to fund luxury items.

We need to bring more people at the lower end into the tax net, but we need there to be an incentive to work, so the gap between minimum wage and what one can get from welfare should be quite big.

This was tried, they called it the workhouse-it was a spectacular failure.

[Likely Lad]

Cutting the tax credits of all brings in a good and direct return. The PAYE allowance should also be hacked - especially for public servants. While the 700,000 on non-dole social welfare should not be cut, the dole could easily be halfed without too much repercussions (those on it for years need am incentive, those new to it are taking such a massive drop anyway that they cannot live on 204 so it makes no odds). The children's allowance needs to be slashed, taxed or payable in voucher form only.

I presume you have been lucky enough not lose your job during the last 18 months and are not currently on the dole?

because you're talking through your arsehole son

[rhonda15]

economic suicide

all that money will be taken directly out of the economy as the lower paid and people on the dole spend it right back into the economy

this will work about just as well as the hike in VAT did

muppets!

[kerrynorth]

I think the fairest thing would be to cut Unemployment assistance, but not the Unemployment benefit.

Benefit and assistance are currently the same amount, but you get Benefit for 12 months (if you have been working for 2 years) and then get switched to assistance, which is means tested in theory.

Benefit should remain the same to allow people to adjust to the lower income, and because they have earned this benefit through their prsi payments.

Assistance could be cut to 150 a week for those with children, and say 120 for single people.

There is a circa €20 gap between Jobseekers Benefit and Assistance €223 v €204 I think. But I take your point in that JA should take a greater disproportionate hit than JB.

[bormotello]

Its all well saying there should be incentives to get the people on the dole back to work, but let me spell it out for you.


THERE ARE NO JOBS.

Are for the jobs that are there you are competing with hundreds of others, and countless of immigrants who would be more than happy to work for peanuts.
.

It worst it
Then you can stay for rest of your life on most generous welfare system in the world.
All what you need to do is only work for two years on minimum wage and pay PRSI

[Likely Lad]

Assistance could be cut to 150 a week for those with children, and say 120 for single people.

So I take it that Labour supporters like yourself will have no problem with PS pay being cut by 25% for PS workers with children and by 40% for PS workers without children? Labour are the party of solidarity between workers you know!

And let me take another wild guess here you haven't been unfortunate to lose your job within the past 18 months right? Because it you sound like another ignorant la-la-land inhabitant forwarding how to cut chop the dole theories who hasnt a clue how difficult it is to be living on 204 per week

[Likely Lad]

There is a circa €20 gap between Jobseekers Benefit and Assistance €223 v €204 I think. But I take your point in that JA should take a greater disproportionate hit than JB.

no the full rate of both JA and JB is the same, in the case of a single person €204.30 per week on both.

It would have been fine in theory to have a reduced rate for JB when there was full employment and people could easily find a new job within 12 months but now this country will have thousands able willing to work long-term dole recipients because there are sweet f.a. jobs. Reduce JB and you will be further punishing the ultimate victims of this recession.

[the klingon]

For people who have been on Unemployment Assistance for more than five years, I would not make any payment in cash, but in vouchers that could be used against such things as clothing and food but not against alcohol or cigarettes.
.

It seems callous, but might well be the most fair system.

We need to bring more people at the lower end into the tax net, but we need there to be an incentive to work, so the gap between minimum wage and what one can get from welfare should be quite big.

Trouble is, the damn rent allowance / developer dole is huge. It's a massive drain. It's hard to bridge the gap between low pay and low tax, and dole + free rent.
Becoming obvious more effort will have to be made to reduce what's paid on rent allowance, I don't know how forcefully this is being driven.

Another example of the positive benefit of high housing costs.

[Congalltee]

I presume you have been lucky enough not lose your job during the last 18 months and are not currently on the dole?

because you're talking through your arsehole son

It is not a question of luck, I am self-employed. The dole could be cut without any political repercussions was the point I was making for the reasons I gave. That won't happen, but our surplus workforce need additional incentives to emigrate. Harsh but that government policy.