What Happenned To The Benefits Cap?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/554954/Benefits-father-Peter-Rolfe-new-council-house

[youngmafbog]

As usual with all these things - it is all hot air.

[B00]

The guy's awful isnt he?

On a side note, look at the rubbish on the kitchen floor- bleurgh!

[naomi24]

It would be interesting to see a breakdown of his benefits.

[naomi24]

^ Just out of interest does anyone have any idea how his benefits would be assessed?

[ummmm]

One thing they do is count child benefit amongst the total cost. I don't think they should do that considering everyone, regardless of wealth, is entitled to it.

[factor-fiction]

I suspect child benefit is a huge chunk of it, although I don't know how many of the 26 children he claims for.

[jim360]

Not all benefits are covered by the cap, but most -- particularly Housing benefit and Child Benefit -- are included. Without knowing more details about where his money's coming from it's not clear how he could "break" the cap, but it's not impossible. Benefits excluded from the cap include Disability Living Allowance, for example -- which, since this particular man suffers from arthritis, might explain the figure that's significantly above the cap.

[ummmm]

I might have read a different article but I think it said he had 7 kids living with him and a couple of grand kids.

[factor-fiction]

Hi ummmm- I understood child benefit is means tested now for those who earn around £50K pa and is quickly stopped after around £60K pa, and I thought the benefit cap was supposed to include child benefit (although I was surprised as it could lead to stories of children starving to death)

[naomi24]

This man has 26 children!! Why shouldn’t the child benefit he receives be included?

[ummmm]

Is that actually being enforced now? I thought it was just a proposal.

[naomi24]

I know several people who, because of their earnings, no longer receive child benefit.

[factor-fiction]

It's supposed to be in place but there was talk of proposing to reduce the cap.
https://www.gov.uk/benefit-cap

[ummmm]

Because up until recently, if it has been enforced, everyone with a child in education was entitled to it regardless of wealth.

[factor-fiction]

Ah- if you are referring to the withdrawal of child benefit for higher earners., then yes that is already in place
https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-tax-charge/overview

[joggerjayne]

China had the right idea with their "one child" rule.

If all his children had the same number of kids as him, he would produce over 600 grandchildren, and over 17,000 great grandchildren.

And over 456,000 great grandchildren.

If every couple in the UK did the same as him, in 3 generations the UK population would exceed 527,000,000,000. ... about 80 times the population of the whole planet.

And we pay taxes to support this guy???

[joggerjayne]

456,000,000 "great great" grandchildren

[naomi24]

Perhaps it's time child benefit was stopped altogether.

[factor-fiction]

Hi naomi- I think it's far too entrenched, and we have already gone the other way by paying child tax credits as well. I doubt any party would ever stop it as there would soon be an outrage as stories would be told of dying children. I think there is a case though for announcing restrictions to benefits for children after a certain future date, although I think would then be claimed to be a 'tax on children' and claims that it's a way of saying only the well off can have children

[ummmm]

Why?

I suppose we could go back to how people are taxed. But then....would the HMRC computers be able to deal with it?