@mikey
I like the way you attacked my
writing style instead of my points.
Sorry it was a bit 'stream of consciousness'. I often don't write down the thoughts that went in the gaps between what you can see, so the leaps of logic may be hard to follow.
Anyway, if unemployment was fixed overnight, I don't think your tax bill will drop by that much…
http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21631077-digging-deeper
(25% of your taxes may be welfare but 2/5 of that is not on working-age claimants)
You appear to personalise the money the taxman takes from your pocket and connect it to the layabouts you see from your front window. If the nation's workforce is, say, 40 million then you have a 1/40millionth share in any given layabout's handout and, per that link, you need to factor down to the 15% of your tax bill which is attributable to benefits to working-age persons.
Whereas, if you employed one person directly, you'd be shelling out £15k or more. Hence, I said it would be cheaper *for you* to leave them as they are.
My closing remark was that fear of unemployment is what curbs pay rise demands. Therefore, it is a useful tool for the economy. It does nothing for economic growth, the topic of this thread but that's the price we pay for wage restraint.