According to some survey results it is popularly believed that more than a third of all benefit claims are fraudulent. They aren’t. The best, official, estimate is:   As Unite, who prepared the graphic, say: Obviously fraud is wrong, but many people seem to think lots of people claiming benefits do so illegally. When the TUC did
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As the Telegraph noted this weekend: While Chancellor George Osborne insists benefit reforms are designed to help hard-working families, new rules which take effect on Saturday will mean that some of the poorest people in the country pay marginal rates of tax that are half as high again as those paid by millionaires. Many on the
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The Observer’s myth busting article on social security yields rewards to those willing to give it the attention it deserves. It’s George Osborne’s claim this ast week that large families are encouraged by a ‘welfare culture’. But that’s a lie. Here’s the data: As the Observer says: To quote the Economist: “Though most of them seem to end up in
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I’ve already noted the Observer’s excellent article on the myths surrounding social security. Now let’s look at another one, which is that Labour increased benefits (or social security) dependency. It is, of course, untrue as this data shows:   It was the Tories who took dependency to its peak of near enough 6 million and Labour who
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The myths around what some call welfare and others call benefits but which were and still are best described as social security are manifold; a situation deliberately fostered by government politicians and the right wing press. Some of those myths were addressed in the Observer this weekend. I unapologetically think many are worth repeating here. So, this is what
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As the Guardian notes this morning: A new frontier of the battle over the welfare state is being opened up as employment ministers look for ways to target the working poor by asking 1 million in-work recipients of tax credits to do more to boost their earnings. Under the proposals, jobcentre staff will have powers to withdraw universal credit
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Politics Home has revealed another Bedroom Tax fiasco: Ministers were accused of a fresh ‘shambles’ over the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ today after it appeared Whitehall departments were at odds over plans to crack down on ‘subletting’ of council homes. Labour went on the attack as it emerged that the Department for Communities and Local Government were looking
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I reproduce this press release, just published, in full since I share its sentiments: Four major British Churches have described Chancellor George Osborne’s defence of the Government’s benefit cuts as ‘deeply disappointing,’ following his speech earlier today. “We are deeply disappointed that Mr Osborne is continuing to use the misguided rhetoric of people on benefits versus
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For those seeking to legally challenge the Bedroom Tax and caps on benefits that will force tens of thousands of people to kove in the UK this report from the FT this morning looks like good news: Campaigners in Spain hailed a rare legal victory over the country’s banks and government when Europe’s highest court struck
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