There were 1,046,398 sanctions, or financial penalties, imposed on Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in 2013.
Five years after HMRC got the HSBC data there has been one prosecution.
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It’s hardly a level playing field though.
On the one hand you have people with no power or money, on the other hand you have people with both power and money. They can also offer good renumeration for little work. It is not coincidence that once prominent public servants gain new careers with those they favoured when in public service.
Never forget, Richard, that in the eyes of Tories (and Lib Dems as it turned out, or at the least those in government, many of whom will soon be looking for alternative employment, which will, of course, not be difficult to find given their support for pro 1% policies) these are the UNDESERVING POOR. I would once have been classed as one of them, though nowadays as a Guardian reading, C4 News watching, so called “progressive” who works in the public sector I’m even more hated.
🙂
What more needs to be said on this issue on this blog? But let’s get that figure out there.
For too many of the general public, the lights are on but no one’s at home. They need to see this too.
Dear Mr Murphy
The bottom 40% of society have no political representation. Labour is a fake party pretending to represent working people. Bob Crow a person who actually helped his members said as much and never gave a penny to them, but did give money to the office of Caroline Lucas, The bottom 40% are tricked and distracted. we need a real party. Corporate capture of UK institutions.
Some people have perfectly good reasons to have a Swiss bank account. Two third of those named in the HSBC data had done nothing wrong (or at least, nothing that HMRC could find that involved any additional UK tax payable). How many of the rest paid a financial penalties?
Admittedly the “sanctions” regime is pernicious, but how many people claim JSA? And how many of them get something wrong?
And you think HMRC got that right?
Statistically, this suggests that the typical benefits claimant has a better chance of being prosecuted than of winning the lottery. A sign of the times?
Interesting point
“Statistically, this suggests that the typical benefits claimant has a better chance of being prosecuted than of winning the lottery.”
Not done the “exact calculations” but..
..a benefit claimant may be as likely to be sanctioned as NOT winning on a lottery draw
Tells you all you need to know. The government’s attitude towards disabled people and the way they heavily insinuate that many of them are on the fiddle is particularly repellent.