Frankly, no. The taxation and benefits system is there to fund help for people when they need help. It's not a savings account, you're not supposed to get back what you put in. My household pays £130 in council tax every month but we certainly don't receive £130 worth of services in return, that money goes towards things like the fire brigade helping people whose houses catch fire on the understanding that if our house was to catch fire we would get the same help. The same goes for the NHS, not everybody needs expensive treatment but if they do need it that's what taxes pay for. We could say everyone can pay for everything themselves but well, you only need to look at America with its $650 EpiPens (cost to the NHS from everyone's NI contributions: £53.80, cost to a UK citizen when they need one: zero) to see where that gets you. Their private health insurance and deductibles costs them a lot more than our NI contributions cost us.
You've also hit on something that I hear quite a lot which, without intending any offence here, I consider to be a bit of a contradiction. You ask why you would want to contribute to this society (which I don't entirely disagree with, at least not as long as people's tax money is going to fund weapons for foreign wars that are nothing to do with us, lucrative government contracts for politicians' chums or of course, the billions being poured into the pockets of private hoteliers to house refugees, which is no fault of the refugees themselves but of successive governments failing miserably to build any social housing that could be used to house them at a minute fraction of the current cost) but at the same time you're also being quite dismissive of people who actually go the whole hog and refuse to contribute. If you don't think society deserves people's contributions then the people who don't contribute to society are to be applauded for playing the system and only taking from it while giving it nothing, surely? If everybody did that the system would collapse completely; would that be a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not entirely sure of the answer to that myself.
Again, how people see if differently I guess, people who dont work and have an "illness" mostly workshy lay abouts, get the same pension I get(state pension) as they get there ni stamped every year, again, they pay £0 in and they take out
The system is unfair for the worker, and i know about the "nhs" fees, I have nothing against "foreigners" my wife is a filipino, her last visa extension is next year, she came here in 2019,and the amount altogether it would of cost me for her to stay here is £10,000. £6000 is for "nhs surcharge" ontop of her working and paying her taxes ohhh I know how the system works, and in that time she has not once used the nhs, even for a Dr's visit even those we registerd her, she won't go,should I of paid the government £10 000 for the privelege of having my wife live and stay with me? Bear In mind I work a minimum paid job, always have done, bear in mind from next year, to bring a loved one here they raise the threshold to £38500 a year you need to be earning at minimum which is 3 or 4% of the population what they earn, you think that's fair aswell? I did mine at the right time and got her here as the gov don't want genuine people here they want flood us with illegals
And yes, if i could pay no taxes, I would just pay private for treatment, like i did for braces, like i do for dentist.
This is by no means digs at people at all, I've said all along the system is just so poor for the working person, I have no beef with people on benefits as alot do need them, the gov could easily sort the workshy out from the genuine people, but they don't, they rather hike taxes for the worker to pay for it so they don't have a job to do
In theory the taxes I pay i do class as a savings pot for when I retire, If moved abroad now, and I didn't tell the gov and stopped working I wouldnt get full pension, as I didn't tell them, they wouldn't magically give me full state pension, I would get the lowest level as I've paid more than 10 years, that it, so to me, it's a savings pot, I have to pay in, to take out
Nowadays it's every family for themselves, if i dont work, no one would help me, I would get no help at all. People may think it's selfish, but I disagree, it's just facts, im an honest person so wouldnt lie about a fake disability as it may come back one day to haunt them
On another note, how much did rishi dishi wife with a nom dom status pay in taxes while she should of paid ££millions in taxes? Don't you wonder why workers are so pi**ed off? And don't want to contribute?
Anyone here who thinks the gov is on there side need a serious look in the mirror, the hate everyone of us
in it for themselves
those gas and electric bills cost a pretty penny these days
Regarding winter fuel allowance, I think given the mercilessness of the current benefits system some of those in need will fall through the cracks, but I also agree that some old people are actually rich and don't need it - I think the call for the level of income you need to have to not receive it to be increased is good, and speaking as someone younger with disabilities - specialised foods are not always cheap, and I don't think a grand a month is actually all that much even if you get your rent paid on top of that.
