The loafer's paradise

Originally posted by agryson
Your first paragraph I agree with totally, but after that you go off the rails a little...
Those on benefits are notoriously bad at turning out to the polls, not exactly the best voter base to be pitching for. Those illegal immigrants can't vote until they're citizens, so they can't help those insidious progressives get into office either. As a smoker, whil as soon as I quit, rather than paying higher premiums whether I've quit the habit or not.

How about us bacon eaters? We cost more for health care also right? On the other side of the coin we smokers and meat eaters don't live as long so we can't mooch off the government trough as long as the vegans do. Make them pay more taxes instead.

Originally posted by der schwarze Ritter
It's inexcusable that the able-bodied forego the benefit and self-satisfaction of putting in a hard-day's work for a fair wage. In my parent's generation, self-sufficiency used to be a goal that all strove for, now, with so many regulatory agencies, tax men and aggrieved "victim's groups" to support, most people throw up their hands and say: What's the point? Why bother?

Doh...wrong thread

Originally posted by aging blitzer
Headline: Incapacity benefit claims still on the rise
text: the overall total for incapacity benefit claims remained relatively stable, rising from 2.42 million to 2.43 million.

past figures:
Nov-03 2.78 million (peak)
Nov-04 2.77 million
Nov-05 2.71 million
Aug-06 2.68 million
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/stats_summary/Stat ...[text shortened]... ut another 40000 for the pensioners who receive IB.
Why pensioners should get IB I do not know.

Because they have been incapacitated all their life, and haven't paid enough NI for a state pension?

Generally, if a pensioner is on IB (or IDB, if a spouse died in work) their pension is usually minimal, 2-3 quid at most.

Originally posted by Plebdazzle
Because they have been incapacitated all their life, and haven't paid enough NI for a state pension?

I thought that was what Pension Credit was for

Originally posted by aging blitzer
I thought that was what Pension Credit was for

No, thats what the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit is for. The Guarantee Credit element takes your income up to - err (tries to remember, given he works with these figures every day) - at least £119.05 a week. However, how that is made up is dependent upon your other income. Say you have a state pension of £87.55, then you'd have a Guarantee Credit to make you up to £119.05. But if you hadn't paid any NI, had been incapacitated all your life, you'd have IB of - say - £70 odd quid. Then the rest would be made up with guarantee credit.

If that makes sense...