Well said Hug a Hoodie Dave and Bailey. Get your priorities right before howling poverty.

this is dafet i have grandkids visit weekends 4 of them what can i do

Unfortunately, as the Condems say, we are in it all together. People have lost their jobs, their businesses and their livelihoods! That’s a massive step change that has left a lot of people broken. I genuinely feel sorry for people like this, who having went through that, will have more misery piled on them.
Those lucky to have jobs have seen no pay rises (some even pay cuts) coupled with increase in taxation. I fall into that bracket, but I certainly don’t think I should cough up even more of my hard earned cash to fund shirkers, immigrants and hair-brained schemes etc. I chose to get qualifications and a career and make a better life for myself and if we didn’t have people like that, the country would be in a sorrier state.

We have to be careful when it comes to increasing taxes for the higher earners…some may be business owners/entrepeneurs, who will simply take their business elsewhere. Fat-cats like bankers and major retail bosses are a different story…I work hard for a living, but I find it hard to believe that someone earns 10+ times more than me does so because they work 10+ times harder…it’s not possible. But again, attack them and there is always another company willing to snap them up (bit like why footballers get so much).
I was brought up in the 70’s, a time when the luxury of heating (and bathrooms) was reserved for the rich or people living in council houses. My parents bought a house, we had a coal fire an outside toilet and a tin bath…but I survived and can’t recall any bad memories of almost freezing to death etc. The country is in a bad state and unfortunately, Cameron and his rich counterparts aren’t gonna change….neither will any labour govt (once formerly lead by the multi-millionaire Mr Blair), so we are between a rock and a hard place. There are people who are truly vulnerable and likely this will be recognised with all sorts of other benefits! But there are a lot of long-term shirkers that have got used to their little luxuries (booze, fags, hols, cars, games consoles, smart phones) and may have to rethink their priorities! For those people in particular, I have no sympathy whatsoever, however, unfortunately for the decent folk, some of the bad uns will find unlawful ways of making ends meet.
The banks didn’t get us into this state alone…there was a demand for their supply of cash. Yes, we can blame them for loaning money willy-nilly to potential bad debtors…but we can also blame people who don’t have the sense to live within their means, knowing that they could take, take and deal with the consequences later (which are either bankruptcy or repossession of something they couldn’t really afford to repay).

We all have our gripes and are all affected by the recession in different ways… ….glad I am not having to sort out the mess we are in.

Are there any MPs that live in rented homes in London or elsewhere and claim on their expenses (a form of housing benefit?) for these homes? if so, they should also have to pay this tax or have their expenses reduced accordingly like everyone else, after all, 'we're all in this together', if this was pointed out by the news media, I would wager that this new law would not be passed.

i was separated with 2 children in 1987 and lived in my 3 bed whilst holding down a job until they was 18, in that time i became ill and returned to work part time ,my children both left home and i decided to exchange to a smaller property but could only exchange with tenants with children so i downsized and gave a couple with 2 children a bigger house. i do get a house rebate as i only a was allowed to return to work part-time so i find this unfair!!! that i work !! downsized!! kept a council propert immaculate for 25years!!! to find i still have a spare room to be taxed on and im not allowed to let it either and there are no smaller homes with a little garden for my grandchildren to play!!! its all wrong

The greatest evil we can succumb to as a society is to allow bulling, the ritual humiliation of the weakest for greed or sheer delight. I’d like to believe that if I saw a grown man punch a child I would be brave enough to stop it. Likewise when the government take away 15% of the poorest family’s income I can’t let it go without saying something. I might be alright Jack but this seems too far even for Jack.
We are in a world of economic tragedy and we were put there by the upper echelon of society the bankers the politicians, banks pay less than 1% tax on the millions of pounds profits they make while wee Boab down the road working 80 hours a week in his corner shop to feed his family will pay 21% tax (if he is lucky enough to make profit), and you might be lucky enough to hit the higher tax bracket but 15% less than the minimum liveable income is a high ask.
But we all stand by and let the poorest take the hit. They could re-arrange the housing situation but that would cost money the only reason for this tax is to take revenue from the people that are the poorest and less likely to stand against it.
This government is making a mockery of the concept of society and because we have a mortgage to pay and our own kids to feed we stand aside and let it happen, my head is lowered. What can we do apart from riot and tear down the government, we can let them know that this farce is not going to be allowed to continue, they are our servants and need put back in their place. Facebook it tweet it write an email, find out whom your local MP is and harass them with letters and impromptu visits. March with me take a stand, I am alright now Jack thanks for asking but it is a slippery slope and I might need my brothers and neighbours hand someday soon, I hear the air is next to be taxed but I don’t think we all use that!

Does room tax effect council tenants who work but have a spare room and surely where a person or couple earn over say £15k should they not be made to rent privately or buy a house. There are many couples who earn double my salary and always lived in a council house because they had a teenage pregnancy although the children are long gone then still live there on cheap rent while I got married first, then bought a house then had planned children and have had to struggle all my life. I will also end up using my house to pay for my old age while council tenants get it free and also had the money for good times when they could enjoy it, something I could not.

I can see both sides of the argument, but i have to say this is really just a cynical and pathetic attempt to sort out the social housing problems in this country. If they had not openened our borders so eagerly to get their cheap labour we would not be in such a dire situation, but you could go on all day about how it is their fault. Just a thought but at what size does a box room/study quallify to be called a bedroom? I thought it was anything over 6ft6 square anything smaller and you should be able to argue with them that it is actually a bedroom at all!

i have lived in my property for 47yrs. it was council owned but i purchased it approx 15yrs ago, and thank god i did. it has 3 bedrooms wich have been fully occupied with all ranges of family members over the years. now in this present day myself and my daughter reside here. the spare room is occasionally used. if it were still council owned i would now be breaking my heart to think i could loose the house i have lived almost all of my life in. this new bill will not affect me but i still think the whole thing is absolutley ludicrous!!!i know of 2 instances where people have had 2 spare bedrooms and have had to move to smaller property,i can see the sense in that but to be penalised for 1 spare room...ridiculous. everyones case will be different to why they use their spare room, split parents sharing children, one of a couple with a medical condition...i could go on.even though i may not be affected i will still stand up for the masses x.

£39 a month "worse" off... Just do without ONE of the following - Sky TV package, or 5 packets of fags, or 4 bottles of Vodka, or O2 iPhone tariff, 20 lotto tickets, or 4 games of Online Bingo, or interest payment on Payday Loan, or vet bill for Staffie, or two takeaways.

Simples!