Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogof
I'm sorry but benefit theft will prevent people from getting the help they need, avoiding tax is one thing. But actively stealing from a fund put in place to help the sick, disabled and those in need is lower than low.
Tax avoidance is also wrong, but benefit fraud really is stealing from the sick and ill. An do you really think this £69 billion will go to the welfare budget? No like you said it will plug holes. So stealing benefits is still a bigger issue.
Cutting the £5.2billion direct theft from the welfare budget will help those in need a lot more than stopping tax avoidance. Welfare spending will not get a £5 billion funding increase if the £69billion is clawed back. Stop the fraud you effectively give the welfare budget an extra £5billion a year.
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No matter how many times I read the above it makes no sense. You seem to think there's a ring-fenced fund for welfare and without fraud there's more money to go around to everything else.
Welfare isn't a fund, it's a pay as you go from incoming taxes. There is no fixed welfare budget which all welfare and fraud comes from, it's paid out of current tax revenues. If the welfare budget comes in lower than expected for a year the left overs don't get redistributed to claimants.
What completely undermines your point is that the government is going in hard against welfare fraud and overpayments. The savings are going to plugging overspend across government, not to providing more money for the NHS or care.