Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh
I call out your 'straw man' argument.
We are talking about £9 per hour, not £30 per hour (your £60,000 figure) - you are moving the goalposts to deflect discussion.
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The argument is that the salary should be enough to not need state aid in the form of tax credits, benefits etc. From the Tax credits website you can be earning that sort of figure and still be eligible. Even the official "living wage" calculations say a salary of £53,890 for a couple with 4 kids with childcare.
The 2014 hourly rates range from £5.70 to £21.10. The assumption is made that in a couple, both are working. That ends up with the slightly perverse situation where a single person with one child is said to need around the same as a couple with 4 kids. The 2014 figures give a "required" salary of £41,254 for a single person with 3 kids. Even just single person with just one child is said to "require" £13.88/hour, £27,141/year. The rent levels used seem to be a bit low, ie £100/wk for a couple with 4 kids.
All these figures are for outside London which will be even higher.
In 1980, you were given and additional £365 on your tax allowance for each child. The 2014 calculations say that you "require" £173.10 each week just for childcare.
The "living wage" calculations may use 9 different household set-ups to come up with a single figure, but even within each set-up there will be differences in requirements, eg a single person with one child needing childcare is different to where the child doesn't need childcare to the tune of £173.10/week. The "living wage" cannot begin to represent the various combination of set-ups, but a tax credits and benefits system can. It is having children that is really being "subsidised". Good luck with getting £21.10/hour because you may
or may not have 3 kids.