Cameron: No means testing for pensioner benefits

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Chris

At the risk of being repetitive: Reducing someone's benefit entitlement, whatever the rights and wrongs of it, is not a 'tax'.

You're right. cutting someone's benefit is not a tax.

it's the paying of the bedroom tax that is the tax.

Originally Posted by Gary L

You're right. cutting someone's benefit is not a tax.

it's the paying of the bedroom tax that is the tax.

It's like English, but without the meaning.....

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Chris

At the risk of being repetitive: Reducing someone's benefit entitlement, whatever the rights and wrongs of it, is not a 'tax'. It facilitates useful discussion if we deal with issues as they are, as opposed to how opposition politicians prefer us to see them.

It's what it has become generally known as, so it makes it easier for most people to refer to it as such. It's similar to the way that the Community Charge became better known as The Poll Tax and was referred to as this even by politicians, councils etc in the end.

Most people know nothing about the Governments decision to reclassify part of Housing Benefit as a Spare Room Subsidy. To those affected all they know and care about is that they are now being asked to pay something towards their rent out of money paid to them for other day to day living expenses.

Apart from the human misery it has caused, it costs more than the status quo and is wasting housing by leaving accomodation empty in some areas.

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

It's what it has become generally known as, so it makes it easier for most people to refer to it as such. It's similar to the way that the Community Charge became better known as The Poll Tax and was referred to as this even by politicians, councils etc in the end.

Most people know nothing about the Governments decision to reclassify part of Housing Benefit as a Spare Room Subsidy. To those affected all they know and care about is that they are now being asked to pay something towards their rent out of money paid to them for other day to day living expenses.

Apart from the human misery it has caused, it costs more than the status quo and is wasting housing by leaving accomodation empty in some areas.

The Community Charge *was* a tax. Big difference.