| |
|
I am as confused about this issue as the next person and I (I hate to admit it) work for the Social Security!
I too hate Tony Blair and his neo Conservative policies. We are all, so programmed to look down and blame society's ills on the 'workshy' that we forget to look UP and see that corporate greed and dodgy dealings cost the taxpayer and the economy far more than a few tens of thousands claiming benefit they are not entitled to
I do not for one minute think that benefit fraud should be excused or ignored but I only wish that the people in the higher eschelons were subject to the same exposure and repeated abuse by politicians, for tax avoidance.
Terry Wogan and his ilk ruining the Scottish eco system..........Corporte greed and the sweeping under the carpet of Enron et al, are far worse and more damaging to the economy than any odd billion fiddled by a few
Now I am not forgetting the big time benefit swindlers who have major operations on the go, the people who employ the cockle pickers in morecambe and their ilk. They are scum and deserve the full weight of the law to be thrown at them for utilising slave labour and risking lives but we cannot compare this to the woman with three kids, living alone and trying to support her family on a meagre benefit and the odd cleaning job
each case has to be judged on its merits and circumstance
Personally, a shake up and focus on the taxation system is more needed and would produce much more for the country's finances than any benefit savings. What is the fraud costing the UK economy....about three Billion a year (at most)
Yet the same Government figures put the figure of unclaimed benefit in the tens of billions per year. Again nothing I am saying is meant to convey that I agree with benefit fraud....that is a seperate and important issue but of lesser importance to the tens if not hundreds of billions that are missed from the public purse by tax evasion (both individual and corporate)
Now as for Incap Benefit
(I do not work on this benefit but have a reasonable knowledge of it's workings)
Whilst in certain circumstances, there are undoubtedly cases where bona fide claimants are forced and put put under the stress of filling in long winded forms and attending interviews, I am afraid that to date, nobody has come up with a better idea
the options (that I can think of) are that you exclude certain criteria of illness, which would result in the serial benefit claimant (with nothing truly wrong with them) stating and insisting they had THAT particular illness
You have several different rules and claiming procedures that would further complicate an already complex system
Or you do what Frank Field (MP and former Social Security Secretary) suggests, and make just one benefit, that ALL non workers must claim and the onus being on you getting back to work as soon as possible.
Personally, I do not think this is a bad idea but the overhaul and implentation might be something altogether different and whilst the long term aim might be worthwhile, I believe the stress to claimant, DWP staff and the upsurge in appeals and hidden costs might make this change unworkable and undesirable to the Government
Incap is flawed for a number of reasons, most notably that
a: there are a significant minority of benefit claimaints, who are capable of doing some kind of work but are financially or by their ingrained beliefs and expectations unable or unwilling to seek employment (sadly the financial argument and low wages offered by many jobs keeps these people in a benefit trap......the latter are just sadly, workshy shits  )
b: Doctors are stressed and feel threatened, issue sick notes willy nilly and hence contribute to the problem
So in summary, yes I agree Blair and his ilk are evil bastards
But if he does not even make the right noises to address this problem, then we are faced with a Howard Governemnt ....the same party that imposed this flawed system in the first place!
(though Incap from a Governemental and economic point of view, is better than the previous Invalidity Benefit, where you were entitled to benefit just for not being able to do your previous job or trade)
Shit I have confused msyelf here but I stand by the statement 100% that tax avoidance (particualarly in the higher earning category) costs the UK purse more than benefit fraud but I suppose Bernie Eccleston and the others wouldn't fund a party who brought that to light |
|
|
