Average Family £891 Worse Off

[steveL]

The Institute of Fiscal Studies has just released figures which show that the average family will be £891 worse off this year thanks to changes made by Osborne and Cameron - unless your name is Akers-Belcher that is.

[SRMoore]

That's not entirely true is it Steve?
Because of changes made by the government the average working household will be better off by over £300 a year [and nine out of ten families across the board].

The reason families may feel worse off is due to other factors - rising energy prices, cost of food increased due to an extremely bad harvest etc etc.

If you are this comfortable spinning crap for your own political gain when it comes to national politics, Lord only knows how much you do it on a local level on here.

So much for straight talking and being different to the others.

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Must have been those farmers that screwed up the banking system and brought in Wonga, sold off the energy companies and set up food banks.

What about the highly flawed bedroom 'tax' and child benefit 'tax' ...both over simplified so they are easier to administer as opposed to being fair.

[rabbit]

Pure logic suggests that if the Chancellor is pulling money in from here there and everywhere, the average family is bound to be hit.

The nonsense about the average family being £300 pounds better off cannot be true, otherwise we would be all out spending and the economy would sort itself out. More VAT for the chancellor etc etc.

[steveL]

That's not entirely true is it Steve?
Because of changes made by the government the average working household will be better off by over £300 a year [and nine out of ten families across the board].

The reason families may feel worse off is due to other factors - rising energy prices, cost of food increased due to an extremely bad harvest etc etc.

If you are this comfortable spinning crap for your own political gain when it comes to national politics, Lord only knows how much you do it on a local level on here.

So much for straight talking and being different to the others.

I think you're losing the plot, Shane. I'm not spinning anything. I'm just quoting the Institute of Fiscal Studies - if you have a problem with their conclusions then argue it out with them, not me.

[SRMoore]

You took the figure from the IFS and stated it was because of Osborne & Cameron without mentioning any other factor = Political spin. X

[steveL]

Well I was under the impression that Cameron was Prime Minister and Osborne was Chancellor - are you suggesting that it's all down to the Tooth Fairy?

[SRMoore]

Incapable of holding an adult conversation these days?

Indeed they are Prime Minister & Chancellor but the "changes made" by them have not resulted in the figure quoted. Other factors such as those I stated earlier have been the main contributing factor.

[steveL]

Actually the reference to Cameron and Osborne also comes straight from the Institute and wasn't added by me.

[SRMoore]

The IFS did not say that at all.

You are probably referring to the report published by Labour based on information contained in a report from the IFS

The Labour report conveniently uses the figures from benefit cuts and tax rises but none of the information from the budget which will put money back in peoples pocket.

They use these two figures:
•2.4 million families on low incomes will pay on average £138 more in council tax in the year 2013/14 as a result of cuts to council tax benefit, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
•660,000 people will lose an average of £728 per year or £14 a week as a result of the bedroom tax, according to figures from the IFS.
Add them both together and then add the difference between the 1% benefit increases and inflation (which doesn't leave you 'worse off' because its money you didn't have last year anyway) and you get more or less on the figure of £891.

So no, the IFS didn't say that the average family would be worse off by £891 because of changes made by Cameron and Osborne. Labour cherry picked information and created an 'average' family that is effected by every benefit cut and tax rise in yet another blatant attempt to spread half truths to feed off fear for their own political gain.

[steveL]

Shane, you're pissing into the wind. Get yourself out onto the street, stop the first person that you come across and ask them if they think they are £300 a year better off.

I suggest that you stand well back before they answer.

[for fawkes sake]

You two really don't get on, do you?

[SRMoore]

Whether they 'think' they are £300 better off or if they actually are better off are two completely different things when people like you spread half truths as fact.

You like to try and portray me as a stereotypical Tory, Steve. One who doesn't have a clue what it is like for 'real' people because I'm too comfy in my nice house in a posh estate without a financial worry in the world; when the reality couldn't be any different.
I have a fairly nice house in a nice street in West View, I work 37 hrs a week in a local forge earning well below the national average. My wife works part time and has benefitted from being taken out of paying income tax completely, as well as my personal allowance increasing. Interest rates have remained low during this government which has meant that my mortgage payments have not increased.
Confidence in the manufacturing industry has risen due to various schemes to help companies invest, which has resulted in a payrise of 2% for all employees at my forge which is the first payrise in 5 years.
And to top it all off... My beer is now 1p a pint cheaper!

So when I take a step back and ask myself 'am I better off' I'd certainly say YES.

[steveL]

Which only proves that you are a true Tory because as long as you personally can say YES to the question that's all that really matters and sod everyone else.

[DRiddle]

AAAaannnyway, back to how we save the town from falling into the abyss?