Means testing

When a government pushes means-testing it has one simple remit: to fleece people's savings, especially pensioners. My mum has a few quid in her bank account that she has been saving for a rainy day, but now finds herself constantly dipping into it to meet the bills. With all these increasing utility bills and council tax demands these days its pouring down for pensioners right now as that rainy day has arrived sooner than they thought. Those savings are not eligible for tax and fairly earnt over the years, but when you introduce means testing for things like state pensions and grants then it's a mechanism for governments to get at it. The fact is that there's over 1 ...  Read the complete review

One of the most ludicrous parts of the whole means testing system has to be the way that students are assessed for their financial status. I'll take this in stages.... 1. From the age of 18 it's a fact that the law no longer regards your parents to be responsible for you. They are under no obligation whatsoever to provide for you, and many students are unfortunate enough to have parents who stopped doing this even before their legal obligation ended. Yet parents' incomes are taken into account when it comes to grants and student loans and help with course fees, even though nothing can legally be done to force these parents to use this income on ...  Read the complete review

Okay, sorry folks - the headline is a little misleading! I for one certainly believe we should live in a society that protects the genuinely needy, while at the same time encouraging each individual to maximise the contribution they make to that society. Firstly, I'll let you know from what position I am writing. I live in a nice cosy middle class suburban semi with my wife and three children. I earn very slightly above national average wage and the only state benefits we collect as a family are the child tax credit and child benefit. I work in an inner city location and many of my dealings are with people who claim benefits as their main source of ...  Read the complete review

There are so many different benfits in our society today aren't there? Tax benefits, income benefits, debt benefits, credit benefits, student benefits (or are there?), low income benefits, child benefits, health benefits - the list goes on and on. How does the government decide if you are eligable? By assesing your income. But is that the best way and do the right people benefit? I am an 18 year old student, and in September I'll be going to university. My parents, between them, earn around £40,000 a year, and, according to the LEA (local education authority), they must pay my annual student loan (£1050) and my hall of residence fees for the first year ...  Read the complete review

Being unsure of quite where to start putting my feelings on ‘means testing’ down. I decided to dig out some old diaries. (Keep meaning to transfer the tatty things to disc, but you know how it is, never enough time, etc.) I keep them, because they contain a great deal of family history. Little anecdotes of what life was like for my parents, when I was only a twinkle in my Dads eye. As well as more current events. Britain circa 1937. Life before the ‘ Welfare State’. Life when it cost half a crown (25p) to see the doctor in his surgery, seven and six (75p) if he made a home visit. Might not sound much, but ...  Read the complete review