Here in the UK we have this half-baked, government-run get rich quick scheme called 'child benefit'. To qualify for this handout you don't need to be homeless, destitute or disabled, only to be the guardian of a child under the age of 16, or a 'big kid' under the age of 19 who is in full time education. Your first-born sprog is worth £17.45 a week and any additional ones earn a bonus windfall of £11.70 a week, all tax free.
Child benefit isn't means tested in any way so a billionaire duke - in the eyes of the law - is just as entitled to it as an unemployed, wheelchair-bound single mother. I'm sure some of their ilk must claim it too as statistics reveal that child benefit is taken up by nearly 100% of the eligible population.
Rewarding strangers for exacerbating Britain's overcrowding crisis will cost tax-payers an estimated £10.153 billion between 2006 and 2007 (according to the HM Revenue & Customs Spring 2006 Departmental Report). It makes me wonder what other luxury items it's possible to claim compensation for. For instance, is there a champagne allowance I'm not aware of? I hope so - why should I spend my own money when I could liberate some of yours?
Thursday, 31 August 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Is that to encourage natality? That sure is a very generous amount.
Yes, originally the scheme was brought into effect to restore the birth rate after the second world war. 61 years later still no-one has remembered to plug the leak.
Now people see it as a Flying Spaghetti Monster given right rather than a last resort safety net. Instead of working out if they can afford to have kids before popping them out, people have them and then consider the state of their finances.
Post a Comment