Means-testing could leave us with "nothing"

jape

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/meanstesting-could-leave-us-with-nothing-1861727.html

From todays independent:

By Stephen O'Farrell

Monday August 17 2009



KIERAN and Betty Farrell have just had their first child and say introducing a means-testing system could leave them with nothing in terms of child benefit.


The married couple, both 29, receive €166 a month in child benefit following the birth of their son Diego four months ago.


They were first interviewed by the Irish Independent after April's emergency Budget, when Betty was pregnant -- and now say that a cut in child benefit would inflict further financial pain on them. Kieran says he fears they could be left out of the loop on social welfare payments if the Government opted to provide it to parents under a certain income level.
He works as a senior marketing manager at Taxback.com, while Betty is on maternity leave from a job as a sales assistant.


Income
Their combined income currently adds up to between €35,000 and €50,000 and they are living in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Rathfarnham, south Dublin.


"It could leave us with nothing, and what we get really does make a difference," he told the Irish Independent.


"Right now we are saving the benefit we receive so Diego can visit his grandmother in Peru at Christmas for the first time."


Kieran said it would suit him best financially if the Department of Social and Family Affairs introduced a blanket 20pc cut.


In An Bord Snip Nua's report to the Department of Finance, economist Colm McCarthy recommended such a move by introducing a standard rate of €136 for all children which would save the exchequer €513m annually.


"It is only €30 less than what we currently get each month so the cut would not affect us too much," he said.



"It might mean we have to change to Aldi nappies instead of Pampers."
- Stephen O'Farrell

Is this some sort of f**king joke??? My extra income taxes and levies are spent so some well-off couple can buy their child pampers instead of aldi nappies? The mind boggles

Long Onion

Yep, read that myself. Couple of things stuck me -

First that guy who runs taxback.ie is making vast amounts of money yet he seems to pay pretty sh1te money.

Second the annual salary is between €35k and €50k wtf? that is a pretty big spread there buster - are you telling porky pies?

Third, it was a stupid statement "means testing will leave us with nothing" in other words, we earn too much to deserve it.

Hint sir (keep your gob shut you eejit)

P.S. my child benefit goes to my son's future education fund, it will never be used by me so why should i be taxed on it?

Sulmac

Diego Farrell?

Really?

bleg

Go Diego Go!!

He's off to Peru to see a spotted lemur.

I bet he has a cousin called Dora

Gone Drinking

I wonder if Betty is hot..

Pygmalion

This is the independent, so 90% of the people who read it will be shocked and apalled by how little these people have to survive on.

Red_Marauder

Diego is a lovely name.

Cookie_Monster

Gone Drinking wrote: »

I wonder if Betty is hot..

Photo in the papers, answer: No

Using child benefit to fly to Peru is hardly realistic is it. Child benefit is for food / clothes / future education not luxuries like flying. The mind boggles

Trev M

Slaggin' off an infant ...finally, we've reached the bottom.

It can only get better from here.

nc13

He wants everyone to take a 30 euro cut so he can keep the benifit even though he earns 50k. 30 euro might not be much to him but if you are unemployed it means your family can have heat or enough food for the week. He might not miss it but alot of families would.

Trev M

Its a combined income of between 35 - 50K ...jaysus read the thing:rolleyes:

Big_G

God bless the Irish and our sense of entitlement.

Pygmalion

Trev M wrote: »

Slaggin' off an infant ...finally, we've reached the bottom.

It can only get better from here.

Better like slagging off multiple infants? Or infants with disabilities?

javaboy

Trev M wrote: »

Slaggin' off an infant ...finally, we've reached the bottom.

It can only get better from here.

Infants can't read. AFAIK you can't libel someone who can't read.*



*IANAL

nc13

Even 35k is not low pay. Means testing would mean the people who need it will get it (I hope).

Trev M

Touché amigoes.:D

Trev M

nc13 wrote: »

Even 35k is not low pay. Means testing would mean the people who need it will get it (I hope).

Between 2 people ? WTF are you people survivin on ?

Alessandra

Sure he could hold off on visiting the granny for a while, the child won't remember anyway. There are people worse off out there.

Cookie_Monster

Give the kid up for adoption, expense problem solved.

Caoimhín

See?

I told yous all that this ****e would happen once we started letting the Peruvians into the country.

With the honourable exception of Paddington the bear, and he is in Engerland.

Trev M

Thats a fair point, surely they could pay some little peasant to bump granny off and nullify this guys whiole arguement.

Sulmac

How about having the the grandmother come from Peru to Ireland instead, that's one airfare instead of three. It also means no need to bring a young child on a long plane journey.

But no, they just HAVE to go to Peru.

helimachoptor

Long Onion wrote: »

First that guy who runs taxback.ie is making vast amounts of money yet he seems to pay pretty sh1te money.

Second the annual salary is between €35k and €50k wtf? that is a pretty big spread there buster - are you telling porky pies?

Was thinking that myself, he should be pulling in 35-50k himself at least.

Cookie_Monster

They also don't need a 3 bed house really considering it's them and the kid but just another example of people overstretching themselves.

Rent out the spare room for extra airfare cash

nc13

Trev M wrote: »

Between 2 people ? WTF are you people survivin on ?

About 7k less and I have 3 kids.

An Fear Aniar

Sulmac wrote: »

Diego Farrell?

Really?

Lots of Irish people went to South America in the 19th century, there was a president of Argentina called Edelmiro Julián Farrell. So, not surprising really.

.

javaboy

Long Onion wrote: »

Second the annual salary is between €35k and €50k wtf? that is a pretty big spread there buster - are you telling porky pies?

They're probably reluctant to divulge their exact salaries. Also I expect both their incomes are open to fluctuation. She could be on commission and he could be on bonuses.

ejmaztec

What's the child benefit in Portugal?

Red_Marauder

ejmaztec wrote: »

What's the child benefit in Portugal?

It must be valuable, if Madeline was worth it.

Peru, not so good. That's why Betty had the little shít here. Thanks a lot Bet.

professore

If they all were on the dole they would get the following income:

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/sw19/Pages/sw19_sect6.aspx

€204.30 + €135.60 + €26.00 = 365.90 * 52 = 19026.80 tax free, which is equivalent to about a 30 K p.a. salary. On the dole they would also get a medical card, mortgage supplement, and a host of other benefits. Also they could get rid of any cars they need to get to work, saving a fortune on fuel, tax and insurance, and any working clothes e.g. suits. Also they would save a bomb on childcare for little Diego.

So in reality I bet they are worse off financially by both working.

On the dole they contribute nothing to the economy. Working they contribute a lot. I think they are right to moan.

dr.bollocko

Trev M wrote: »

Slaggin' off an infant ...finally, we've reached the bottom.

It can only get better from here.

We could slag off a foetus.
Or somebody's sperm maybe. Either way don't lose heart. There are yet lower depths to reach.