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Means-testing could leave us with "nothing"

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245

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    #32
    topper75
    Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    Big_G wrote: »
    God bless the Irish and our sense of entitlement.

    In this case, it is not sense of entitlement, it is actual entitlement. Therein lies the problem. Something's gotta give with this welfare state.


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    #33
    mikom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,391 ✭✭✭✭mikom


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

    Oh God, not another one of those knobs who comes back from Peru and is all "Ah man you haven't lived till you've scratched your arse atop Machu Picchu".


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    #34
    tara666
    Closed Accounts Posts: 71 ✭✭tara666


    sweeeet jesus im so sick of being screwed over ...again:confused:


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    #35
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    OP, I detect a flaw in your source. It's the Irish Independent. Please don't tell me you believe this crap?


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    #36
    carlybabe1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭carlybabe1


    professore wrote: »
    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.


    Seriously, do tell. Where did you get the figures and what are they for


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    #37
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    carlybabe1 wrote: »
    Seriously, do tell. Where did you get the figures and what are they for

    +1. €19k is nowhere near the equivalent of a €30k salary. It's roughly €21k. You're lying through your holier than-thou posterior.

    See what I did there?


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    #38
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    They are admitting themselves that losing childrens allowance will not leave them with "nothing" , all it will mean is Diego cant go to Peru on holiday seeing as thats what all the childrens allowance money is being saved for. How exactly can they expect sympathy?


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    #39
    bleg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,848 ✭✭✭bleg


    Would it not make more sense to buy 1 ticket for the grand mother and fly her from Peru to Ireland than to fly the whole family to Peru to visit her?


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    #40
    Ordinary man
    Registered Users Posts: 2,488 ✭✭✭Ordinary man


    Lets scrap the child allowance altogether. I'd rather suffer than watch scumbags with 5 and 6 kids living it up with the free money:mad:


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    #41
    Jaysoose
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,212 ✭✭✭Jaysoose


    bleg wrote: »
    Would it not make more sense to buy 1 ticket for the grand mother and fly her from Peru to Ireland than to fly the whole family to Peru to visit her?


    No..because...no..its just different ok.


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    #42
    aDeener
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,487 ✭✭✭aDeener


    An Fear Aniar wrote: »
    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.

    .

    im sure they were paying homage to the 19th century irish emigrants alright :rolleyes: flutes


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    #43
    Max Power1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,272 ✭✭✭✭Max Power1


    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    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

    Its ridiculous how many people fail to grasp this simple concept! How can they complain when they clearly dont need the money in the first place. Inter continental plane trips are not essential - they are luxuries which should not be funded by the taxpayer.


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    #44
    bleg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,848 ✭✭✭bleg


    Jaysoose wrote: »
    No..because...no..its just different ok.


    Won't make much difference to a 7 month old.


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    #45
    ScumLord
    Registered Users Posts: 28,789 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    I find it odd that the paper not only feels the need to tell everybody where he works but they also put a link through to their website.

    That whole article is just advertising for the company, it's targeting anyone who feels their in the same position as the couple in the article and oh, whats this taxback stuff?


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    #46
    bleg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,848 ✭✭✭bleg


    Next thing they'll have to forego the andrex and get lidl toilet paper too!!!

    How are people expected to live like such barbarians!


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    #47
    randypriest
    Registered Users Posts: 102 ✭✭randypriest


    Pampers to Aldi nappies, ah no sure next the Pellegrino will have to be downsized to Evian or even worse, Ballygowan(shudder).

    Eh means tested allows people who have limited finacial means to pay for necessities, not for lovely Diego to have his flight to Peru for feck sake.


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    #48
    Spastafarian
    Registered Users Posts: 749 ✭✭✭Spastafarian


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

    Your sperm tastes crap!


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    #49
    weeder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,469 ✭✭✭weeder


    how exactly did you get another mans sperm in your mouth then?


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    #50
    Spastafarian
    Registered Users Posts: 749 ✭✭✭Spastafarian


    weeder wrote: »
    how exactly did you get another mans sperm in your mouth then?
    It.. eh.. fell in.


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    #51
    Lord Nikon
    Registered Users Posts: 3,609 ✭✭✭Lord Nikon


    OMG, a holiday. They need Welfare for baby holiday. Some poor unfortunates out there are happy to make ends meet, never mind a holiday. Hell a few pints a month is as good as a holiday for some people.

    P.S. Lifes LITTLE luxuries should include wiping ones posterier with Andrex, or something similar.


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    #52
    Kipperhell
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,477 ✭✭✭Kipperhell


    It has been said already but some people really need to hear this. This couple are earning below what they could get on state benefits. A single parent would need to earn over €35k for it to be worth while to get a job. The extra benits add up very quickly.

    Personally I was paying over €2.5k a month on income tax and now I am not working I get no dole or anything. While my wife is working with the unemployed, she had a person in who has 5 kids gets medical cards,rent, appliance money and dole. His payments amount to over €2k a month and he has never worked a day in this country.

    The system is incredibly inequitable. I think child allowance should be only taken off people who earn over 90K each. It seem strange that you would have people pocketing less than state payment and yet paying tax for others to get it.


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    #53
    irelandrover
    Registered Users Posts: 3,722 ✭✭✭irelandrover


    Kipperhell wrote: »
    It has been said already but some people really need to hear this. This couple are earning below what they could get on state benefits. A single parent would need to earn over €35k for it to be worth while to get a job. The extra benits add up very quickly.

    These people obviously do not need the money to survive if they are saving it for a holiday to Peru, and them pretending that they are going to Peru for the sake of the child is laughable. He's 7 months old. I don't know about anyone else but I don't remember anything I did when i was that age.

    Also the amount they seem to earn is very low. If they are both working full time them they would earn more than 35K on minimum wage and I really doubt that the senior marketing manager of any company is on minimum wage.


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    #54
    Joey the lips
    Registered Users Posts: 10,262 ✭✭✭✭Joey the lips


    why is it one bad example in the paper causes us to condem the whole system when i grew up it was very common to here from my friend who was well off that his mum will be giving him his childrens allowence on tuesday.... Clearly she did not need it. There will be always different situations.

    You either have one rule for all or nothing as individual rules dont work.


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    #55
    super_furry
    Registered Users Posts: 27,322 ✭✭✭✭super_furry


    I think the big issue is what on earth are Kieran and Betty (good solid Irish names) doing naming their kid Diego?!?!?

    Lousy immigrants strike again!


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    #56
    Kipperhell
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,477 ✭✭✭Kipperhell


    irelandrover wrote: »
    These people obviously do not need the money to survive if they are saving it for a holiday to Peru, and them pretending that they are going to Peru for the sake of the child is laughable. He's 7 months old. I don't know about anyone else but I don't remember anything I did when i was that age.

    Also the amount they seem to earn is very low. If they are both working full time them they would earn more than 35K on minimum wage and I really doubt that the senior marketing manager of any company is on minimum wage.

    She is probably on unpaid maternity leave hence the salary variation. What they decide to spend their money on is really up to them. They will be making sacrifices in order not to use that money. Do you think child benefits should be taken off parents who smoke as it is a luxury expense? To see family after a birth is not excessively unreasonable as a family event.

    These people have less disposable income to somebody of state benefits seems unfair to me and I'll stick with that.


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    #57
    Joey the lips
    Registered Users Posts: 10,262 ✭✭✭✭Joey the lips


    super_furry wrote: »
    I think the big issue is what on earth are Kieran and Betty (good solid Irish names) doing naming their kid Diego?!?!?

    Lousy immigrants strike again!

    They might have named him brooklyn I suppose!


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    #58
    geeky
    Registered Users Posts: 2,380 ✭✭✭geeky


    Please tell me that's satire.


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    #59
    Hussard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23 ✭Hussard


    Given the already inefficient nature of public service it would almost certainly cost more to administer the means testing of child benefit than it would save. It is a universal benefit, intended for the child. Is it any different to the old age pension? Yet why is there no suggestion that this, or the free tv license or the fuel subsidy should be means tested or reduced.


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    #60
    Dragan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    Did it occur to either of these ****ing geniuses that maybe they should wait until they were more financially secure to have a baby?


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    #61
    Kipperhell
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,477 ✭✭✭Kipperhell


    Hussard wrote: »
    Given the already inefficient nature of public service it would almost certainly cost more to administer the means testing of child benefit than it would save. It is a universal benefit, intended for the child. Is it any different to the old age pension? Yet why is there no suggestion that this, or the free tv license or the fuel subsidy should be means tested or reduced.

    I worked on the DSFA system and it is easy to implement with little cost as it would be based on taxable income. I was there when they implemented the extra yearly child payment and it has very little in the way of running costs.

    Benefits should always be careful not to make it better to not work or punish those who have paid taxes. Many benefits for OAPs are tax neutral such as the TV licence as there is no actual cost to the state just a reduced revenue.


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