Tory boy

[Iain]

For ofpm

http://toys.usvsth3m.com/super-tory-boy/

[tubeguru]

Genius! One of the most realistic games of all time ...

[hopeful traveller]

This is highly addictive. And very funny! Although hospitals aren't being privatised and the majority of people aren't having their benefits cut.

[nozzacook]

Your right the majority of people are not having their benifit cut as the majority are not on benifits. But for thoughs who are unlucky enough to find themselves on benifit the majority have had it cut.

With regards to the game I made It to Tory minister then resigned and joined UKIP

[hopeful traveller]

I made it to Minister as well. However, the only cuts being made is capping the whole benefits system off.

[Iain]

What about the bedroom tax?

[GuyBarry]

Or what about cuts in council tax benefit (or "council tax support" as it's now known)? Until April unemployed people didn't have to make a contribution towards council tax - now they do. The actual implementation details are being left to local authorities but it's a benefit cut none the less.

Also benefits are no longer being uprated in line with inflation - this year (and for the next two) increases have been limited to 1%, regardless of the rate of inflation. In real terms that's a cut.

[hopeful traveller]

However, we want to make sure that work pays. It's not right that benefits can increase higher than wages: we're all in this together.

Seeing as I've talked about the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy endlessly, I won't go again.

[Iain]

SRS is a benefit though.

Which has been cut

[hopeful traveller]

It's not fair that you should get extra money just for having spare bedrooms. Why people can't see this fact is beyond me.

[Iain]

I didn't comment on that, although I could. I just pointed out that it was a benefit that had been cut. Are you still denying that?

[GuyBarry]

It's not fair that you should get extra money just for having spare bedrooms.

You don't. Housing benefit has been withdrawn for people with spare bedrooms. No one has ever been paid extra money for having a spare bedroom. The government talks about "removal of the spare room subsidy" as though something called the "spare room subsidy" previously existed, but it's just political spin. The actual term used in legislation is the "under-occupancy penalty". (Labour's term "bedroom tax" is also political spin, as it's not a tax either, but a withdrawal of benefit.)

[tubeguru]

It's a tax.

[tractakid]

It attacks!

[GuyBarry]

It's a tax.

It's a benefit reduction. The government is giving people less rather than taking away more. In practical terms there's little difference - the net effect is that they have less money - but reductions in benefit aren't the same as taxes. People who don't claim housing benefit aren't affected by this so-called "tax".