ms
Grand Prix Poster
Billy Two Rivers
Posts: 2,898
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Post by ms on Jan 11, 2014 14:30:03 GMT 1
I've been pondering this subject for ages so I thought I'd ask you good people;if you knew someone who was obtaining state benefit through fraudulent means, would you report them ? I'm not talking about a person on benefits who does a few hours work for cash in hand every now and then,I mean someone who continually obtains a good standard of living by lying about their circumstances, & recieves more money from the state than someone working legitamately could hope to earn at the basic wage ?
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Post by ladyndibs on Jan 11, 2014 15:09:43 GMT 1
Yes I would, it has a hidden cost to everyone, increased taxes or fewer services provided because they are basically stealing.
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Post by julz on Jan 11, 2014 15:56:12 GMT 1
Yes I would too, and have done in the past.. I have also reported someone for obtaining a disabled blue badge, but is able to walk for 8 miles everyday.....
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Post by cookie on Jan 11, 2014 16:14:41 GMT 1
I would.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2014 18:54:59 GMT 1
Yes I would and have done in the past.
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Post by taklishim on Jan 11, 2014 19:28:45 GMT 1
why would anyone condone it and not report it?
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Post by julz on Jan 11, 2014 19:32:55 GMT 1
why would anyone condone it and not report it? Possibly for fear of repercussions...
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Post by kafee on Jan 11, 2014 20:25:45 GMT 1
a person on benefits who does a few hours work for cash in hand every now and then, No, I wouldn't. I mean someone who continually obtains a good standard of living by lying about their circumstances, & recieves more money from the state than someone working legitamately could hope to earn at the basic wage ? Yes, I would.
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Post by jennyb on Jan 11, 2014 21:08:21 GMT 1
I would too. Have reported people for tax evasion too. It's not fair on everyone else who works hard and pays a lot in tax to have others abusing the system. Benefits are great for those in need but shouldn't be abused.
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Post by rosemaryhannah on Jan 11, 2014 22:30:30 GMT 1
I think it would depend on the level of the fraud. I can see it is almost impossible to survive on fifty pounds a week. Working a few hours for cash in hand ... understandable.
Claiming systematically for children you do not have - different.
But I never forget that Google, Amazon, Starbucks pay hardly any tax and cheat us all of millions.
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Post by mollichop on Jan 11, 2014 23:14:26 GMT 1
yes, I think I would...
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Post by jennyb on Jan 12, 2014 8:58:38 GMT 1
RH - don't fall for the newspaper hype. Those companies you mention will pay astronomical sums in VAT, PAYE&NI, council taxes etc. The press conveniently miss that out of their reporting and only focus on the LEGAL loopholes that they are exploiting to reduce their corporation tax burden. They still pay business taxes in other countries, but for many years our corporation tax regime has been excessively high compared to other developed countries, so not surprisingly, multinationals choose to structure their businesses so as to pay their business tax in another country. The government really is at fault here for a) allowing the loopholes to exist, our tax regime is ridiculously complex, and b) setting our business tax rates so high that we aren't competitive with other countries. The tax rates are slowly reducing, but how many millions has our public purse lost out on over the years because of their greed?
Don't believe all you read in the press, they only tell half the story, it's sensationalist reporting :-)
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Post by taklishim on Jan 12, 2014 15:08:01 GMT 1
I think it would depend on the level of the fraud. I can see it is almost impossible to survive on fifty pounds a week. Working a few hours for cash in hand ... understandable. Claiming systematically for children you do not have - different. But I never forget that Google, Amazon, Starbucks pay hardly any tax and cheat us all of millions. It might be understandable to work cash in hand and therefore steal more benefits from the tax paying public but it isn't right. Someone else ends up having to pay for their theft. Starbucks etc are always mentioned but there is a big difference between legal means and fraud. What about the many other cases of tax fraud by doctors, dentists,, architects, barristers, manual trades etc. By not paying tax they are also cheating the rest of us who are on PAYE and have little choice in what we pay. They are also cheating those who need funding for NHS treatments just to stay alive. They need to be included in the same sentence as Amazon etc. That is bad enough but then some of those people are not even declaring their income and are claiming benefits as well. So I am paying twice for them. Once for the loss of tax and NI they are failing to pay and again for the benefits they are taking.
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Post by rosemaryhannah on Jan 12, 2014 16:59:50 GMT 1
Legal does not equal moral.
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Post by Hannah on Jan 12, 2014 17:32:43 GMT 1
Yes I think I would too.
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