About contractors & benefits

[psychocandy]

As a pro-JSA advocate here's my thoughts:-

1) Its perfectly legal. You can be upfront and honest about what you do. There is no need to be economical with the truth or pull wool over anyones eyes to be able to claim.

2) Its easier to boast on a forum that you'd never do it than to actually not do it if it came down to it. Appreciate there are those of you who genuinely would not and fair play to you - if that's what you believe.

But, I'm 100% certain there are those who would say one thing and do another.

3) Lets be honest. We all to a certain extent use the tax system to our advantage, be it splitting dividends, paying low salary, claiming expenses. Permies get to do none of these things so we're better off. Come on - tell the average permie how little tax you pay and they'd be well unimpressed!

I would suggest that unless you forego all of this then you're being a bit hypocritical to single out benefit claiming.

4) Not sure where some of you live but you need to take off your rose-tinted spectacles. There are millions of scummers in this country who fiddle the benefit system, claim disability when they're not entitled. Millions have never worked and paid tax and never have any intention to do so - because it suits them and they don't give a monkeys arse about it.

Me claiming a few months worth of JSA and then going back to paying tax is just a drop in the ocean.

5) All well and good to take the morale high ground but it doesnt pay the mortgage. You might get that warm fuzzy feeling at the beginning but it might fade a bit when you're struggling to pay the mortgage.

If you don't want to claim then fine but to criticise others for doing something that is perfectly lawful is out of order.

[eek]

As a pro-JSA advocate here's my thoughts:-

1) Its perfectly legal. You can be upfront and honest about what you do. There is no need to be economical with the truth or pull wool over anyones eyes to be able to claim.

2) Its easier to boast on a forum that you'd never do it than to actually not do it if it came down to it. Appreciate there are those of you who genuinely would not and fair play to you - if that's what you believe.

But, I'm 100% certain there are those who would say one thing and do another.

3) Lets be honest. We all to a certain extent use the tax system to our advantage, be it splitting dividends, paying low salary, claiming expenses. Permies get to do none of these things so we're better off. Come on - tell the average permie how little tax you pay and they'd be well unimpressed!

I would suggest that unless you forego all of this then you're being a bit hypocritical to single out benefit claiming.

4) Not sure where some of you live but you need to take off your rose-tinted spectacles. There are millions of scummers in this country who fiddle the benefit system, claim disability when they're not entitled. Millions have never worked and paid tax and never have any intention to do so - because it suits them and they don't give a monkeys arse about it.

Me claiming a few months worth of JSA and then going back to paying tax is just a drop in the ocean.

5) All well and good to take the morale high ground but it doesnt pay the mortgage. You might get that warm fuzzy feeling at the beginning but it might fade a bit when you're struggling to pay the mortgage.

If you don't want to claim then fine but to criticise others for doing something that is perfectly lawful is out of order.

It's because of 3 that most of us refuse to do 1,2, 4 and 5

[TheFaQQer]

3) Lets be honest. We all to a certain extent use the tax system to our advantage, be it splitting dividends, paying low salary, claiming expenses. Permies get to do none of these things so we're better off. Come on - tell the average permie how little tax you pay and they'd be well unimpressed!

I would suggest that unless you forego all of this then you're being a bit hypocritical to single out benefit claiming.

It's a line. The benefits system is not there to support those that freelance and are in between work.

4) Not sure where some of you live but you need to take off your rose-tinted spectacles. There are millions of scummers in this country who fiddle the benefit system, claim disability when they're not entitled. Millions have never worked and paid tax and never have any intention to do so - because it suits them and they don't give a monkeys arse about it.

Me claiming a few months worth of JSA and then going back to paying tax is just a drop in the ocean.

Ah - the "he does it so I should" school of thought. Well played, sir.

[psychocandy]

It's because of 3 that most of us refuse to do 1,2, 4 and 5

So you're implying its ok to do the one thing that the rest of the country might find objectionable but nothing else?

[tractor]

....

As a pro-JSA advocate here's my thoughts:-

1) Its perfectly legal. You can be upfront and honest about what you do. There is no need to be economical with the truth or pull wool over anyones eyes to be able to claim.

2) Its easier to boast on a forum that you'd never do it than to actually not do it if it came down to it. Appreciate there are those of you who genuinely would not and fair play to you - if that's what you believe.

But, I'm 100% certain there are those who would say one thing and do another.

3) Lets be honest. We all to a certain extent use the tax system to our advantage, be it splitting dividends, paying low salary, claiming expenses. Permies get to do none of these things so we're better off. Come on - tell the average permie how little tax you pay and they'd be well unimpressed!

I would suggest that unless you forego all of this then you're being a bit hypocritical to single out benefit claiming.

4) Not sure where some of you live but you need to take off your rose-tinted spectacles. There are millions of scummers in this country who fiddle the benefit system, claim disability when they're not entitled. Millions have never worked and paid tax and never have any intention to do so - because it suits them and they don't give a monkeys arse about it.

Me claiming a few months worth of JSA and then going back to paying tax is just a drop in the ocean.

5) All well and good to take the morale high ground but it doesnt pay the mortgage. You might get that warm fuzzy feeling at the beginning but it might fade a bit when you're struggling to pay the mortgage.

If you don't want to claim then fine but to criticise others for doing something that is perfectly lawful is out of order.

I don't think anyone is saying the concept is wrong. If you need a safety net and you are entitled to it, then of course, take it. ISTM people are saying that to rely on JSA between contracts is wrong and indeed if that is the only way you can afford a mortgage over any length of time, you have overextended yourself and are expecting the taxpayer to repeatedly take up your slack just because you were once earning enough to actually get a mortgage.

[eek]

So you're implying its ok to do the one thing that the rest of the country might find objectionable but nothing else?

It's the difference between doing what hmrc are happy to accept and taking the proverbial

[psychocandy]

It's a line. The benefits system is not there to support those that freelance and are in between work.



Ah - the "he does it so I should" school of thought. Well played, sir.

In your opinion of course.

No I dont mean "he does it so should I". What Im pointing out is that there is a HUGE difference between someone claiming JSA temporarily and making an effort to get back into work than those who never have and never will work.

If you're going to get upset at people who do what I do, then theres a LOT more to get upset at I would suggest.

[psychocandy]

I don't think anyone is saying the concept is wrong. If you need a safety net and you are entitled to it, then of course, take it. ISTM people are saying that to rely on JSA between contracts is wrong and indeed if that is the only way you can afford a mortgage over any length of time, you have overextended yourself and are expecting the taxpayer to repeatedly take up your slack just because you were once earning enough to actually get a mortgage.

I dont think any contractor can rely on JSA. Its £73 a week. And they wont pay your mortage.

Its a 'bonus'. If after 3 months on the bench I've got £1000 more than if I hadn't claimed then its just made me warchest last that little bit longer.

[psychocandy]

It's the difference between doing what hmrc are happy to accept and taking the proverbial

Hmmm. There are lots of stuff that we do that HMRC are not happy with - See IR35.

If you told the average man in the street that you earned £x per day, and that you saved yourself tax by sharing it with your mrs, and that you saved tax by claiming the commute to work etc. and compared it to the permie sitting next to you , do you think they would say fair enough seems fine to me? No way.

[tractor]

....

I dont think any contractor can rely on JSA. Its £73 a week. And they wont pay your mortage.

Its a 'bonus'. If after 3 months on the bench I've got £1000 more than if I hadn't claimed then its just made me warchest last that little bit longer.

That statement alone knocks holes in your every argument. If you have a war chest, why are you struggling to pay your bills? You are not in need of welfare. You don't need a safety net.

The clue is in the name IMHO, It's JOB seekers allowance, not Contract seekers allowance. It's applying a contractor context to a permie mind set.