Why are the all the Daily-Mail-middle-class-closet-communists so outraged by....

[ItsQuickerAntiClockwise]

How's about when the day comes and you want the state pension, or the NHS to supply an ambulance to get you to a hospital? Or your house is set alight and the fire brigade helpfully come round and squirt some water on it. Those things are going to be paid from taxes on these sprogs which you don't want to pay for.

I appreciate that as a contractor you may well have your own personal pension plan sorted, but you might want to accept the government handout to top it up (if you can live to 105 which will be the minimum age to draw state pension by the time you get there).

With regard to never having been homeless or ill, I think it would be risky to assume that because something hasn't happened it never will.

Im assuming that Zippy got his education by giving the teacher a tenner each day to pay for his portion of her wage demands. Or did that come from a previous generation of tax payers?

[Saddo]

**** me! We are being governed by a bunch of people who think adding up two salaries is "too complex and expensive"

Think overhead with this one. If relationships were good and stable then it would work. However relationships come and go, and the admin overhead trying to keep up with the situation could be very significant.

I'm more inclined to do away with the child/tax benefit completely, because that payment is made to the parents. And there's nothing to stop the parents using the payments to buy ciggies or booze. Would be better giving that money to the schools and allow them to control food and clothing for needy youngsters (would there be a problem with a school having a member of staff to manage this process?).

[ItsQuickerAntiClockwise]

Think overhead with this one. If relationships were good and stable then it would work. However relationships come and go, and the admin overhead trying to keep up with the situation could be very significant.

I'm more inclined to do away with the child/tax benefit completely, because that payment is made to the parents. And there's nothing to stop the parents using the payments to buy ciggies or booze. Would be better giving that money to the schools and allow them to control food and clothing for needy youngsters (would there be a problem with a school having a member of staff to manage this process?).

Im not so sure about that one. I think schools act as surrogate parents enough these days as it is.

Having said that, you're idea would probably be a good idea up in the North (no offense, but lets be realistic)

[Mich the Tester]

Think overhead with this one. If relationships were good and stable then it would work. However relationships come and go, and the admin overhead trying to keep up with the situation could be very significant.

I'm more inclined to do away with the child/tax benefit completely, because that payment is made to the parents. And there's nothing to stop the parents using the payments to buy ciggies or booze. Would be better giving that money to the schools and allow them to control food and clothing for needy youngsters (would there be a problem with a school having a member of staff to manage this process?).

My parents gave me their child benefit payments for a few years and I saved it all up to buy a motorbike (Yamaha RD350LC), which I wrapped around a tree after two weeks. Two fun weeks though.

[DimPrawn]

My parents gave me their child benefit payments for a few years and I saved it all up to buy a motorbike (Yamaha RD350LC), which I wrapped around a tree after two weeks. Two fun weeks though.

I used mine to buy a ZX80.

[ItsQuickerAntiClockwise]

I used mine to buy a ZX80.

Geek alert!!!!!

Im surprised you didn't use it to expand your Star Wars figurine collection.

[Alf W]

This is why the whole thing is so stupid and ill-thought out. A flat rate payment by child is easy, efficient and fair. Those who pay tax get some of it back as a reward for bringing up kids. Those who don't, get an additional benefit to help them raise their kids.

At a stroke the Tories have managed to piss off every middle manager with kids in the country and a fairly high percentage of those will now be rapidly going off the Tories.

Wait a minute, this is all becoming a bit clearer now. I bet Cleggy has set up Fag Osborne here and goaded him into announcing this policy ("it'll be a toppper announcement Georgie, honestly, they'll all think you are such a whizz") knowing full well it will start driving these people back towards the Liberals.

[Mich the Tester]

I used mine to buy a ZX80.

...and remained a virgin into your thirties.

[Saddo]

...and remained a virgin into your thirties.

Surely the wobby RAM pack would have provided entertainment without it resulting in an accident?

[Mich the Tester]

Surely the wobby RAM pack would have provided entertainment without it resulting in an accident?

Yep, doesn't pull rock chicks though.