Child benefit to Poland!

Lampman · 22-09-2007, 14:08

The latest brilliant idea is that the British taxpayer is now footing the bill to pay £1 million per month in child benefit to people living in Poland.
The only qualification is for one of the parents to be working in the U.K. for longer than a year. An example quoted in the press is a Polish woman with two children living in Poland and the husband working in the U.K, gets £1,650 per annum.The family have an income of £38,000 per year and the husband has just applied for £296 per month tax credits The official minimum wage in Poland is £171 a month(this is one of the richer former Communist countries.).
Bear in mind there are 750,000 Eastern Europeans registered to work in this country,how long before they get on the gravy train?
Yes, before anyone asks, I am bloody envious!

WillowTheWhisp · 22-09-2007, 15:14

I don't think child benefit or any other benefit or tax credit related to having children should be payable unless those children are resident here.

BERNADETTE · 22-09-2007, 15:19

I wouldn't say I'm envious, angry might be a better word. Once again we have people claiming money for children who are not even residents of this country. Where is it going end???

WillowTheWhisp · 22-09-2007, 15:22

This is not what those benefits are supposed to be about.

mez · 22-09-2007, 15:32

hear hear girls im with you both on this .........ive worked since i was 15yrs old & am on a measley old age pension, do you think i'd get more if i skooted out of this god forsaken land & tried to get more from some other country...................NO I WOULD NOT........so why does our country GIVE our money away ........am fed up with it all.

Lilly · 22-09-2007, 16:05

That's ridiculous! Paying child benefit from the U.K to mums and children in Poland! Why would anybody think that's a good idea?

Margaret Pilkington · 22-09-2007, 16:05

Well said Mez!

beechy · 22-09-2007, 16:41

im sure this loop hole will not only be exploited by the
polish community
surely its bin going on for years with other nationalaties

Lampman · 22-09-2007, 17:11

It gets better apparently the largest circulation Newspaper in Poland ran a special edition to inform readers how easy it is for immigrants to the U.K. to obtain benefits. Job agencies in Poland also advise on the U.K's benefit system.
As I stated earlier 750,000 Eastern Europeans are registered.The Home office expected just 13,000 to apply,and gave assurances that benefits could not be claimed.

BERNADETTE · 22-09-2007, 17:16

It really is getting beyond a joke, these countries are laughing at us and we can't even look after our own. It is disgraceful.

SPUGGIE J · 22-09-2007, 18:53

Got steam coming out of my ears over this carry on. Sauna anyone?

beechy · 22-09-2007, 19:06

there aint nothing we can do but grin
and bear it as with everything else the ministers
throw at us

West Ender · 22-09-2007, 19:21

My job from has, for the last 4 years, involved investigating fraudulent claims for Tax Credits. While I can honestly say the Poles very rarely try to claim anything fraudulently they do claim everything they can. They come into my office's Enquiry Centre almost as soon as they arrive in the country, usually accompanied by an adviser/interpreter who has lists of everything they can claim. They can claim Working Tax Credit as soon as they get a job, if the pay is low. Once they are entitled to Child Benefit they are able to claim Child Tax Credit and, it's true, the child doesn't have to be in this country.

I am retiring next week and I have just been informed that my Widow's Pension, which has been paid since my husband died and is based on his contributions, is to be cut by £30 a week as I will have a small Civil Service pension (and, yes, it is small). I have paid tax and NIC all my working life, so did my husband, but people can come into the country having contributed absolutely nothing, be praised for "doing low paid jobs the British don't want to do" and be given every Benefit going. It makes me very, very angry.

BERNADETTE · 22-09-2007, 19:41

The bit about them doing low paid jobs the British don't want to do is utter rubbish. The fact is they are taking the few jobs that are left for the British, by this I mean manual jobs. How are they taking them? The fact is employers know that they don't need to pay them overtime rates(I know people who have worked with them)because they are prepared to work overtime for normal pay. So in effect they are taking the jobs because any employer is going to use the person who is costing him/her the least outlay. They are then claiming and getting all these extra benefits. IMO the whole thing is a farce, the money is not even going back into this countries economy. The whole thing is a joke.

Lilly · 22-09-2007, 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by West Ender

My job from has, for the last 4 years, involved investigating fraudulent claims for Tax Credits. While I can honestly say the Poles very rarely try to claim anything fraudulently they do claim everything they can. They come into my office's Enquiry Centre almost as soon as they arrive in the country, usually accompanied by an adviser/interpreter who has lists of everything they can claim. They can claim Working Tax Credit as soon as they get a job, if the pay is low. Once they are entitled to Child Benefit they are able to claim Child Tax Credit and, it's true, the child doesn't have to be in this country.

I am retiring next week and I have just been informed that my Widow's Pension, which has been paid since my husband died and is based on his contributions, is to be cut by £30 a week as I will have a small Civil Service pension (and, yes, it is small). I have paid tax and NIC all my working life, so did my husband, but people can come into the country having contributed absolutely nothing, be praised for "doing low paid jobs the British don't want to do" and be given every Benefit going. It makes me very, very angry.

Well said, Westender. Then they wonder why we feel resentful towards these that come over. It's hard not to when it feels like we're being pushed to the bottom of the pile.