Benefit's Capped By Number Of Children

[AB Editor]

 

This poll is closed.

Should benefits and government hand-outs be capped after the second child?

• Yes - 470 votes
• 84%
• No - 89 votes
• 16%

See final stats

Stats until: 01:06 Sun 22nd Dec 2024 (Refreshed every 5 minutes)

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[tonyav]

Yes.

[anotheoldgit]

Baldric

/// AOG, I've reread the OP, unless I'm missing something the Ed did not include the Third World in the Question, so if it's worrying you I would respectfully suggest youstart your own thread on the subject. ///

Try reading your own answer below to the Ed's question, it was this I was answering, and since this type of thing is regularly done by others on AB I do not need to start a thread of my own.

/// Let's be honest, why should whose of us who contribute via Tax, NI, etc have to pay to support the breeding habits of the feckless?
If you can't afford to support children, don't have them! ///

[Baldric]

For the benefit of the hard of understanding,
the Third World was not a part of the OP.

[naomi24]

AOG, I can't see any mention of the Third World in Baldric's answer.

[WELSHYORKIE]

AOG - 3rd world? only you have mentioned that

[ludwig]

// My sister had one child, then twins. Difficult to plan for that. //

Good point that. Maybe they could base it on the offspring of your first two pregnancies, unless your first one produced 2 or more kids.

[WELSHYORKIE]

Maybe something akin to Irelands system re multiple births? (See Lazygun link)

[ToraToraTora]

I voted yes, having children should not be seen as a career. However I do accept Ummm's point that falling on stoney after the event should not be punished.

[Ellipsis]

The tax and benefits system should reward the behaviours and values that we as a society want to promote, not the behaviours and values we don't. In our modern society, having lots of children is a luxury, not an essential, and you should not expect the state to pay for your luxuries. I think capping after a second or perhaps (at a push) third child would be reasonable.

An alternative would be to not make it numbers-dependent at all, but start paying a fixed amount (say £100 per month at current rates) on the birth of the first child, and stop paying as the last child came of age.

[Baldric]

Checking the voting, it seems to be 3+ to 1 in favour of a cap at present

[Canary42]

It's not the benefits that need capping ...........................

[jim360]

No, because "don't have children if you can't afford them" overlooks the possibilty not just of a large family falling on hard times -- as Naomi has mentioned -- but also of accidental pregnancies. What are people proposing if, say, a condom fails for whatever reason, or you happen to forget to take the pill while on benefits and end up falling pregnant again? Or perhaps that you have to give the baby up for adoption, or have to have an abortion?

Benefits aren't supposed to be paid out only to people who meet exacting moral standards, and should also go to those who have made mistakes or fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. In any case, a cap on benefits received by having too many children just ends up hurting the children.

The number of people who have children deliberately to get another benefit handout is certainly far less than anyone seems to think. Never mind the fact that you get all of £13.40 a week for additional children -- is that really going to cover maintaining another child properly and giving you a decent amount of extra money on top? I don't think so.

[ummmm]

Jim, you'll also get child tax credits on top of that.

[ummmm]

Also, women can have a coil fitted or an implant which both last 3 - 5 years.

[jim360]

Doesn't particularly affect the argument much -- an extra £50 a week beyond what I said earlier, I think? The family would be minted.

[craft1948]

When I had the daughter you didn't get family allowance for the first child, you didn't get maternity leave and pay, you didn't get any help with nursery places, I just don't know how I managed!