“Could you define a 'tax?'”

“My thoughts too,Glebe.

I thought a tax was a levy on goods purchased .. or income.

Dunno how you 'tax' a bedroom.

Perhaps if our lazy media would clariy this (and Labour politician stopped misusing the word for party political purposes), it might end some of the confusion.”

“Hmmm

Noun: 'Charge against a citizen's person, property or activity for the support of government'.

Seems clear enough, it's a pernicious tax that only the Tories could dream up and only supported by their sycophantic and heartless, blue cap doffing supporters. May 2015 will see the end of them.”

“I may be wrong but I think it is a cut in housing benefit.”

“I don't believe it!

This story has broken my dream. I was on holiday and upon returning (on instructions from the council), builders had constructed a wall dividing my son's bedroom in two individual ones. Among a pile of letters was one warning me that I'd receive less housing benefit because I was living in too big a house, or, I was given the option of finding another with less bedrooms.

So! This isn't a dream then?”

“Virgil,

The taxpayer is obviously over paying you if you can afford to go on holiday on benefits.

I should keep your mouth shut if I were you and live with the £16 per week cut or whatever it is and think yourself lucky you can afford holidays.”

“@ lalatina,

Do you have a problem differentiating dreams from reality. How much drain did your last dream (or in the case of where tory policies are concerned) nightmare impact on your finances?”

“My husband and I went for a meal last week. When we arrived at the restaurant it was almost empty and the waiter asked where we would like to sit. We opted for the area where the larger tables were located which normally caters for parties with a greater number of people. As the place was quiet the waiter was happy for us to take up more seats than necessary for the two of us.

Before our order arrived, there was a sudden influx of diners. At one point, the restaurant was unable to accommodate a party of 4, as the only available table was for two people. The waiter politely asked if we would move to the smaller table so the party of 4 could take our place. This of course was no problem and we made our table available.

There is no real difference between this and giving your home up for needier, larger families.”

“It is NOT and TAX. it is NOT a BEDROOM TAX!

Tax is money the government takes off you, off money you have EARNT, either when you EARN it of SPEND it.

Trying to redress the balance by attempting to get good value for money of MY TAX that gets taken off me when I EARN it and reduce the waste of FREE money GIVEN to support people in social houseing FOR FREE is not a TAX it is a clawback of unnessasery benefits.

Good on the Tories - please continue to look after the actual TAX that you take of me - thankyou!”

“Having watched all the poor kids in the slums on Friday night, I think the government should set up an exchange scheme.

For people moaning that they have to give up a spare bedroom in their free house, they should have swap with a slum family and live 8 to a room with no running or electricity for a month and spend 12 hours a day picking over scraps on a tip, just to stay alive.

Perhaps they would know how privalaged they are when they return!”

“THE GUARDIAN

http://tinyurl.com/c6wg5ze

Bedroom tax protests across the UK

Thousands turn out across the UK to protest against a new tax imposed on council house residents deemed to have a spare bedroom....”

“I see the Wrongler is back, sporting the latest in Acc. names. Was that voluntary or forced?

Perhaps a pastime undertaken only on week days. Well we wouldn't want to do this in our own time would we? No wonder this country's in the gutter.”

“"You don't say where you got this information from about the Housing Committees. Can you tell us or is it a secret?"”

“No, it's not a tax. It's worse than a tax. If you have 2 children, a boy and a girl, both under the age of 11, and live in a 3 bed house you have to either take a cut in housing benefit or move into a 2 bed house.

If you remain in your home after the death of a child, and their room is then deemed to be 'spare', again, you either get less housing benefit or move.

It's ok though, because there is lots and lots of spare one and two bedroom social housing available. Oh no. There isn't.

So to pay for not only the ridiculous excesses of bankers, the massive tax avoidance by major corportations and wealthy individuals, but also the incredibly inadequate housing policy of successive governments - the poorest are asked to pay.

It's ok though, because it doesn't effect The_Wrangler. All of his tax goes to scroungers. His tax doesn't pay for a 5% tax cut for those earning £100,000 a year or more. His tax doesn't make up for the £25 billion lost in tax avoidance by the already wealthy. The_Wrangler (who is an otherwise intelligent commenter, but seems to have a blind spot when it comes to the poor) is much happier to see benefit cuts for the genuinely needy than asking those that can afford it to pay more.

People are brainwashed into thinking that those people who aren't working are scroungers. They forget that 80% of those on unemployment benefits have been in work for 3 of the last 4 years and are desperate to get back to work.

Then there are the people who instantly think anybody claiming disability benefits are 100% definitely cheating the system.

The right wing media can put their feet up and relax now. They've managed to convince the brain dead and even the normally reasoned thinking people of this country that it is the poor ruining this country and not the rich. Even people who hate and blame the bankers for the economic crisis are happy for the poorest to pick up the tab. How many times are there people clamouring for an increase in the top rates of tax? Not many. You are brainwashed.”