Fight to stop bedroom tax

“My son and his girl friend have a private 2 bedroom flat which he pays for. If he had opted for a 1 bedroom flat, it would have been cheaper. Why should the people on social housing get preferential treatment and not pay for the property that they occupy. As a tax payer I am sick of hearing all the moaning from people who get tax payers hand outs.
I totally believe in social housing and the welfare state, I also believe that a married couple living in a 3 or 4 bedroom house is diabolical when an overcrowded family could use that property.”

“@mrb__instoke

There aren't enough spare one and two bedroom houses to accommodate all the people who are currently defined as under-occupying three bedroom houses though. The best way to alter that would be to nationalise the construction industry under democratic workers control in order to start the mass building of affordable but environmentally friendly Council houses to houses anybody who needs a home. This would also create jobs and help to re-invigorate a stalling economy.

More importantly is that the 'spare rooms' are not spare at all: the way in which the Government defines under-occupation is problematic.
Two children under the age of ten (regardless of their gender) will be expected to share a room. When parents are separated and do not live together, only one parent will be able to designate a room for their child; the divorced father who lives alone in a two-bedroom council house will be forced to either move out or lose 14% of his housing benefit. People with various disabilities who may require an extra bedroom may or may not have that taken from them depending on Government definitions of what does and does not constitute a spare room: part time carers of the disabled will not be able to claim a spare bedroom while full time ones will. Men and women who live in the same house but are not in sexual relationships will be considered to be under-occupying their property if they do not share a bedroom. These are just a few examples of how the "bedroom tax" will affect people.

We fight this tax not because we're idealistic Socialists. We fight it because it is immoral and corrupt, and will drive thousands (if not millions) of people into debt that they will almost certainly never recover. If you want to cut the deficit, implement a "Second Home tax", increase the top rate of income tax for those earning over £100,000 a year to 75%. Don't punish the poorest and most vulnerable in our society while billions of pounds lie untouched in British banks. Banks that the taxpayer bailed out.”

“Typical socialist protest& a wholly misguided premise ! This is a BENEFIT funded by TAXPAYERS for those that dont pay & conferred on people who may or may not deserve it ,I make no comment on that issue.However when the amount is reduced it is not a tax ! You cannot tax a benefit that is given free of charge ! Its a contradiction in terms discuss !”

“Sloppy journalism by the sentinel here. For a better report of the day check out http://tinyurl.com/cyszvwd”

“"This is another unjust attack on the working class and it will see thousands of people in this area affected"

the only working class people being affected are the ones with familys living in unsuitable accomodation because all the three bedroom social housing is occupied by single people.
im alright jack”