The headline says Working for Families cuts makes life harder for families .
In Richard London’s house they bring in $85,000 a year. With three children, that means $85 dollars a week from Working for Families.
They’ll lose about $2.55 a week under today’s changes, life’s hard enough as it is.
“It’s difficult so any cuts to Working for Families, it affects us quite immensely,” he says.
It depends on how you define hard but would a family of three really struggle on $85,000 a year? That’s well above the average income and if they need the extra $2.55 a week, they do have options.
One or both parents could do more paid work or they could look at their budget, give up some luxuries and reassess what’s necessary.
That’s what the government is having to do because previous administrations have given money to people in want rather than need.
A couple of tradesmen called in last night, they brought up the this topic and neither had any sympathy at all for the families who will be losing a little bit of their WFF payments.
They’d both brought up their children on incomes well under $85,000 and without any government assistance. Like me they didn’t mind paying tax to help people in need but neither approved of paying for people in want.
It’s pretty ridiculous. They should try living off the $25000 our family of 3 lives off while my husband studies. They will be in the minority complaining though I’m sure. I have a lot of friends earning about that much and are being very realistic about the fact that our country can’t afford to keep up paying out all that money.
What do you think of restricting student allowances for over 55′s?
It’s living allowances over 55s won’t get, they’ll still be able to get loans for study costs.
No-one would get an unsecured loan with little chance they’d pay it back for anything else so the policy is still generous.
Sometimes I think the likes of TV3 go out of their way to find these relatively well off families to underscore the ridiculous nature of their complaints.
JC
You got it JC … maybe Mr & Mrs London should move down market abit to save housing costs… Not that I object to their living well or in luxury just do not expect my adult kids and my Gkids to pay for it.
Goodness, $85k and struggling? Really?? I own and run a house featuring a revolving door of kids, between their mums and mine, on substantially less. It seems to work, but it takes some real effort. They must have a mortgage and a half, or can’t say no to the streaky bacon at $25kg
“or can’t say no to the streaky bacon at $25kg”
No one should have to give up streaky bacon.
JC
Streaky Bacon.. Just a distant memory these days.