Income Tax doesn't cover the Benefit system.

This is where all the money has gone then. Even more alarming considering during most of the Labour years unemployment (officially) was relatively low until recently.

It doesn't cover the cost of the "Wars", which "We" are fighting either.
It barely covers the gost of government.

It's easy for the press (who make money) and convenient for MPs (who keep lucrative jobs) to gather the masses together to round on "Scroungers".

Many many people are unable to find a decent job, there ARE some sick people who need state assistance. All our money has gone to big corporations and the already wealthy, yet so many of us (especially on these forums) have a go at the ones who can't argue their case.

It's almost tribal and it's certainly got a lot to do with making the moaners on here feel superior.

People take advantage of all financial systems, whatever they are - eg, getting the most from overtime, tax situations, betting opportunites, etc etc, yet there is a REALLY easy target in benefit claimants. Most of whom live on a pittance, and would rather not have to claim.
Even though there are some who take advantage, there are bigger costs to the taxpayer which could easily be trimmed.

Leaches pay nothing and then moan and complain about the NHS etc.... you couldn't make it up :^0

c um

*****pool

If only some of the people who post on here knew the truth about the benefit system - for starters try looking at some of the massive fees paid over the years to companies like Andersens, Sema and EDS to name but a few for providing (imho poor) IT systems. Also look at the massive redundancy packages paid to civil servants (of all grades) who in many cases a few months later either end up working back at the same government department (or one of the aforementioned companies) in virtually the same role. Oh and just to clarify this has been going on for a lot longer than the period of Labour government and every time I hear a politician (of whether political persuation) say that they are going to cut waste in public services I do go into a screaming fit !!!

Spot on. As far as I can see everyone else has a sovereign wealth fund where its oil money is invested for future generations but we are so greedy and selfish in the UK we have just spent it in 25 years.

It has been used to fund the ....NHS....Schools.....Police....etc......

though Sema hasn't existed for many years, but Atos Origin (the once Sema Group then SchlumbergerSema is part of them) is now busily employing hundreds of Indians in UK on visas in order to take all that work back to India. What happens to the British IT workers left behind?