Welfare saving proposals are being introduced in order to pay for a tax cut for the richest people in society at times when the poorest are struggling most.
Iain Duncan Smith now wishes to scrap benefit payments for those being eased back into work after serious illnesses such as cancer. In practice, this benefit cut would see those coming back from illness having the same active job seeking obligations as those other non-ill people on benefits.
Aside from the fact there is something uneasily hardnosed and cruel about this proposal, there is good reason to think this will cost the country much money long term. Coming back from cancer must be hard enough as it is for the individual, their families and friends. Making this worse, the government appears to be ignoring the fact that forcing people to search for work too quickly may cause even more harm. For example, with the right support, someone coming back from a psychiatric disorder can work again. This means they can add to the economy, there is a reduction in welfare costs and it requires less expenditure on health services. However, if forced to seek for jobs too quickly during their comeback period in order to receive necessary financial support, it may result in a much greater cost to society. It may actually force people back into ill health as they are being pushed into doing something they are not ready for. This means welfare costs for longer periods, more health service costs, lost economic contribution and most importantly misery for them and those they relate within the community. Once again, the Tory obsession with austerity is short-sighted and will mean taxpayers of all rates will pay more in the long term.
Clearly we are seeing a trend of ill thought out policies from Iain Duncan Smith and the Tories. He is not content with inflicting further hardship on those people who require another room in order to cope with their disability through the Bedroom Tax. Even though such a tax punishes those needing, for example, space for overnight careers or dialysis equipment. Ultimately, this tax has led to other expenditure for taxpayers, such as people needing to move out into private accommodation with higher rents and therefore needing even more housing benefit.
Email: thomas.b.mcneil@gmail.com
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