Government cracks down on sickness benefit
The UK government has recently introduced a new test for sickness benefit claims which has led to an average 66% of new claims being ejected. The rejection figure is as high as 90% in some areas of the country and prompts the question, why is the new system so different from the old system which has seen 2.6 million people in receipt of long-term sickness benefit?
The benefit system in the UK is a very complicated animal and one which has attracted more than its fair share of controversy over the years. In the early days there were accusations that the benefit system was being used to keep unemployment numbers as low as possible and had been more than generous to some people. However, with sickness benefit increasing enormously in the UK over the last decade it seems as though the authorities have decided to act, albeit rather belatedly, to nip in the bud a problem which could cost the UK taxpayer billions of pounds.
It is worthwhile remembering that each person receiving sickness benefit is not able to work and will not be earning any taxable income for the authorities. So with more and more people taking money out of the benefit system, and putting nothing back into the taxation system, the burden on the UK working population is growing heavier.
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