I know i've already participated in this weeks Blog This! challenge, and usually i would consider one rant post for the week enough but, well, somethings just got on my goat and i want to rant about it. I found out this morning that a young mum i know is rorting the government and, frankly, this knowledge has given me the shits.
This new mum ( who i have mentioned previously ) is getting the maximum Baby Bonus* ( which i dont begrudge her - i get it too ) and is also claiming Family Tax Benefit A and B. Thats all fine, no worries. Because her partner is part Aboriginal she is also claiming all the Indigineous benefits she can. I dont want to get into all that but i'm not a big believer in being able to claim extra monies simply because of your race ( or hell, even one quarter of your race ). But whats really gotten up my nose is that this woman is claiming single parents benefits - because she's told the government that her partner does not live with her - and thats an out-and-out lie. She and her partner have been engaged for over 5 years and have been living together longer than that. So, she's lying to Centrelink so that she can claim all kinds of money she isnt really entitled to.
The rorting of benefits really gives me the shits. This woman is telling a bald-faced lie and, consequently, she is able to claim almost $500 more per fortnight in government benefits than I am. You might want to say that i'm jealous, but thats not it ( although a little more in my pocket each week would be nice ). Its annoyed me that Mick and I are being honest, we've paid our taxes in the past, and now that we need a little monetary help from the government, we get what we're entitled to based on the truth of our situation.... and then you have people like her, who lie and are able to get so much more than they need or deserve. I cant stand being ripped off, and even though the money is not going directly from my pocket to hers it may aswell be. I pay my taxes in the anticipation that they will be used properly and to good effect - and then there are money grubbing people out there who are a drain on the system.
People who claim disability benefits because they have a slightly pulled muscle in their back, when honest-living people ( like my father ) work for 20 years with a legitimate disorder, up until their doctors tell them if they keep going they may not be able to walk....and then those honest people have surgery and get straight back to it.
Women who have numerous babies to different fathers so they can live off the family benefits.
People who claim unemployment, even though they are perfectly able to work - they just have no drive nor desire to find work because why should they when taxpayers will keep them in the money?
I have no problem with people claiming government benefits when its legitimate - i am, at least while i'm on maternity leave - it just really gets my back up when people cheat the system. I have half a mind to go and dob this girl in, to have her investigated, and made to pay all the extra monies back - but i wouldnt want to seem spiteful. I guess i can just sit back and know that i'm doing the right thing and live knowing that my son will be brought up with good moral standards, because his father and I are setting hime the best example ( even though its the hard way ) right from the start....
*NOTE* For those of you not in Australia, the Baby Bonus is a benefit paid to new mothers to help with the immediate costs of raising a child. The maximum benefit is just over $5000, paid over 26 weeks.
Mp3Juice
2 hours ago
I hate this kind of thing! My husband and I are also having to have a bit of help from our government at the moment. Work is very hard to find here at the minute, my husband works part time and is doing his best to find a full time job but prior to this we both worked and paid our taxes.
ReplyDeleteWe know people that are claiming unemployment benefit and have no intention of working and a couple have never worked. We don't like claiming benefits but also feel that we have paid our taxes so have a legitimate claim to them.
It makes me angry when people lie in order to get more money. Of course we'd all like a bit of extra money in our pockets but taking what you're not entitled to ultimately means there is less for those with a genuine need!
It seems as if people are the same everywhere; there are folks here who legitimately need the govt help and others who cheat it. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I had a friend who had a great paying job but got food stamps. She tried to talk me into getting them too. While I didn't have a great paying job at the time, I still didn't want to get them. I mean, I had a job and I could afford to put food in my family's mouth, why would I run and take that from someone who needed it more than I did? It wouldn't have been fair at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm SO with you on this. We get NOTHING from the Govt -- not a penny -- and I see that as fair because we don't need it. I know women whose partners earn $200k a year and they claim all kinds of extras, and personally I don't think they should.
ReplyDeletethe money should ONLY be available to those who genuinely need it.
Yep this bugs me too, all you can hope is that they will get found out or karma will come and bit them when they least expect.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't live like that, a life of lies... constantly looking over your shoulder all the time.