Friday

There is an announcement on our internal website, informing us that we pay out more than £100 million in benefits per day. Of course, the actual cash amount of Income Support is not a great deal, but it is bumped up by other things. Housing and council tax benefit, free prescriptions, free eye tests and glasses, free dental treatment, and free milk and vitamins in some cases. Then there are maternity grants, funeral payments, and if you are on benefit and have a relative in prison, the tax-payer will pay for you to visit them. If you live so far away that you could not be expected to travel there and back in one day, such as if, for example, you live in Northern Scotland and your loved one is banged up in Wormwood Scrubs, the tax-payer will pay for a night spent in a hotel. So if there are any British tax-payers out there wondering why they have to pay so much Income Tax, wonder no more.