Oh Heck!......When things go not quite as planned

[Paul]

is all confusing now...
My mate asked me if i want to work fo his friends company as sort of online shop administrator. (BIG shop) not programin etc... only checkin all day the web for beer, wine etc glass. and update the price. so in the eye of the law i am not working??

[Ian M]

You will have to start printing shirts with : Vote Conservative if you don't want people to have a hobby or any fun in their lives.

Jack.

Jack, you have as much chance of me riding a unicycle whilst knitting fog than printing those T-shirts :biggrin:

[Ian M]

Jees.. they obviously think we're all drug pushers or the likes then.. because i'd like to know how to make a healthy profit in that time once machinary etc has been paid for.. i'm in the wrong job !!

I forgot to add Nikki that these people at HMRC most of them worked at the DSS investigating benefit fraud. That came from someone who works at HMRC.

[Ian M]

is all confusing now...
My mate asked me if i want to work fo his friends company as sort of online shop administrator. (BIG shop) not programin etc... only checkin all day the web for beer, wine etc glass. and update the price. so in the eye of the law i am not working??

3 to 4 hours per week Paul according to Mr Nasty.

[pitkin2020]

Well technically not many people could achieve the full working hours. Even if you were employed by someone for 30 hours not all that time is production time for resale. Cleaning, setting up, etc all has to be taken into account. This change has to be a recent one as when I looked at it last year the job centre advisor was telling me that to work out my working hours everything had to be taken into account including all the above and extras things like sorting advertising, delivering leaflets, meeting with clients etc. If it has changed hopefully they are giving the correct advice now.

[Ian M]

Well technically not many people could achieve the full working hours. Even if you were employed by someone for 30 hours not all that time is production time for resale. Cleaning, setting up, etc all has to be taken into account. This change has to be a recent one as when I looked at it last year the job centre advisor was telling me that to work out my working hours everything had to be taken into account including all the above and extras things like sorting advertising, delivering leaflets, meeting with clients etc. If it has changed hopefully they are giving the correct advice now.

The changes came into force at the start of the year. The staff at the Job Centre I spoke to yesterday have no idea about these changes at all & they said they had had a few others in a similar situation as me.
I was given the same advice as you when I first started out on my own which was correct at the time. In fact they said to me at the Job Centre yesterday that they thought I only needed to work just 16 hours per week as I'm over 50 to qualify for the working tax credits. It does seem that one department is saying one thing whilst another is saying something very different.

[JSR]

Sorry to read about you going through the wringer, Ian. What a ridiculous country we live in when you're better off not working than working. People who try to work so that they're not a burden to the state should be encouraged, not discouraged like this.

And they wonder why we have so many unemployed (and by that I mean the number of people "not working" as opposed to government figures that only take into account a small proportion because it looks better).

[Ian M]

Sorry to read about you going through the wringer, Ian. What a ridiculous country we live in when you're better off not working than working. People who try to work so that they're not a burden to the state should be encouraged, not discouraged like this.

And they wonder why we have so many unemployed (and by that I mean the number of people "not working" as opposed to government figures that only take into account a small proportion because it looks better).

Thanks Jonathan. I couldn't agree with you more in all you say. I know only too well about figures from my time in banking as we could make figures & stats fit just the way we wanted them too.
An old friend of mine sent me this & I think it really sums up the country.

The British Government provides the following financial assistance: -

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER (bearing in mind they worked hard and paid their Income Tax and National Insurance contributions to the British government all their working life) Weekly allowance: £106.00
IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN (No Income Tax and National Insurance contribution whatsoever) Weekly allowance: £250.00

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER Weekly Spouse allowance: £25.00
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN Weekly Spouse allowance: £225.00

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER Additional weekly hardship allowance £0.00
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN Additional weekly hardship allowance £100.00

A British old age pensioner is no less hard up than an illegal immigrant/refugee yet receives nothing

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT £6,000
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT: £29,900

[Lee]

OMG - plesse please please send this to Question Time and lwt us see them all wriggling about!
Summat wrong in this country!

[John G]

Really thought you'd turn this one around Ian - sorry to hear they won't listen.