Is the reality of setting up your own business even worthwhile when persons within the UK government make comments which only highlight how hard life can be for sole traders or those that choose to make a living off of their own work.
After the comments made by a sole trader (Mr David Bennett) who operates a market stall to earn money he desperately needs to survive, Ian Duncan Smith (of the Department for Work & Pensions) passed a flippant remark that intoned it would be easy to live on just £7.50 a day.
An honest businessman who seeks to operate within the bounds of the regulations set in place by the government, one who has to rely on benefits to ensure a roof and food. Despite his own attempts to earn money has seemingly been belittled by the very person who heads the regulations that he must live by.
David Bennett:
_”I’ve been punished for trying to do the right thing, setting up my own business and looking after my kids… So much for David Cameron’s Big Society.”_
In response a petition was started asking that Ian Duncan Smith prove his words, what happened next was the power of social media, as thousands of people signed their name calling the minister out.
Among other changes to welfare and tax that affect working families are more cuts being brought into force.Council tax benefit funding cut, and working-age benefits and tax credit rises pegged at 1 per cent – well below inflation – for three years.
For persons such as Mr Bennett, the benefits system is a hindrance to an already problem filled working life. Mr Bennett points out that after all the sums are done he took a wage of £2700 for a year in which he would often spend 50 to 70 hours working in a week.
Even when his business did pick up and he began to take more money, the DWP then were kind enough to point out that his rising income meant even less access to benefits, effectively his hard work and effort caused him more hassle than financial gain – working harder to get less.
George Osborne MP (Chancellor of the Exchequer) had this to say:
“What this Government is trying to do is to put things right. We’re trying to make the system fair on people like you, who get up, go to work, and expect your taxes to be spent wisely.”
Kind words, but of little relief to people like Mr Bennett. The system needs addressing, every day hard working people see themselves short changed or overlooked. In times such as these where the country is marred by triple-dip recession business is hard enough without having to fight the government to stay above the bread-line.
