It pays to beg...

[max_tranmere]

[Dave Wells]

What exactly has he done wrong, is begging a crime ?

[max_tranmere]

It was outlawded in 2002 or 2003. One thing this article says is that he was on Benefit while he was begging. Most of them are though, most Big Issue sellers are on Benefit and live in hostels.

[number 6]

So are you saying nobody should be begging if they are on benefits. Have you ever tried living on benefits? Its not the barrel of laughs the daily mail and the sun paint it to be.

[crofter]

Must be begging in a well to do part of town as he claims he can make ?50 a day during weekdays and ?100 per day at the weekends ... yes mate jog on!!whistle!

[justincyder]

begging has been illegal under common law since oh about 1500 ish give or take a century however asking for alms is different anyway i digress.

Bizzarely I'd rather someone went out begging even if they are claiming benefits, at least they're doing something, ok if they're doing as well as that person there's another issue about tax vs income etc but at least it shows initiative and people don't have to give them anything its a choice.

When I was living in London I'd never actually hand over cash ( that terrible and most probably unfair paranoia of will they use it to buy alcohol etc) but went out of my way to buy food and a drink for a regular I'd pass most days.

But better that than sat on a couch all day swilling wkd watching jeremy kyle before leaving the house once a week to go get the 'bru' whilst waiting for the world to pay what its owes you...tic

now if you could take that beggar and re-direct their initiative and find them a job i daresay they'd be good at it.

[Peter]

justincyder wrote:


>
> When I was living in London I'd never actually hand over cash

Although at least if you gave them cash, you'd know that 100% of your donation would be going to the cause, and that 70%+ of it wasn't being syphoned of to provide company cars and final salary pensions for those running the charity.

[Dick Moby]

Maybe if people on benefits tried a bit harder they might find (I'm sorry, I'll have to use a 4 letter word) WORK.

[max_tranmere]

A lot of people on Benefit, particularly in London, would have to get a job paying about ?30,000 a year before tax to have the same money coming in each month as now - if you add up their subsistence, rent, council tax, national insurance (which the State pays), etc. So if they got a job paying ?32,000 a year they would be working for about ?30 a week, after deductions, more than they get now for doing 40 hours a week - that's less than ?1.00 an hour in addition to now. When you consider that many of these people don't have the skills to get a job paying even half that you start to understand why these peple never want to come off Benefit.

[Dick Moby]

I've got no problem with people who NEED benefits but the system has to change.I suspect even the most left wing members of this site, know somebody who is falsely claiming benefits.
It is totally wrong that somebody claiming income support or whatever can be better off than someone who actually works. Where is the incentive to actually look for a job?
I've no doubt that somebody will chastise me and tell me that there is no work to be had in their area. I can only advise them to move, like I've had to do. You go where the work is ------ you don't wait for work to come to you,'cos it aint going to happen.