I’ve got returns for all the years they’re covering though. I’ve been dutifully filing them since the 2013-14 tax year even when not legally obliged to do so. But in the years they’re looking at I’m not eligible. Because the first two I was majority PAYE and the third I made so little that Universal Credit is more than I’d be getting.
Whereas if they were looking at the year we’re in right now, which they’re not even though it ends in two weeks and is the most accurate representation of what people are actually missing out on, then I’d be getting support.
Then there are those self employed who have occasional bouts of short term PAYE because the government has been trying to get people off self employment. They aren’t getting anything from their employer because they aren’t employed by people they’ve worked with minimum 11 months ago.
The last earnings they’re factoring are from minimum 11 months ago.
How is that right?
They seem to me to be more concerned about some perceived attempt at fraud than helping the people who need it.
DMO is right, a temporary UBI would have been far better.