Welfare reform - Let’s plan for savings honestly

It seems inevitable that taxes will rise and welfare benefits will be cut if we are to meet our bailout obligations in the timeframe agreed by the Government and our paymasters.

It might be comforting to pretend otherwise but, as the Mary Chapin Carpenter song says, the stars might lie but the numbers never do.

Recognising that probability, the publication of details from an ESRI working document, since withdrawn, on how thousands of families might be better off if they relied on welfare rather than continue in work is as good a moment as any to open a debate about our welfare system’s obligations, objectives, and impact. The idea of the balance between personal responsibility and entitlement must also be discussed in light of the paper, which is being revised by lead author Richard Tol.