According to the new law, tenants of working age who receivehousing support will lose 14 percent of their benefits if they haveone spare room, and 25 percent if they have more than one. Critics,who dubbed the measure the 'Bedroom Tax,' have argued that thedefinition of 'spare' is narrow and contentious.“The government is saying they won’t have a tax on bigmansions, but they are having a bedroom tax on the poorest peoplein the country,” MP Helen Goodman told RT.Campaigners gathered across Britain to rail against the law,which they say targets the most vulnerable."This is a cruel policy that primarily hits single parents,and the adult disabled,” Huffington Post reported, quoting theprotest's national organizer, Eoin Clarke. “Even children deemeddisabled but not 'severely' so, are affected. Carers, theterminally ill, battered wives and husbands are allaffected.”The 'Bedroom Tax' is expected to affect 660,000 people when itis enacted next month.RT spoke with Brian Ryder, who suffers from osteoporosis andcannot work, and is one of thousands who will find themselves in aCatch-22 next month. Under the new law, Ryder will lose £50 of hishousing benefits every month – money he needs for food and heating.Otherwise, he would have to move out of the apartment where he hasbeen living for 14 years. He has asked to be provided with asmaller apartment, but was told that none were available.“People are being told they should move to a smaller flat,but in my constituency there are fewer than 100 places people couldmove to and that’s fairly typical across the country as awhole,” Goodman said.The government has argued the proposal is “an excellentpolicy which will lead to more efficient use of taxpayer-subsidizedhousing.” … Read More
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