Independant: Budget 2016: George Osborne ‘takes £4.4bn from disabled people to fund tax breaks for rich’, by Adam Withnall, 16 march 2016
The savings from payments to disabled claimants will escalate over the course of this Parliament.
George Osborne’s proposed cuts to disability benefits could see the government claw back £4.4 billion from people who are too ill to seek full employment – much more than charities previously thought.
The figures laid out in the Budget on Wednesday suggest savings from the controversial cuts could rise to £1.28 billion a year by 2020/21.
Putting together the numbers for cuts to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for 640,000 disabled people, the Mirror calculated that the total saved would be £4.375 billion over the course of this Parliament.
In his Budget, Mr Osborne warned of tough cuts in order to weather the “storm” of global economic uncertainty in future.
But he found the money to increase the highest 40p tax band by £2,500, offering savings to anyone on a salary greater than £42,500.
He also found the money to freeze duty on beer and cider – a highly popular move among Conservative backbenchers.
In his rebuttal, Jeremy Corbyn criticised a Budget that showed the Chancellor had “failed” to balance the books of Britain’s finances.
Metro: Budget 2016: How the budget will impact people with disabilities, Many people with disabilities fear George Osborne’s Budget will have a devastating impact on their quality of life. by Nicole Morley, 16 Mar 2016
Mirror: Budget takes from the disabled and gives to the rich as George Osborne cuts again, by Ros Wynne Jones, 16 march 2016
Mirror: Budget cut to Personal Independence Payments will raise £4.4BILLION to fund tax cut for the rich – The hit to 640,000 disabled people on Personal Independence Payments (PIP) will be even worse than everyone predicted, by Dan Bloom, 17 Mar 2016
Guardian: Disability benefit cut: Tory backbenchers call for rethink – Tory MP says group of backbenchers plans to press for widely-condemned budget changes to personal independence payments to be softened, by Rowena Mason, 16 March
Telegraph: Budget 2016: George Osborne defends disability benefit cuts after attacks from Labour – Chancellor says support for the disabled has increased during his tenure as opposition and think tanks begin to comb through Budget details, by Ben Riley-Smith, 17 Mar 2016
BBC news: Budget 2016: ‘Disability budget going up’ – Osborne The Chancellor George Osborne tells BBC Breakfast that the budget for disability benefit is rising, but that help needs to go to the people who need it most, 17 March
Disability news service: Osborne’s budget sparks anger, fear… and a resignation, by John Pring, March 17, 2016
