EASING THE PRESSURE
Six million disabled Brits to receive £150 in Rishi Sunak’s bumper cost-of-living package
RISHI Sunak has announced that six million disabled Brits will receive £150 this September.
The Chancellor today announced £15billion worth of relief, including an energy bill discount, to ease the pressure on household finances.
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Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Mr Sunak revealed families across the country can expect money off their sky-rocketing bills, which are set to rise to £2,800 a year from October, funded by a windfall tax on oil and gas firms.
In particular he revealed that Brits with disabilities, who may have energy intensive equipment in the household, will receive a once off payment of £150.
For the many disability benefit recipients who receive means tested benefits, this £150 will come on top of the £650 they will receive separately.
These payments will be exempt from tax, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.
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The government will make these payments directly to eligible people across the UK.
Elsewhere in Mr Sunak's multi-billion pound plans to draw a line under Partygate and focus on the squeeze in living standards caused by inflation, he said he will assist Britain's poorest households.
This includes those on means-tested benefits, who will receive two lump-sum payments worth £650 in July and the autumn at a cost of more than £5bn to the treasury.
More than eight million households, including those on Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income support, Pension Credit, working tax credit and child tax credit will be eligible.
Rishi Sunak's announcement today included:
- Confirmation of a temporary windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
- The £200 loan for energy bills made a grant that no longer needs to be paid back and increased to £400.
- A one-off disability cost of living payment of £150 will be handed out.
- A £650 one-off payment for Universal Credit and benefits recipients.
- A £300 one-off payment to low-income pensioners.
- An energy discount worth £400 to every household.
- An extra £500million for the Household Support Fund.
And that is on top of a the energy bill discount for every household, expected to be £400, regardless of income.
Mr Sunak told MPs: "We need to make sure that for those whom the struggle is too hard and for whom the risks are too great they are supported.
"This Government will not sit idly by while there is a risk that some in our country might be set so far back they might never recover.
"This is simply unacceptable and we will never allow that to happen.
"And I want to reassure everybody that we will get through this, we have the tools and the determination we need to combat and reduce inflation, we will make sure the most vulnerable and least well-off get the support they need at this time of difficulty, and we will turn this moment of difficulty into a springboard for economic renewal and growth."
Britain's annual inflation rate has surged to a 40-year high on rocketing energy costs, squeezing household budgets and leaving many struggling to make ends meet.
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Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, hit nine per cent in April, up from from seven per cent in March.
This, coupled with the conflict in Ukraine and the pandemic, has pushed energy and food prices up and forced banks to ramp up interest rates.
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