The government is losing its mind over welfare reform, with a range of changes set to be rolled out in the coming weeks, including a crackdown on those claiming benefits.
The changes include scrapping the right to claim for education and making it easier to claim a child benefit, but they will also introduce a new income threshold that will mean those receiving benefits will be taxed twice.
It will be up to the Government to set the new threshold at the next general election.
A number of proposals are being proposed, including scrapping a scheme that was introduced by the previous Government.
The changes will also be rolled back on child benefit and welfare of education.
These include scraving the income threshold for the new income limit which is set at £15,000 for an individual and £24,000 in a couple.
This will mean a couple who earn £22,000 would now only qualify for the child benefit of £20,000.
The Government also plans to abolish the child and employment support payments which are meant to help people get back into work, but will instead be replaced with a new payment for parents of children under six.
The scheme will also mean the amount of child support payable will be doubled, from £1,600 to £2,400.
This means that a couple with a child under six will receive £1.6m per year.
The income threshold will be capped at £23,000 and parents will be allowed to claim the new maximum of £10,000 per child under the age of six.
A further change is to see the income thresholds reduced to £20 and the maximum amount of support paid from £2.50 to £3.25.
This means that an individual earning between £21,000 to £22.5m will receive between £2m and £3m in support.
The new threshold of £22m will also apply to the amount an individual can claim for welfare of employment and support if they are on low incomes and dependents.
These changes will mean that people who earn between £22 million and £30 million will receive from £3 million to £5 million in support, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
A £5,000 cap on child support will also go away, meaning that parents who are eligible for child benefit will now receive more support, and will be able to claim up to £12,000 from child support, instead of the current £12 a week.
These plans are not expected to affect those claiming the Universal Credit, the benefit for low-income earners, which is due to be introduced on April 1.
There will also now be a cap on the amount parents can claim from Child Benefit, which will be £2 per child, down from £4.
Parents who earn under £19,000 will be eligible to claim Child Benefit for children aged under six, instead.
Child benefit will also stop being paid automatically if a parent dies or is in receipt of benefits, meaning those who are entitled to child benefit can only receive it when they are in receipt.
This cap will be lifted from April 1, with the maximum child benefit paid for an adult now being £20.
A new tax on people claiming disability benefits has been introduced to help pay for the changes.
The £10 increase in income threshold means that people claiming the income limit will now be taxed at half their current tax rate, meaning they will pay up to a higher rate on earnings from April.
People claiming disability benefit will be forced to work for up to 10 weeks a month, rather than the current four weeks.
This would mean those claiming disability payments will be expected to work at least 50 hours a week instead of only 20 hours.
People on Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment will also see a reduction in their income tax bill.
The welfare system is under increasing pressure, with thousands of people losing benefits and others being cut off from their main support.