IFS: Tory Welfare Reforms

Tory welfare reforms will push more children into poverty, the IFS have said – with absolute child poverty projected to rise to 30% by 2021-22.

The increase is “entirely explained by the direct impact of tax and benefit reforms”, the IFS said.

The findings come in a new report on living standards, which also finds that the poorest 15% of the population are likely to have lower incomes in five years’ time.

Motherwell and Wishaw has some of the highest rates of poverty in Scotland and the Tories’ policies are only going to push the area into further decline. They do not represent the interests of ordinary people or struggling people; only their own interests.

Whereas last month, the Scottish Government published a Child Poverty Bill which will introduce ambitious targets to reduce child poverty – after the Tories shamefully scrapped UK targets.

Reducing child poverty becomes harder in the face of continued Tory austerity – we’re already spending £100m a year to mitigate welfare cuts which we’d prefer to spend tackling poverty at its root.

The last thing that struggling families need is further Tory austerity and cuts to their income. The austerity-obsessed Tories clearly think they can get away with doing what they want to Scotland.