Letter:Paying for an end to poverty
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: So that's that, then. A combination of an Independent leader writer and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have solved the problem of poverty simply by "pushing up" income support by pounds 15 (leading article, 4 June).
But why stop there? What about pounds 20 and let them go to the cinema? Or pounds 25 and drinks all round? As social security spending increases remorselessly year after year so that it now costs us eight times what it did in Beveridge's day and more people than ever before claim some type of benefit (a third of the population as reported in the Independent recently) it is surely obvious that expanding benefits simply does not eradicate poverty. If anything it probably increases relative "poverty" by increasing demand and expectation.
SIMON BROOKE
London SW1
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments