Benefit cheats are to face increased prison
sentences of up to 10 years, under new guidelines set out by the director of
public prosecutions.
Keir Starmer QC said it was time for a "tough stance" on
benefit and tax credit fraud, as he issued the guidance for prosecutors in
England and Wales.
He said the £1.9bn annual cost of the crime to the nation should always
be at the "forefront of lawyers" minds.
This, in principle, makes sense introducing harsher sentences for
benefit fraud will hopefully act as some form of deterrent, but for those who
will continue to try and con the system the logic starts to unravel.
If someone commits benefit fraud they’re cheating the taxpayer out of
money, but if those people were locked up for 10 years they would be costing
the taxpayer even more money.
Instead of focusing on tougher prison sentences, shouldn’t the
government concentrate on bringing the benefit cap down further so that you can’t
claim more money in benefits than you can for working a full time job?
Also this £1.9bn annual cost of benefit fraud would pale into insignificance
if all the government employed lawyers instead focused on closing all the legal
loopholes used by big corporations to avoid paying who knows how many billions
in tax.
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