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Universal Credit is a welfare benefit launched in the United Kingdom in 2013 to replace six means-tested benefits and tax credits: Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Iain Duncan Smith announces the introduction of a Universal Credit )〕 A pilot in four local authorities was scheduled to precede the national launch of the scheme in October 2013 for new claimants (excluding more complex cases such as families with children), with a gradual transition to be complete by 2017. However, only one of the original pilots went ahead at the expected date, in Ashton-under-Lyne, due to persistent IT failures and delays in implementation. The other three pilots went ahead later in the summer, and were met by protests. As of September 2015, 175,000 people have made a claim on Universal Credit, and government figures claim that "Universal Credit claimants find work quicker, stay in work longer and earn more than the Jobseekers’ Allowance claimants". ==Background== The proposed Universal Credit was outlined by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith at the Conservative Party annual conference in 2010.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Share The Facts – Transcript of speech by Iain Duncan Smith announcing Universal Credit )〕 The aim was for implementation fully over four years and two parliaments, intending to merge the six main existing means tested benefits and tax credits into a single monthly payment, as well as to cut costs. These six benefits are: Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit. Unlike some existing benefits, such as Income Support, that have a 100% withdrawal rate, the Universal Credit will be gradually tapered away, as is the case with the existing tax credits and Housing Benefit so that, in theory, people can take a part-time job and still be allowed to keep some of the money they receive. Criticism from the mainstream media, such as the ''Daily Telegraph'', have claimed "part-time work may no longer pay", and "some people would be better off refusing it (work )". The new system may also ensure that self-employment is no longer a viable option for vast swathes of the population due to the "Minimum Income Floor" provision. According to pressure group the Child Poverty Action Group, Universal Credit may affect the low-paid self-employed and anyone who makes a tax loss. It is proposed that Universal Credit, like the current Working Tax Credits, will be "limited to those who exceed the 'floor of assumed income'" based on the National Minimum Wage. 〔Personal letter from Lord David Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform 29 November 2011〕 Self-employed people who for whatever reason were unable to earn the equivalent of an employed person paid on the National Minimum Wage would have their working tax credit stopped, reducing their income. Universal Credit has some similarities to the negative income tax, but should not be confused with the universal basic income or basic income guarantee. There is some debate as to whether it should be considered 'universal' given that it is subject to income levels and conditions around work availability. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Universal Credit」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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