Rejected petition The "Benefit Cap" Needs to be Lower

The Benefit Cap is unreasonably generous because of a glaring oversight: the "average income" of £26,000.00 pa is a Gross figure, and hasn't been subjected to Income Tax and National Insurance deductions, which would leave a Net Income of £20,213.60 in the tax year 2013/14.

I propose that the Benefit Cap should be set at no more than the NET AVERAGE INCOME.

Lets not forget that the unemployed also don't have the same expenses as the employed, which I recall reading not more than two years ago average commuting expenses now exceed 10% of household income. So maybe a debate should be held to decide if £20,213.40 is still almost £2,000.00 too generous. I do however appreciate that seeking work expenses do exist, but in an age where job searches are online as the norm, these expenses are nowhere near the expenses of commuting.

Finally, I see no reason why ALL pensioners are exempt from this policy and shouldn't have to meet the same criteria as working age people to be exempt.