Fair enough - it all depends on your political choices and outlook.
Personally, I think a minimum requirement of government policy is that it shouldn't make any poor person worse off - which this set of policies does unfortunately.
And it should be eminently possible to design a system where...
But if the effect is to make poor people worse off - is that acceptable? The other problem for Osborne is it contradicts Conservative policy which is that more work should always make you better off. In some cases it doesn't.
All fine and good but:
(a) it's mostly paid by private firms so helps the govt slash spending
(b) Many people will be worse off, even with the pay rise, because they're losing more on tax credits and other in-work benefits under this government