Dark Knight wrote:I strongly believe that anyone living abroad should not receive a winter fuel allowance and anyone with an income above the average salary should not receive it either
I think it should just be incorporated into the pension and then the tax system will handle it.Delboy wrote:I must reiterate that the fuel allowance is overgenerous to most pensioners,
I would take issue with this statement, most pensioners who post regularly on a cruise forum maybe, but not most pensioners in general. For many its a life saver.
I would agree with DK's statement, in regards to those living abroad and above a certain income.
The only problem with that is, it may take some pensioners who do not pay tax at present into the tax bracket, which could cost them far more in tax than the original benefit.Quizzical Bob wrote:I think it should just be incorporated into the pension and then the tax system will handle it.Delboy wrote:I must reiterate that the fuel allowance is overgenerous to most pensioners,
I would take issue with this statement, most pensioners who post regularly on a cruise forum maybe, but not most pensioners in general. For many its a life saver.
I would agree with DK's statement, in regards to those living abroad and above a certain income.
if the above applies, why would you need a winter fuel allowance??Quizzical Bob wrote:If you have been sensible and thrifty and have put aside a little extra to help you through your later years then why should you be penalised for it?
That's not the point. We've been through this before, haven't we? The allowance is part of the state pension. What you are saying is that those who go without during their younger years should be penalised whereas those who have smoked, drunk, gambled, frittered their money should get it all given to them anyway. How can you explain to a youngster starting out on their career that they should be saving for a pension if the state is going to make up the difference anyway?Dark Knight wrote:if the above applies, why would you need a winter fuel allowance??Quizzical Bob wrote:If you have been sensible and thrifty and have put aside a little extra to help you through your later years then why should you be penalised for it?
Not if you were dead you wouldn'tStephen wrote:I would say 'just shoot me now' and be done with it, but I'd know doubt be taxed on that.
Inheritance tax at 40%? That's the same as robbing the dead.david63 wrote:Not if you were dead you wouldn'tStephen wrote:I would say 'just shoot me now' and be done with it, but I'd know doubt be taxed on that.
I think you are confused the State Pension is received by those people who paid National Insurance contributions. Benefits are given to people who have paid nothing into the system. When I worked for the DHSS these were 2 entirely different Departments. The Ministry of Pensions who dealt with everything paid by the National Insurance scheme, Pensions, Sickness Benefit, and Unemployment Benefit. The Department I worked in was the Supplementary Benefit Office we paid benefit to those who had not paid enough or no contributions to entitle them to a pension, sick pay or unemployment benefit.Dark Knight wrote:Qbob
It would depend on your view of what the benefits system is there for and also, if as you believe that state pensions , winter fuel allowances etc etc etc are a god given right , set in stone and untouchable, when they are in fact an entitlement nothing more
a strange view point , given the fact every benefit given can be taken away at the stroke of a pen
as I stated earlier I believe anyone living abroad should not receive any allowances at all, except the state pension and any pensioner with an income above the average working wage should only receive the state pension
the benefits system should be there for the GENUINLEY NEEDY and not be fritted away on those who don't need it
Good post Mervyn. Some good ideas there which need not cost the country a fortune to implement - although I fear they could find an IT technician from somewhere who could foul it up at great expense!!!!Mervyn and Trish wrote:I would add a sum onto basic pensions which covered the fuel allowance plus 25%, so that poorer pensioners paying no tax would get more than they do now. Those paying basic tax would be back where there started (e.g. £200 + 25% = £250. £250 - 20% = £200). Those paying 40% tax would get less. Incredibly simple and cheaper than the present system to administrate.
I'd change the tv licence entirely and build it into general taxation. That would also be simpler and cheaper to administate and would eliminate evasion, cutting the cost for honest people and for those on lower incomes. The argument that it would make the BBC beholden to the government is nonsense, since the government sets the licence fee level anyway, so no change.
I'd leave the bus pass as it is. It costs almost nothing to issue, costs only accruing when it is used. Since public transport in this country is in many cases awful and not the easy way to get around I suspect the majority of people who actually bother to use a bus pass to any extent are either the poorer pensioners without cars or those who are no longer able to drive. Of course there are exceptions but not enough to justify either the cost or outcry in changing the system.
We have bus passes but have probably used them no more than half a dozen times in the last two or three years and then in exceptional circumstances, such as going to pick up my car from the garage or when visiting places on holiday where parking is pants.
By the way I do not accept the argument that pensioners have so far dodged the bullets in the current financial crisis and should be targetted. The problem was caused by excess borrowing and bizarrely part of the cure has been to slash interest rates low to encourage more borrowing.
As a result pensioners like us who saved when we were working have been hit hard. I reckon we've lost around £3000 per year since this begain, pretty much double the average family loss generally quoted. And we were lucky that our pensions were in payment before the worst hit. Those who've found annuity rates slashed or the terms of their private pension schemes changed are even worse off.
