Gransnet forums

Chat

State Pension rise.

(93 Posts)
watermeadow Thu 11-Mar-21 07:24:52

My State Pension is going up £4 a week fro April. The Tory government is always generous to old people in the expectation that we will vote for them, a misplaced belief in my case.
They have offered nurses a rise of £3 PER MONTH. They say they can’t afford more, having wasted billions on strategies which haven’t worked and dodgy contracts given to their buddies during the pandemic.
I an disgusted.

Chakotay Sat 13-Mar-21 11:14:37

DH and I will get more than £4 a week extra due to the amount of our pensions however I would like to point out that in 2017 Corbyn set out his manifesto when it came to pensions, he said Labour would keep the triple lock, he said that the pension age would not go higher than 66 and that he would give the 50s women justice what ever that mean, if Labour were in power now who is to say they wouldn't keep the triple lock no matter what the cost to the country. At the same time, in the same campaign Theresa May was refusing to guarantee the triple lock., so it makes smile when people say older people vote Tory to protect their pensions. If I had made the decision on what party to vote for based solely on my expectations of a triple lock on my pension It wouldn't have been Tory

lemongrove Sat 13-Mar-21 09:32:41

Pantglas2

I disagree MaizieD with your averaging because it’s meant to show Labour in a good light and the tories not so much!

Labour promote themselves as looking after the world and its wife when in actual they did less for pensioners on a taxation basis in their 13 years (out of those 30) than the tories have in the last 10. And let’s not forget Gordon Brown withdrawing the 10% tax rate for low earners.

Rishi is now using COVID as an excuse not to raise the tax free allowance from 2022 but let’s not use statistics to minimise the last ten years because of political bias.

Right on the mark Pantglas??
Labour did far less for pensioners on a taxation basis as you say.
PippaZ that’s a very strange post of yours about ‘truth’...
Who is stopping you saying what you like, it sounds a paranoid comment.

PippaZ Sat 13-Mar-21 06:56:37

That sort of remark is not ridiculous Maizie, it is frightening. What on earth can you say to someone whose reasoning is that they disagree with you, not on the basis of fact but because the argument is not what they want to hear, i.e., "... because it’s meant to show Labour in a good light and the tories not so much!".

We hear this more and more - almost as if the Conservatives have introduced News Speak where the only "truth" you are allowed is the government's truth or version of it. We saw what Trump did with this and now it appears to be alive and well in the UK. Very frightening.

MaizieD Fri 12-Mar-21 23:50:24

I disagree MaizieD with your averaging because it’s meant to show Labour in a good light and the tories not so much!

Oh don't be ridiculous, Pantglas, it's maths and understanding the effect of inflation.

Personal allowances rise because wages rise. Look at the link I posted. 30 year's worth of personal allowances, they increase most years by varying amounts but they're much of a muchness be it tory or Labour that's in power.

Pantglas2 Fri 12-Mar-21 19:51:36

I disagree MaizieD with your averaging because it’s meant to show Labour in a good light and the tories not so much!

Labour promote themselves as looking after the world and its wife when in actual they did less for pensioners on a taxation basis in their 13 years (out of those 30) than the tories have in the last 10. And let’s not forget Gordon Brown withdrawing the 10% tax rate for low earners.

Rishi is now using COVID as an excuse not to raise the tax free allowance from 2022 but let’s not use statistics to minimise the last ten years because of political bias.

PippaZ Fri 12-Mar-21 19:45:42

they their

Urmstongran Fri 12-Mar-21 19:31:27

Exactly PippaZ.
I did understand where Himself was coming from as he worked a 7 day week to obtain that status. (It helped us save for our tiny apartment in Spain). He was knackered and must have felt put out giving more to the government. I just said it is what it is, stop moaning. As I cooked him a nice dinner.

Urmstongran Fri 12-Mar-21 19:27:37

Okay, fair enough MaizieD. Thank you for checking.

It’s nice that we have boffins on here to guide us.
??

PippaZ Fri 12-Mar-21 19:25:55

Urmstongran

PippaZ

But you do have income above the state pension FlexibleFriend or you wouldn't be paying tax at all would you?

True enough PippaZ.

Years ago, Himself has 3 working years when he just scraped into what was then the ‘supertax’ bracket. Gosh did he moan. I had no truck with it. Told him we were very lucky.

??

It's sort of both feelings really isn't it. I doubt anyone enjoys paying tax but no one would want they income to drop to where they don't have tosmile

MaizieD Fri 12-Mar-21 19:23:49

janeainsworth

^If the role is well paid, why don’t more of those whingers train to be nurses themselves?^
Because the government stopped paying nurses tuition fees in 2016?

Or perhaps because most of the whingers are above retirement age?

MaizieD Fri 12-Mar-21 19:22:26

Since 2010 when the evil Tories came into power the tax free income has roughly doubled from approx £6500 to £12570. The benevolent socialists only raised it by 50% in their 13 year stint from around £4000 to £6500 so who did more for pensioners?

I wouldn't get too excited about this, pantglas.

Tax allowances increase most years to take account of inflation causing rising wages. The increase also ensures that you are paying tax on about the same percentage of income each year. If they didn't increase allowances along with pay increasing then you would end up paying more tax on your income than previously.

If you take the last 30 years (which I've done because a nice handy government table came up covering those years when I searched for annual tax allowances) the personal allowance has increased by £9,495. This works out at an average yearly increase of some £316.50 over that time.

It quite possibly works out at less than the rate of inflation over the past 30 years. I didn't look that far. But whatever it is, it certainly isn't tories being more generous that Labour

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/882237/Table-a1.pdf

Urmstongran Fri 12-Mar-21 19:17:53

PippaZ

But you do have income above the state pension FlexibleFriend or you wouldn't be paying tax at all would you?

True enough PippaZ.

Years ago, Himself has 3 working years when he just scraped into what was then the ‘supertax’ bracket. Gosh did he moan. I had no truck with it. Told him we were very lucky.

??

FlexibleFriend Fri 12-Mar-21 18:55:06

PippaZ

But you do have income above the state pension FlexibleFriend or you wouldn't be paying tax at all would you?

Yes I paid into my pension for years so that I could retire in relative comfort. That doesn't alter the fact that I'll be taxed on the increase in state pension and the council tax rise will still be more than double any increase in pension. Should we all be content to live on 12.5k?

Casdon Fri 12-Mar-21 18:21:53

janeainsworth I’d prefer all university education to be free - but that’s the system we’re in, and the price all students who want a good job afterwards have to pay. At least with a nursing degree you are guaranteed a job once you’re qualified, unlike many other graduate courses.

janeainsworth Fri 12-Mar-21 18:11:55

If the role is well paid, why don’t more of those whingers train to be nurses themselves?
Because the government stopped paying nurses tuition fees in 2016?

Chardy Fri 12-Mar-21 17:59:51

Hi Growstuff Apologies for being too lazy to get the calculator out. On a full pension (35 years), the difference between 2 pensions is £40.95 per week which is £2129.40 per annum not £2.5k.

crazyH Fri 12-Mar-21 17:38:16

I wish I went out to work.....now divorced and not much of a state pension. Ex pays me an alimony which is a pittance, but I manage ....

Casdon Fri 12-Mar-21 17:27:11

Nurses are paid less than the average UK salary of £38,500 (2020) at Band 5 and Band 6, which accounts for the vast majority of staff, Band 7 is equivalent to ward manager level. It is somewhat annoying when people say they are well paid, because recruitment is a huge problem. If the role is well paid, why don’t more of those whingers train to be nurses themselves?

PippaZ Fri 12-Mar-21 17:07:35

But you do have income above the state pension FlexibleFriend or you wouldn't be paying tax at all would you?

FlexibleFriend Fri 12-Mar-21 16:53:00

My Council tax is going up by at least twice the pension increase. Also I pay tax so although they don't take it off my state pension they do tax my occupational pension. So I won't even break even.

PippaZ Fri 12-Mar-21 16:49:21

The salary for a nurse or any other member of staff should not depend on anyone thinking they are well paid or not but on what they are worth and the general cost for that job. The fact that some families would be delighted to be earning £33/£35k is neither here or there and it's a very odd way of deciding someone's salary.

lemongrove Fri 12-Mar-21 16:32:20

annsixty

Their are millions of families who would be delighted to be earning between £33 and £35k.
These figures mean some are earning very good salaries if that is the average.
Not disparaging nurses, just pointing out that fact.
As I said on another thread, some deserve it and some don’t.
Again, just pointing out a fact, as anyone using the NHS knows.

Ann I have pointed this out on many threads, that nurses are well paid (My DIL is one, and she says so too.)
However, it’s usually not well received on GN.wink

Pantglas2 Fri 12-Mar-21 16:27:47

That’s my point Pippa - in Spain for instance you’ll start pay tax on €6500+ when you’re 65 which means tax on a more generous pension.

No doubt someone will know figures for other countries but that’s why I’m glad the tories took almost all state pensioners out of tax. Only those with the maximum SERPS added to basic state pension wouldn’t benefit.

PippaZ Fri 12-Mar-21 16:24:01

janeainsworth

Pippa I think differentials are a factor in pay negotiations & how much we ‘need’ people is just another factor, not the main way pay is determined.
Training requirements & qualifications are important too & jobs requiring similar training levels, continuing education requirements & personal responsibility have similar salary expectations.

Indeed Janeainsworth, it's complex as are all salary calculations for instance it doesn't matter how hard you have trained or what qualifications you get if that job does not need additional people, or indeed any people. Jobs come and go as the world changes and, of course, it influences pay. There is a world-wide shortage of trained and qualified nurses. Ours can go elsewhere if they choose to so the remuneration and conditions need to be those that keep them here.

janeainsworth Fri 12-Mar-21 16:22:28

I should have added levels of experience to my previous post.
A nurse with 20 years’ experience will be paid more than a newly qualified foundation doctor.