The Elderly Peoples Entitlement

Hunterf , I have never heard of that before !

noodles - I do not know what I expected to be honest , there
certainly are a few odd ones - no names but does one person
amongst us have a degree in English !!! I had to look one
word up ?
One thing I have found on Forums is that there are those who
pounce on any word that that seems out of place - no allowance
made. So much for what I thought is a friendly Forum !
Regards.

harvatt as you were You got your point across and there are always pouncers on here, best ignored.

I have signed as I think the latest suggestions may not be the best way to re organise these benefits.

HUNTERF I am at a loss to understand the logic of your statement. In 1977 I was paying income tax at 83% albeit only on earnings over £22400 (or thereabouts if my memory serves me correctly) I certainly do not feel that it would or in fact should entitle me to any kind of benefit over and above those received by anyone else no matter if they paid tax or not.
Taking your statement to the nth degree would see those with no need receiving all benefits and those with all the need receiving nothing. Sorry, am I missing something here, I pay taxes in order for society as a whole to benefit from a predetermined standard of living and that is right and proper (except of course perhaps in the pages of the Daily Mail).
The benefits in question are payable on reaching a certain age not on means or past earnings and as a consequence tax paid. There is obviously arguable reasoning that those same benefits perhaps should not be paid to those of substantial and independant means but collectively we are, I would suggest, generally average here (I have a bus pass and receive winter fuel allowance and free prescriptions should I ever need them). I am far too young for a free TV license but look forward to the day I can have one. However I do not have a £600K pa pension either and although I do draw a pension I still work and still pay tax on earnings and pension.

Harvatt , Sel. has offered very wise words , take heed , you are welcome here and your opinions are as valid as the next.

Yes, welcome harvatt and Frank is just winding up those who are gullible methinks.

Thanks to you all for your comments, I do appreciate what you
are saying and will take heed of them , maybe I was a bit touchy.

Welcome harvatt. Wise words from ps. Who would want to live in Frank's world. All bums and tums and the winner takes all.

Thanks Faye for those choice words !

Maybe I was too, Harvatt! Sorry.

To Ariadne - thats OK I prefer to be friends , I am
sorry too .

Frank attends bums and tums classes Harvatt and my comment, the winner takes all was because of his comment on those who pay more tax should have all the benefits. I just reread what I wrote and you were probably feeling a bit .

Frankly, I would abolish every single one of all these bells and whistles and replace it with a rise in the basic pension, plus a large rise in Pension Credit entitlements.

I think extras like these are patronising and demeaning, suggesting that once you reach pensionable age you are incapable of efficiently managing your money and need little packets of money ringfenced so that they can only be spent on one budget item deemed worthy by the government.

Flick - see you including free prescriptions in this?

When I was young, it was very strange! On my first date with youth a Chris Barber number was played! I haven't heard it now for years. The first time was in France where I had my first kiss! I was on a French exchange .
The song?
"petite Fleur'

Oh I forgot to say! Weirdly, it turned up on every first date I had after. Including the man I married!

Every Elderly Person should be entitled to a memory like that, Galen

As I said on the earlier thread, it makes sense to treat winter fuel allowance and free TV licence as taxable income. Bus passes and the London freedom pass are more complicated. Apart from determining the value for each pensioner (some of whom use them much more than others), which would be a costly exercise, there is the impact on bus services, already mentioned, an increased use of cars, and the financial implications for places - shops, houses and museums, countryside - pensioners like to visit.

Ever time I get within sniffing distance of my bus pass they add a few more years to my 'pensionable age' and it moves further out of my reach. With local bus fares costing £1.10 to go a mile into town (single ticket) and nearly £7 (single) to get into the city 12 miles away I need a bus pass. (stamps foot and mutters emoticon)

Thanks , rarely get administrators on other Forums that
take the trouble to inform everyone .
Thanks again Kat !

Surely if you are not wealthy , you wont be losing it?

I can't even get on and off a bus. Ergo I don't have a pass.
Should I be taxed on something I don't have and can't use?

No, I think everyone of these bells and whistles should be done away with. They are discriminatory and demeaning, for example if like me you get travel sick on buses, particularly stop start urban buses, a bus permit is of no use whatsoever, no matter how small my pension. Many disabled people cannot use buses either (see current thread on Disability Badges) I also object to the implicit suggestion that I am incapable of managing my finances now I am over 65 so have to be given little dribbles of ring fenced money like the free tv license and bus passes.

Instead we should get a rise in the state pension and a good hike in the in the Pension Credit minimum income guarantee, then we can continue to make our own choices about how we spend our money.

What we should be campaigning for is a proper pension and the end of discretionary payments. They make us kook like mendicants begging outside the richman's door for a few crumbs from his table.