Hope for Ex pat pensioners!

As I live in France, I don't have a UK MP, but I will certainly join the petition.

Paying UK tax? It depends on which country in which you are resident. but we do not impose on the NH system nor do we get free prescriptions free bus passes or in most cases winter power subsidies or over 75 free TV licences. So the UK Government saves £billions on most of us who are retired overseas especially those of us in Commonwealth countries, but with frozen pension so frozen many eventually are forced back to the UK as was Annette Carson who took the Government to the ECHR, to impose on your social security.
Visit www.pensionjustice.org and www.telegraph.co.uk/frozenpensions/ and read more about this scandalous treatment of British citizens many of whom have gone abroad to join and enjoy life with their younger families and grandchildren.

Read this article in the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23755588 and watch for our campaign to suspend the UK from the Commonwealth for persistently violating core Commonwealth values of equality fairness and non discrimination,which are supposed basic requirements of the commonwealth Charter signed by the Queen in March 2013
Join our fight via www.bpia.org.au

Visit and read www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23755588

Visit this site and www.pensionjustice.org as well as www.telegraph.co.uk/frozenpensions/

Speak with your local MP to tell him/her what a scandal this freezing of some overseas pensions is. For Britain is persistently violating Commonwealth and British values of fairness, equality and non discrimination, so thousands of expats are now promoting the suspension of Britain from the Commonwealth until the British government puts this unfair issue to rights.

Jim Tilley
Hon Chairman
British Pensions in Australia

I repeat my post of 6 September re silly disputes as this seems to be a recurring issue.

For those of us who are ex-pats who would have been entitled to the annual increases in state pension for the rest of our lives – which could easily be another 20 years or more – but will not get them because of where we live this is a serious issue and a source of great annoyance.

Gracesmum Don't worry, you are not missing anything important, just Deserving thinking we were not joining in vehemently enough on a slight disagreement, soon over, between a couple of posters. On being told that the thread had moved on from that, Deserving wanted to move it back again.

The rest was predictable asides about myself and Greatnan, who had been daft enough to reply.

Gracesmum - I don't think it is worth trying to work out the meaning, but I love the idea that my experiences are vicarious! Perhaps I should invite Deserving to come on one of my mountain walks or drives!

Now who is being confusing? What is this all about and what's all this b****cks about "dynamic duos"?? I assume the Eastenders reference was about a well-known chaarcter - No I don't watch it either and couldn't say whether I have good taste or not - but the sentiment "Leave it, 'e's not worth it" is recognsable. It IS possible to see a teacup without conjuring up a storm, you know. The objection seems to be that one or more GNetters do/don't agree with each other - now what are the odds on that?

Depends what you mean by "OUR" ,*D*. Gransnet gets posts from so many different countries.

I assume you know the name of OUR prime minister?

I don't know about confusing but your post is certainly confused.

Wondered if patri and matri would be commented on, didn't bite eh.Bit like the he/she controversy again. got the dynamic duo together again,I am remembering the many times I have refused to watch Eastenders, and am congratulating myself on having a little taste.
Not spending my life having vicarious experiences, and having other things to occupy myself with, and not desirous of forming alliances, in the schoolyard, as it were.I often need to resuscitate, sorry if it is confusing. Do I come here often?

I am remembering something I heard on the few times I watched 'Eastenders' - I think it went 'Leave it, Phil, 'e's not worth it'.

I'm not rising to that one, D. I have read too many of your posts. If you want to escalate my mild comment on your deliberate resuscitation of a small and quickly settled misunderstanding into hand-to-hand combat over a mythical patriarchal (matriarchal? GN is over 90% women) plot to rule the world then you are on your own.

I don't think anyone is going to report your last post and ask for it to be deleted, or for this one to go either. They show our different viewpoints too well.

And I have moved it back. Try to remember what you have said.
"And we would like to keep it that way" That would be the royal we of course. It was no trouble assuming anyone would disagree with me, Thank you for your concern. How are patriarchs defined? Is it purely on age, or is it, as is apparent,on how long you have been attempting to dominate a net. Read this quickly before one or other attempt to have my post removed, as that is the next manoeuvre, usually.

The conversation has moved on since then.

To much to expect some to remember what was said on the 6th of Sept ,I was expecting too much

Thanks to my expat friends! Now I have learned something.

And we would quite like to keep it that way, so please don't go to the trouble of assuming that anyone would disagree with you, D.

Agree with you about what? As far as I know, nobody is arguing on this thread at all.

Why not mention it indeed.
Seems like a comment that is in total agreement with the statement that was made, but who is going to agree with me I wonder.

MargaretX - I agree with Mamie. All EU countries tax their own government service pensions at source, so my two (Teachers and Civil Service) are taxed in the UK and my state retirement pension is taxed in France, where I live.
Apparently, an exception to the rule is made for emigrants to New Zealand, where you can ask for all your income to be taxed there.

Actually not quite right MargaretX. Government and Local Government pensions are taxed in the UK. I pay tax on my occupational pension in the UK and on my state pension in France, where we are tax resident. Although income tax thresholds are lower in France, the National Insurance equivalent is far, far higher, so people who are working pay very large contributions.

'Harrrigan' I have never heard of a case like that of your sister. The amount of German pension (the years in work) and UK pension are put together and appear as a Euros. If she just paid a cheque every now and again to fill up her UK pension at the same time as working in Germany and paying into their pension scheme then that counts as if she was working in two countries simultaneously instead of like most of we expats that we work a period of years in the UK and then the rest in Germany.

It is not a bad idea to keep the UK pension in Sterling in a UK bank account. I know man who has pensions in Swiss Franks, US Dollars and Euros.That way you are not relying on some office worker to make a decision.

As to paying taxes according to EU law you only pay tax in one country so if you are paying taxes in France or Germany then you pay none in the UK. ( exempting road tax or council tax)
These tax aggreements exist between many countries, the USA for instance.

As well as ex-pats in EU countries, those living in Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Guernsey, Israel, Jamaica, Jersey, Mauritius, Montenegro, Philippines, Serbia, Turkey, USA and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are entitled to the annual increase in state pension. Increases are also payable in Sark although there is no reciprocal arrangement.

I agree. I have put off claiming my pension for as long as possible to ensure that when I do claim it is at the highest rate, because that is where it will be stuck unless I move back to the UK.