Bus passes etc.

nog50 has it not been said that the bus pass/heating allowance would be available to people under a certain income if these changes came into force ? what that would be I don't know really but I seem to think I read it somewhere.

As usual my income would come in just above the limit [but will still leave me with only just enought to live on]. Which has been the story of my life thus far.

tegan me too
wish I had never paid full ni and into a private pension as I would not be much worse off. the WFP is a BIG help to single pensioners on about 12K pa.

I sympathize with those that need it. I think it should be given to all those except the 'well off'. I can't say what annual income that amounts to.

I really hope that doesn't sound smug. It's not meant too. DH and I aren't 'well off' but at the moment I would say we're comfortable. Who knows what the future holds though.

ninathenana we are the same and are lucky to have a reasonable & safe income I do think the annual income amounts quoted when I first read about this where quite high really and my thoughts at the time where "well you would not miss these extra payments anyway" again I do not wish to sound complacient.

who do you class as being well off!!! my husband died 4 years ago and i was fortunate enough to get a private pension from his works on which i have to pay tax! ...i do not get the full state pension as the government deduct a percentage because i get a private pension...i cant claim any benefits or get any help from social services ( ill health) because i have this private pension...so in effect i am worse off than some who are on benefits....no doubt if the bus passes and heating allowance are only going to be given to people on benefits i wont get it!

dollie Its so so unfair when a private pension affects our income,something that should make life easier takes us over the threshold for other benefits I cannot myself see any government taking the risk of the backlash if they stopped payments for fuel & travel etc but I seem to remember the level for payment was quite high a lot higher than any benefit payment,personally and it is only my opinion I think if you have a higher than average income and use public transport you should pay a nominal amount for the service but this would be very difficult to inforce I think,I also know of some people who do not need the help from WFA and they have donated their fuel allowance to charities rather than not claim it.

If the travel allowance was discontinued, many of the buses would stop running as they would be close to empty.

In this technological age, I cannot understand why at least in London, the local councils cannot pay for each trip taken, rather than a set sum of money for each pensioner whether the buses and tubes are used or not. That would lower council tax bills because I for one, cannot get on a tube because there is no step free access and I cannot manage stairs.

The WFA is helpful because as I spend more time at home, need more heating and do not wish to have a blanket wrapped around me 24/7.

I doubt if I would notice if the £10 Christmas bonus was removed as it probably costs more to administer.

Charleygirl - agree about those awful steps you have to go up and down to use the London tube. Was in London a couple of weeks ago, and I'm sure they've got steeper! Exhausting!

The ten pounds Xmas bonus is a laugh! Ridiculous. A saving could definitely be made there.

jingle I forgot about that £10s thats how much difference it made to me.

Thanks to all who have responded to my comments. I too cannot claim any sort of benefits as I have a very small company pension which does help. As for the £10 Christmas 'bonus', I don't recall ever receiving it in the 2 years I have been getting my pension, but as someone said, it probably costs more in administration than it's actually worth! Our bus passes are an important lifeline for most people, not everyone has a car or can even afford to run one, how are we to get to important appointments e.g. to the hospital if we need treatment or check-ups? I know that some NHS trusts run free transport but this usually means hanging around all day waiting for other patients before you can be ferried back home again. I don't like to rely on my family to take me everywhere when I am quite fit and able to get on a bus to go where I want to go. The WFP is vital to people on a pension, so many old people die of the cold every year and this happens time after time. I have to have my heating on a timer to come on for an hour in the morning and for 4 hours in the evening, the rest of the time I just pile on more clothing. My home is as insulated as I can get it so we'll see what the winter bills are like this year. I just think that all the politicians (whichever party) have their smug heads stuck up their backsides, they won't ever know what it's like to live on the breadline like most of us have to do. I became a single parent when my children were young and because I worked I couldn't claim any sort of benefits (30 years ago), I worked full-time and also had an evening job 3 nights a week, relying on my parents to babysit. I'm sure that there are millions of pensioners who had to do the same so WHY ARE WE BEING PENALISED NOW FOR WORKING HARD ALL OUR LIVES??? Finally, does anyone in Government get to read all these comments?

I think you are unreasonable to not expect tax to be paid on income (whether pension or not) - tax to pay for what is provided in this country even if you think it is not used wisely - is fair for anyone with an income. The state pension is taxed, private pensions and company pensions are taxed
and always have been. Just because the pension was through your husband's pension scheme does not mean it should be tax-free (although I have seen this mis-conception before)
what is unfair about single pensioners is that they only have the single personal allowance (and will no longer get this slightly increased as the 'granny tax' saw to that)

Hi Mollie65, are your comments in reply to someone else? I'm not disputing the paying of taxes, just asking for fair pensions and benefits for the hard workers of this country.

sorry nog50 was replying to dollie should have made that clear.

Taxwise I see no reason who retired people should be treated any differently to anybody else. I see no reason why stopping work and receiving a pension should mean we should pay any less tax than anyone else on the same income. Nor do I think any of our extra benefits should be greater than those received by any ordinary person on the same income.

I do accept that there should be a minimum income for pensioners, but I do think it should be in line with the minimum wage (which would be higher than the current minimum income under the current Pension Credit scheme) so that we are treated like ordinary people, not some slightly inadequate sub group of the population that must be bought off with sugar plums and cheap toys like the bus pass/heating allowance. Disability benefits should also be the same for all people of all ages.

I hate the way, now I am a pensioner, I am constantly being patronised and protected. I want to hold a place in Society on the same basis as every adult under pensionable age and accept the vicissitudes of economic decline and success like everybody else.

I do feel that there should be a way whereby councils only have to pay for free bus fares if people actually use them. Then again I suppose they only have to pay if people apply for them [same with the fuel allowance]? Maybe if everyone who feels they don't need either of them didn't apply there wouldn't be a problem?

I do not have a bus pass because I get travel sick on buses, even on very short journeys. It is a combination of the windy roads the breaking and speeding and stop starts and the smell that is a combination of diesel and dust.

Tegan, I thought that is what happens now - the council only paying when a bus pass is used.

If that's the case then there's surely no reason to stop them. Especially as most people, when they use their bus pass, then spend money when they get to wherever they're going. I know I've said this before but Westfield would be empty midweek if it wasn't for pensioners [and we all need a cuppa when we get there!]. Also, we get it drummed into us left right and centre to use public transport the 'protect the environment'. The higher eschelons just make up the rules to suit them somethimes, methinks.

mollie 65....i disagree that it is unreasonable not to pay tax on a private pension...my late husband worked all his life and paid taxes ...he died before he even reached pensionable age!! why should people like me be penalised and have to pay tax after all he already paid tax on saving for his retirement...

dollie pension payments are tax free. Tax on income is calculated after payments into a pension payments have been deducted. You are paying tax on the income generated by his tax free savings. That seems perfectly reasonable to me.

I never 'applied' for a winter fuel allowance it just arrived. There is no mechanism for refusing it at the moment.

dollie I understand where you are coming from but be aware that pension contributions, whether via deductions from salary or via lump sum at the end of each fiscal year are made before tax is calculated to be deducted on the remainder of income. Therefore tax has not been paid on pension contributions. Tax is paid when the pension is in payment. This is preferential to paying tax before deductions as invariably salary / income at the time contributions are made is higher than it probably is at the time the pension is drawn which may result in a higher deduction being made if a higher tax band is reached. Conversely if you pay tax at a higher rate then effectively your pension contributions are worth more than would otherwise be the case and it is possible that if your pension is modest / average then you will only pay tax at the standard rate.
I foresee the time when we pensioners will be targeted and have our entitlements cut savagely as, on average, we are allegedly drawing our pensions for the equivalent of a third of our working lives whereas when we were younger a pension drawn for the equivalent of 10% of our working lives was the norm. In fact in our grandparents time I venture to suggest a pension paid for more than 4 or 5 years was a rareity. The distribution of tax income is and will always be a thorny issue so it is important that we, the grey haired vote, ensure our voice is heard, as politicians would not want to lose our vote. I believe that is our only saving grace, at least for now.