Tories plan benefit cuts for pensioners

Majority of pensioners with spouses can manage with just £100----can't they ? Did anyone miss £50 when it used to be £250 ? I doubt it.

EllanVannin

Okay. Thanks Callistemon, I've often wondered.
To make it more fair, why not just £100 per every pensioner household ?

Because unless both partners are always in the house together, and only go out as a couple, it will cost more to heat a house with two people than one.

Also, if the couple have paid tax as individuals, why should they get the allowance as a household?

Okay. Thanks Callistemon, I've often wondered.
To make it more fair, why not just £100 per every pensioner household ?

EllanVannin

Do couples get £200 winter payment each ?

No
They get separate payments of £100 each.
It's for the same home.

So I'm confused..........this was said in 2015, by or maybe not Liam Fox, who isnt a minister anymore, so it's totally irrelevant?
Yes, Namsnanny

I did point that out earlier in the thread Thu 08-Oct-20 22:19:09 but not many posters seem to have read my post!

He didn't say it in the first place either, although he agreed with the ideas and intimated it could be a good day to bury bad news.
The man who made the comments 5 years ago, Alex Wild, did have the grace to apologise
"They were crass, offensive and made 'off the cuff' - I made a mistake and I want to say sorry for that.
But obviously that is how he thought.

Fox is in the news because he didn't get a plum job he wanted.

Do couples get £200 winter payment each ?

Namsnanny

So I'm confused..........this was said in 2015, by or maybe not Liam Fox, who isnt a minister anymore, so it's totally irrelevant?

Why has it been resurrected?

(Sorry a bit dim today)

It was click bait! I clicked on something yesterday that implied William and Kate were on the brink of divorce. It was actually about a silly squabble before they got engaged.

Paddyanne fell hook line and sinker for the bait and clicked on old news without checking out the facts.

(Doing to many things at the same time, and all of them not very well)

So I'm confused..........this was said in 2015, by or maybe not Liam Fox, who isnt a minister anymore, so it's totally irrelevant?

Why has it been resurrected?

(Sorry a bit dim today)

Means testing is a very expensive way of giving people benefits. The state pension is one of the worst in Europe, and those on higher incomes pay tax on it. The freedom pass I get means that when I go to art exhibitions and theatre in London I put money into the economy buying coffee or meals out.

I thought the "extras " were to make up for the fact that the State pension in this country is way below the rest of Europe.
Yes, westendgirl .

And, as I posted above, these generous handouts are not subject to rises and can be taken away.

I am ashamed to say Liam Fox is my MP. He is awful.

I thought the "extras " were to make up for the fact that the State pension in this country is way below the rest of Europe.
I was interested to see that another poster pointed out that many pensioners live alone and have much the same expenses as homes where there are two or more.

kittylester

People who have moved abroad aren't contributing to the economy of this country.

And yet, courtesy of Mrs Thatcher, they are allowed to vote.

If we had a decent state pension commensurate with the increased costs of living etc. there'd be no need for these " extras ".
State pension is abysmal and even in times of a strong economy it hasn't altered very much at all. We've never been in line with Europe either.

We dont need to means test. We can use the different benefits as a criteria. The tv licence was going to be free for those on pension credit (it might still be - lost track!!) That seems a good starting point.

That might encourage people to apply for PC too. As happened when the tv licence plan was muted.

Some good stuff on here

Regarding free prescriptions etc.

If we support an NHS that is free at point of use, then prescriptions should be free. If you need them to get better or stay healthy, then why pay for them at point of use? For many pharmaceuticals the amount we would have to pay for a prescription would be a drop in the ocean anyway. In Scotland prescriptions are free and when people say they could afford to pay, I point out that they already do, through taxes.

Same with bus passes, which in Scotland are for over sixties. There are plans to bring in free passes for young people too but they have been paused because of the pandemic. Encouraging people to travel on public transport instead of using their own cars, or worse still, not going out at all, is a good thing for society.

Means testing is a throwback to the idea of the deserving poor, as said by Doodledog. With a well thought out tax system those “well-off” people who can afford to pay for these things do so via taxes, even when they are retired.

I also support a Universal Basic Income for everyone.

Good posts Doodledog, PECS and Hetty 58 - and pretty much everyone here.
We need a decent pension system, just like we need decent living wages when we're working.

Means testing is very expensive in administration and spot checking - also open to fraud. Some people (often those in greatest need) just won't claim benefits.

Similar administration costs apply to top ups such as Pension Credit, Winter Fuel allowance and the silly little Christmas Bonus.

All these are somewhat demeaning/insulting to the older generation. What we need, instead, is a decent pension ('living wage') for all!

Like Iam64 I appreciate that I am in a very fortunate position to have a comfortable work pension & state pension, as is my DH. This is due to chunky contributions from our salaries over 40 odd years or more.
We are happy to pay taxes to contribute to support for those fellow citizens who need it for a variety of reasons. I am less happy that this current government is seeking to " save" money by cutting ' benefits' like the fuel allowance when they could raise more by increasing taxes for the truly wealthy and working harder to prevent tax avoidance & evasion practised by so many companies and individuals.

Doodledog I wholeheartedly agree with your post of 02.03 am ??

He (Liam Fox) said " . . that older people would understand the need to cut the deficit and help the future generation." He's been watching that old film, Soylent Green, and believes that, like Edward G Robinson, old people just have to 'take one for the team'

www.amazon.com/Soylent-Green-Charlton-Heston/dp/B001QUM4IY?tag=gransnetforum-21
A review three years ago - "When I first saw this movie 'way back in the 70's, I never forgot it. The shock value was, of course, something to remember! Now so many years later, I decided to watch it again to see if my memory served and that "Climate change" and mismanagement of our beautiful planet was the same world presented in this old movie. It was and because it is not fiction, it is even more scary now."

I have looked this up (I couldn't find it on the BBC new site) - the Mirror reported Fox as suggesting cutting WFA in a meeting of the Tax Payers Alliance in 2015. The comment about many "not being here" was made by TPA research director Alex Wild and it was later reported as being said as a "bad joke"

I don't agree with loosing the WFA as who knows what is round the corner for any of us as we get older. There may be a time we are desperate for that money. What i do agree with is the stopping of free prescriptions for those over 60. I even contacted my local MP about this with no success. Most people of 60 are still working. If they are on benefits or have a chronic illness, such as diabetes, or COPD etc then fine, free meds for them is brilliant. But if you are working full or part time with a decent income why should you not pay for medication.