Good Neighbours

Yea, yea, yea....

The state pension is not a benefit. It has been paid for through National Insurance contributions.

As have other benefits surely J5

Such as Neversaydie?

Throughout our working lives we specifically pay National Insurance payments to fund our pension. The fact that the government does not specifically use that money to invest into a pension fund but adds it to general taxation and pays pensions from income is their decision not ours.

It is strange that if a company took pension contributions from its employees and instead of investing them in a protected fund added them to turnover and just paid pensions from its annual sales there would be outrage. MPs would ask questions, employees would strike and Acts of Parliament would be passed.

Yet the government does this and this enables posters like magsiemoo and neversaydie* and the many others that use that fact to get at older people to describe the state pension as a 'benefit'

You are so right M0nica!

It is not 'getting at older people' simply stating the facts. State pensions are paid out of the welfare coffer as are other benefits. We do rather well out of benefits with our heating allowances and free travel so let's not get so sniffy about other people less fortunate than ourselves.

Monica, people pay into works pensions but there are some that won't see their money. BHS anyone. Luckily Sir Philip is ok with his lovely yacht complete with a staff of forty,including dog-walkers apparently

The benefits that depend on people paying NI contributions for are Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance(Contributory ) Bereavement Benefit(I think) Constant Care Allowance(possibly) and Retirement Pension. The contributions are allegedly in a "pot" and those benefits are paid out of the pot. The other benefits are paid out of Income tax.

It's all an accounting exercise.

Maggieanne no argument with that, a relation was a victim of Robert Maxwell's playing fast and loose with the pension scheme assets, so I really understand the problems people in such pension schemes face, but at least we now have the state run rescue organisation that means such schemes are rescued, even though the pensioners do not get quite as much as expected. Maxwell pensioners lost their complete pensions whether they were receiving a pension or were deferred pensioners. My relation went from a comfortable retirement to claiming the then equivalent of Pension Credit overnight when he was nearly 80

But all that is irrelevant to the point I was making - which was that the state pension is not a benefit it is a contributory pension, which the government does not fund the way other funds are forced to do.

How has a thread concerning good neighbours become a thread about pensions being "benefits", something which has been discussed several times. Methinks someone is trying to stir up the grannies!

sunseeker It started with a message from Magsymoo Wed 17-Aug-16 20:33:46
I think most people on Gransnet are on benefits aka a state pension...

On the original message I am really lucky, we have really lovely neighbours. Three houses share an access road that goes over a little stream to reach the road. We are the ones at the cul de sac of the access road so neighbours who were inconsiderate about car parking could cause us a lot of problems.

We have few problems, although a previous next door neighbour used to run flower arranging courses in her house and the attenders always blocked our access, despite being told to park in the public road and not on the access road. In the end we bought some traffic cones from Screwfix, she told us when the courses were being held and we put out the cones so that our access was not blocked.

M0nica I agree good neighbours are a blessing. I am also fortunate to have good neighbours and, although I don't bother them too much, I know they are just a phone call away if I need help. We have keys to each others homes so we can keep on eye on things when anyone is away and, as I am the one not working, I tend to take in packages. I do have one neighbour who is a bit "off" but the rest are great.

As a 'state pensioner' myself why would I be 'getting at' older people MOnica ?
and pensionpat has answered your question Anya
J52 seemed to be implying that the State Pensio was the only 'pay back' that people contributed to through National Insurance