Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

587 replies

TruthorDie · 16/08/2024 22:09

The moaning about them seems to be never ending. So tone death and indulgent on both counts. Not sure which is worse. A friends mum was ranting on social media earlier about winter fuel payments being stopped and how “worried about being cold” she was. Bad news is Lynn you haven’t needed to work since 1989, married to an oil exec and have had lots of the good life. I’m sure all of your Florida holidays keep you warm enough!

Bright children can get on anywhere, my siblings and l went to a comprehensive. We all have a couple of degrees, one of us has a PhD so it didn’t hold us back too much in life. Before anyone comes at it from the neurodiversity angle then l am and l wouldn’t be surprised if my younger sibling isn’t

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
PandoraSox · 19/08/2024 10:22

HowIrresponsible · 19/08/2024 07:57

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/labour-winter-fuel-savings-wiped-out-4bn-benefits-bill/

It's back fired anyway. There were also just as many pensioner's who weren't claiming pension credit as it isn't much money. They got the winter fuel payment regardless.

So now everyone who can claim it is looking into claiming it to get the wfp and it's going to cost £4 billion 😂

But that is good news! The money is there, but it goes unclaimed. Some people are too proud to claim.

www.gov.uk/government/news/eligible-pensioners-urged-to-claim-pension-credit-to-help-with-cost-of-living

HowIrresponsible · 19/08/2024 10:21

PandoraSox · 19/08/2024 10:20

A lot of mumsnetters hate the disabled and would be gleeful if PIP were to be means tested or abolished.

Show quote history

You think millionaires should get pip?

PandoraSox · 19/08/2024 10:20

Moreofthesamenothanks · 19/08/2024 09:09

PIP as in for people with disabilities? Does MN have a high number of people with disabilities then?

Show quote history

A lot of mumsnetters hate the disabled and would be gleeful if PIP were to be means tested or abolished.

Captainmycaptains · 19/08/2024 10:05

parkrun500club · 18/08/2024 13:19

I think it's all nonsense too.

If you can afford private school fees, you can afford the VAT. Or you can't and will have to send your kids to state schools with the plebs. The horror. Oh well. The 93% seem to do ok.

And the winter fuel payments will still go to the elderly people who are hard up and actually need them.

Yup, suddenly the wealthy have discovered a social conscience? Mmm…

HighGrem · 19/08/2024 09:59

Moreofthesamenothanks · 19/08/2024 09:09

PIP as in for people with disabilities? Does MN have a high number of people with disabilities then?

Show quote history

It's not a question that's asked when people join so I don't think the number could be tracked and no idea what the demographics are but there are tens of thousands of threads about PIP and many posts about PIP reform run into 40 pages and are then closed so..

AboveBeyond3 · 19/08/2024 09:52

ZanyFox · 19/08/2024 08:21

I agree. I'm quite unsettled by the pay awards and the mumblings about large benefits increases, while removing benefits from anyone who might traditionally have voted Conservative. I don't think that will be sustainable in this country and all it will do is push people towards Reform. I wish the Lib Dems were a more serious opposition.

Show quote history

Right.

Labour are idealogical - this is the path that will
lead us to the next Thatcher.

Wealth redistribution on this scale doesn’t work.

Moreofthesamenothanks · 19/08/2024 09:09

HighGrem · 19/08/2024 08:26

A lot of Mnetters don't like the elderly and think they're a drain on society as it is so of course they don't care about pensioners losing their winter fuel allowance.

MN will melt down if they start means testing PIP though. And I will not be at all surprised if that comes in as a proposal.

PIP as in for people with disabilities? Does MN have a high number of people with disabilities then?

HowIrresponsible · 19/08/2024 08:33

HighGrem · 19/08/2024 08:26

A lot of Mnetters don't like the elderly and think they're a drain on society as it is so of course they don't care about pensioners losing their winter fuel allowance.

MN will melt down if they start means testing PIP though. And I will not be at all surprised if that comes in as a proposal.

Well yes. One of my colleagues have a disabled child and claim benefits for him despite both of them being very high earners. They don't need the benefits and admit it.

Miley1967 · 19/08/2024 08:29

ZanyFox · 19/08/2024 08:21

I agree. I'm quite unsettled by the pay awards and the mumblings about large benefits increases, while removing benefits from anyone who might traditionally have voted Conservative. I don't think that will be sustainable in this country and all it will do is push people towards Reform. I wish the Lib Dems were a more serious opposition.

Show quote history

I really don't think there will be large benefits increases. The bill is already astronomical.

HighGrem · 19/08/2024 08:26

A lot of Mnetters don't like the elderly and think they're a drain on society as it is so of course they don't care about pensioners losing their winter fuel allowance.

MN will melt down if they start means testing PIP though. And I will not be at all surprised if that comes in as a proposal.

ZanyFox · 19/08/2024 08:21

AboveBeyond3 · 19/08/2024 08:04

Labour will struggle to social engineer this - you will
have capital flight, and if you tax people too
heavily, they will simply cease or defer consumption - we are already at that point. The October budget will probably prove to be the last straw.

Keep giving the public sector well above inflation pay rewards, allow the social security budget to balloon, permit unfettered immigration- this ends one way. And no, I am not a racist.

Show quote history

I agree. I'm quite unsettled by the pay awards and the mumblings about large benefits increases, while removing benefits from anyone who might traditionally have voted Conservative. I don't think that will be sustainable in this country and all it will do is push people towards Reform. I wish the Lib Dems were a more serious opposition.

AboveBeyond3 · 19/08/2024 08:04

Boomer55 · 19/08/2024 07:51

I agree, but the Tories did the same. Set one group against another. While people are arguing amongst themselves the government are just sitting there.🤷‍♀️

With many newspapers and organisations now campaigning against cutting the WFA, this could all change in the Autumn budget anyway.

I do think, however, that many groups will end up worse off than thry were.

Edited
Show quote history

Labour will struggle to social engineer this - you will
have capital flight, and if you tax people too
heavily, they will simply cease or defer consumption - we are already at that point. The October budget will probably prove to be the last straw.

Keep giving the public sector well above inflation pay rewards, allow the social security budget to balloon, permit unfettered immigration- this ends one way. And no, I am not a racist.

HowIrresponsible · 19/08/2024 07:57

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/labour-winter-fuel-savings-wiped-out-4bn-benefits-bill/

It's back fired anyway. There were also just as many pensioner's who weren't claiming pension credit as it isn't much money. They got the winter fuel payment regardless.

So now everyone who can claim it is looking into claiming it to get the wfp and it's going to cost £4 billion 😂

Labour’s winter fuel savings to be wiped out by £4bn benefits bill

Up to 850,000 pensioners could rush to claim pension credit to qualify for payments

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/labour-winter-fuel-savings-wiped-out-4bn-benefits-bill

BIossomtoes · 19/08/2024 07:55

Scarletrunner · 19/08/2024 07:10

Lots of posts about the cold lonely 90 year old shivering - when this is exactly the problem - 90 years old - that's probably 30 years of retirement or 35 years if a woman and who's had to fund this because unless they were a top earner wouldn't have contributed a fraction of what they have got back over all those years - and could have many years to go.

The money has to come from somewhere and as we aren't producing anything as a country except some IT and Movies what are any Gov supposed to do - use Sooty's magic wand?

A woman aged 90 would have had her pension for a maximum of 30 years and is highly unlikely to have “many years to go”. Every 90 year old is balanced out by the people who die before they ever get their pension or shortly afterwards. Every generation funds the pensions of the previous ones, I paid my parents’ and grandparents’ pensions - although two of my grandparents died before they hit pension age.

Boomer55 · 19/08/2024 07:51

AboveBeyond3 · 18/08/2024 14:15

Let’s be honest, it’s a war out there. Your money, my money.

People will continue to try to protect their own interests whilst Labour seek to divide people along demographic lines including age, class, creed etc.

People vote for who they will believe will protect their (predominantly economic) interests.

Those who suggest otherwise are in denial.

I agree, but the Tories did the same. Set one group against another. While people are arguing amongst themselves the government are just sitting there.🤷‍♀️

With many newspapers and organisations now campaigning against cutting the WFA, this could all change in the Autumn budget anyway.

I do think, however, that many groups will end up worse off than thry were.

Scarletrunner · 19/08/2024 07:10

Lots of posts about the cold lonely 90 year old shivering - when this is exactly the problem - 90 years old - that's probably 30 years of retirement or 35 years if a woman and who's had to fund this because unless they were a top earner wouldn't have contributed a fraction of what they have got back over all those years - and could have many years to go.

The money has to come from somewhere and as we aren't producing anything as a country except some IT and Movies what are any Gov supposed to do - use Sooty's magic wand?

Rummly · 18/08/2024 14:59

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 18/08/2024 13:28

The US also has a mandatory civics class that goes over how laws are made, how taxes work, how funding decisions are made, what the different parts of he federal Gov do, what states do, etc.

Show quote history

It doesn’t seem to do much for informed political participation in the US, to judge by X, YouTube and the like!

AboveBeyond3 · 18/08/2024 14:22

parkrun500club · 18/08/2024 13:19

I think it's all nonsense too.

If you can afford private school fees, you can afford the VAT. Or you can't and will have to send your kids to state schools with the plebs. The horror. Oh well. The 93% seem to do ok.

And the winter fuel payments will still go to the elderly people who are hard up and actually need them.

You clearly trust the government to administer tax receipts correctly.

You are making a huge mistake.

Miley1967 · 18/08/2024 14:20

parkrun500club · 18/08/2024 13:23

Pension credit allows you to have £16,000. That is not a very small amount and is certainly enough to replace a washing machine etc. Also, you can have a bit more if you show it's earmarked eg if you need to pay out for roof repairs.

No need to save for funerals, it just comes out of the estate. All these funeral insurance policies are a con but that's for another thread!

Show quote history

The first 10 k of savings are disregarded for Pension credit. Above that it assumes some income from the savings. If you have a high applicable amount then some people can have much larger amounts of savings and still qualify. In my job we regularly see people who have low state pensions and 50k in the bank and can still qualify for pension credit.

AboveBeyond3 · 18/08/2024 14:15

Let’s be honest, it’s a war out there. Your money, my money.

People will continue to try to protect their own interests whilst Labour seek to divide people along demographic lines including age, class, creed etc.

People vote for who they will believe will protect their (predominantly economic) interests.

Those who suggest otherwise are in denial.

Dartsplayer · 18/08/2024 14:03

Yep, my friend's pensioner parents are relentlessly sharing memes and posts about the government not caring due to the winter fuel bill being cut... whilst they are on their 4th foreign holiday of the year so far FFS

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 18/08/2024 13:30

parkrun500club · 18/08/2024 13:23

Pension credit allows you to have £16,000. That is not a very small amount and is certainly enough to replace a washing machine etc. Also, you can have a bit more if you show it's earmarked eg if you need to pay out for roof repairs.

No need to save for funerals, it just comes out of the estate. All these funeral insurance policies are a con but that's for another thread!

Show quote history

Pension credit gets you up to having a total income that is still peanuts and barely enough to survive on. It’s not some sort of bonus cash that isn’t needed for essential outgoings.

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 18/08/2024 13:28

parkrun500club · 18/08/2024 13:21

does make me think that politics should be compulsory in schools

Yes. My son wants to start an institute for political education to teach people how the various institutions work, how taxation works and where the main sources of revenue are etc.

They have them in Germany - a main federal one and then one for the various states. There is ample evidence that people in the UK would benefit too - the Brexit vote being the key one.

The US also has a mandatory civics class that goes over how laws are made, how taxes work, how funding decisions are made, what the different parts of he federal Gov do, what states do, etc.

Universalsnail · 18/08/2024 13:27

parkrun500club · 18/08/2024 13:19

I think it's all nonsense too.

If you can afford private school fees, you can afford the VAT. Or you can't and will have to send your kids to state schools with the plebs. The horror. Oh well. The 93% seem to do ok.

And the winter fuel payments will still go to the elderly people who are hard up and actually need them.

There is a whole group of elderly who only just don't qualify for pension credits sometimes by as little as a few pounds over the threshold and therefore won't quality for winter fuel payment. These people are hard up and will suffer now without it.

Universalsnail · 18/08/2024 13:25

My Mum is literally £10 over the limit for pension credits and therefore won't get her winter fuel allowance and is really worried and will suffer this winter.