To think we can't afford the triple lock

The op was not suggesting higher tax brackets purely for the employed, they clearly stated it would include anyone with an income over £200000, employed, retired or those living off investments.

I'd watch out. I've just said similar and my post has been removed (presumably reported by a sensitive soul)

Pointing out facts isn't blaming.

But what do you think would have happened with more and more hundreds and thousands of middle-aged 40 and 50 somethings in hospital on ventilators, or dying waiting outside when there weren't enough? Before the vaccine, that's what was happening. The pensioners by and large always had an option of staying at home, all those teachers and nurses and shop workers and other people who would have had to keep working as normal without a temporary lockdown did not. What do you think would have happened?

FFS we're being blamed for covid now and using the NHS . Pass the Stanley knife.

As mentioned upthread, the UK is a mix of state and private pensions, whereas elsewhere in Europe they have "upgrades" to the state pension, so you're not comparing like for like. We should be comparing TOTAL pensions in the UK (state plus occupational) against TOTAL pensions in other European countries, not cherry pick comparing two different things.

Pensioners are by far the biggest users of the NHS at any time.

COVID lockdown benefitted the pensioners most by far. And created a further chunk of debt.

Triple lock needs to go. Raising in line with income is sensible now. People protesting that many pensioners are poor are missing the point. Having a single lock instead of a triple won’t suddenly plunge them into poverty, it will simply mean the state pension doesn’t rise at levels out of sync with the rest of the population (who funds it).

And yes the rest of the benefits bill needs to be tackled as well.

For people moaning about illegal immigration, perhaps a tax on people who voted Brexit and removed the more cost effective mechanisms we had for sending people back to the last EU country they came from?

Agree we need to get rid of the triple lock.
Don't agree with the snide comments.

Exactly the state pension (assuming its the new state pension) is more than 70% higher than universal credit that is paid per person to a couple with no kids. Im not sure if pensioners are just out of touch or if they are so used to special treatment relative to other benefits they expect it now. And its paid to EVERYONE over the state pension age. Its not means tested. So WHY are we still keeping the triple lock?

But they will have had the benefit of compulsory workplace pensions and automatic enrolment.

It;s actually quite a lot higher than the basic amount a couple with no children on UC get. There are top-ups such as HA, but pensioners on just the state pension get them too.
Pensions increases need to be in line with other benefits increases, it's hard to justify anything other than this.

Our pension is the lowest in Europe despite being the 6th richest country. Try living on 13k that's less than UC and way under the minimum wage. I'd say we need to increase income from the top earners, for instance taxing dividends over say 200k and ensuring multinationals pay the full amount of tax on their UK earnings rather than penalising thecpoorest. We can't afford to lose the triple lock. Not every pensioner is sitting on a huge private pension with the state pension sitting as a nice little top.up.

Yes. He’s lucky to live in Scotland. We all are.

Yep. Raised by socialists. He has his priorities right.

Not forgetting.... covid, Ukraine, middle east/usa. We arent the only country in the world struggling

a mistype. Thank you for noticing.

Well lucky him. Where I live (a fairly rough part of SE london) you couldn't buy a studio flat for that price.

He has a comfortable home 🤣. And him and his fiancée don’t have any children - yet. Well they have a cat who we’re looking after at the moment. We don’t all aspire to 5 bed detached houses! He also is one of the successful. He’s just not greedy. Wedding in NY next year 😊.

He’s 30 ffs. Not 50.

We don’t all live in places where a two bedroom semi costs us an arm and a leg.

Of ourse they were (mostly) working for their pay - although not all of them, lets not pretend there arent pensioners who've never worked too - but the point is they're not working now. Why should their pay go up faster than those that are? Makes no sense and frankly its unfair.

Unfortunately covid has never gone away. It still causes a lot of illness, puts people in hospital, and kills some of them, just not as many as before the vaccine, so we don't need national rules about it.

There's been hardly any of it going round over the last few months, but as it happens it's going up again now.

You do realise that pensioners were once 'people who are working for their pay', don't you?
Agree with pensioners paying NI

Public sector pensions REALLY need looked at as a priority.
The Government contributing 25%+ into workers' pensions when those in the private sector are lucky to get 6% is madness.
Plus the ability to retire early on still very generous pensions.
It's commonly accepted now that - apart from the highest level jobs - workers in the public sector are paid the same if not more than their equivalent in the private sector, so why they still get these ridiculously inflated pensions is a mystery, but a very expensive one.