When will people realise that pensioners have paid for their state pension.

[notsafeanymore]

Every time there is a debate about the cost of living pensioners get a bashing.
And some have also paid for a private pension.
It's people who have never worked that should be targeted first.
I'm not on about the disabled. It's people who are benefit cheats and have never worked.

The government literally do this. And they require companies to auto enrol new starters into their company pension, and have done for years.

Agreed

In theory I would say yes it’s unfair - and I’m a centre left voter .

It's not THIS group of poor/vulnerable people we should all hate, it's THIS group of poor/vulnerable people!! 🙄

Try looking up OP, at the people who actually hold all the power and wealth

It sounds so easy but it needs employers to be willing to employ people who may need more support or time off. And to be able to fulfil their business with uncertainty as, through no fault of their own, certain conditions flare up and down without notice.

It also needs existing colleagues in these organisations not to moan but embrace and fill in for certain workers who - again through no fault of their own - don’t show up including when perhaps there could be particular deadlines or whatever. I would hate actually to think I’d be letting colleagues down this way and couldn’t take the quiet or veiled criticism or complaints they might make,

It also needs employers to pay for any extra support like say IT equipment or software that they might not need to someone else. I’ve heard a very highly motivated visually impaired young man on the radio and he describes this sort of thing. And from an employers perspective, they are there to make profit.Government incentives to help employers might help, but I’m not sure when so many people are after each job, it is easily fixable.

That’s not true.

Oh look. It's all the fault of the Boomers. Again. FFS.

Only since 2018 for all companies

Who needs telling they need a private pension?? Give over.

I would like the Govt to call the state pension an "Entitlement" rather than a "Benefit". So then when people, call for a reduction in the Benefits Bill, it is clear that the State Pension is not included in what they want reduced.

Except that that isn't actually the problem.

When I retired, I got a letter telling me what I was entitled to.

And then what? Let them die on the streets? What is your actual plan there? Do you have a solution that would not cause more problems than it would solve?

@ByWittyGoose
actually if you had never worked you wouldn’t get the max pension but with pension credit you are just £3 /wk below the max that workers get and with the added winter fuel allowance non workers actually end up better off already

Plus all these for those on pension credit

Free NHS Dental Treatment: Including check-ups, fillings, and urgent care.
Free Eye Tests and Optical Vouchers: Free sight tests and help toward the cost of glasses or contact lenses.
Free TV Licence: If you are aged 75 or over.
Council Tax Reduction: You may be able to have your Council Tax bill reduced significantly or paid in full (Local Council Tax Support).
Housing Benefit: Help towards your rent if you rent your property.
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI): Help with mortgage interest, ground rent, or service charges if you own your home.
Warm Home Discount: A one-off discount on your electricity bill (usually during winter).
Cold Weather Payments: Extra money if the average temperature in your area drops to 0°C or below for 7 consecutive days.
Free NHS Hospital Travel Costs: Reimbursement for travel to and from the hospital for appointments.
Winter Fuel Payments: Annual payments for heating bills, which now require you to be receiving a means-tested benefit like Pension Credit.

Childcare was cheaper. Living was also cheaper.

Yeah they'll definitely do that...vote winner for sure.

I suppose you’re right. It just shocked me that my mum who grafted all her life, mainly full time ,could have stayed at home and come out with the same pension .

See I can get on board with equalising tax for everyone. I’m a pensioner, I also still work part time and pay tax. I would only disagree with paying more tax in lieu of NI if all forms of income were treated more fairly. Unearned income in particular. And I’d include inheritance tax into unearned income. But wow that would raise complaints! It isn’t right that the likes of Sunak pay less tax proportionately than people on basic tax who are working for their income.

I’d also review salary sacrifice schemes or ensure they cannot be used to dodge tax bands and whatever benefits might come with the lower band.

I’m not retired yet but my childcare wasn't cheap
£1000 for a baby in the early 2000s and that’s not London prices either

I would also like to mention the cohort of early retireees 55-67 who are drawing down on savings and private pensions until 67 and pay no NI whatsoever - totally zilch as it’s only paid on work earnings , so no employer NI contribution either, presumably they are still wanting health care and full state pensions ( I’m in this range too but still working and contributing) . I’m all for choice but think they should have to pay NI based on income or as mentioned earlier roll NI and tax together . It’s things like this as to why we have issues Asa country . Yes it would be unpopular with that age range if not working but in my opinion fair is fair .

But a lot of pensioners claim a state pension who have never worked - SAHPs for example…..

Should you only be entitled if you paid in ? Should only people who pay taxes get public services such as NHS?

People who put into private pensions also do so because the state pension may not be around for enough in say 20 years time as there isn’t enough in the pot.

Today's working people paying in money support the welfare bill.

In Gorton constituency (The stats were on BBC I think last night when they were talking about the election prediction) 48% of people are on UC.

The maths doesn't work.

Either people work and pay more (which I don't think anyone wants to) or everyone gets less. And we need to be very careful about who we give money to.

If you thought we'd had austerity in the past, "you aint seen nothing yet".
Although this cnuting government is just going to try to squeeze more blood from a stone.

How can it be cheaper than free? Also living was NOT cheaper.

@Elbreth childcare wasnt cheaper I was paying £875 a month for a 3 year old and not London very early 2000s