To worry that the conservatives are going to target pensioners next

[Sjdorset]

Have anyone else noticed the anti pensioner stuff out this week? Firstly about getting rid of the essential tripple lock (2.5% so not a huge increase) and the talk that pensioners are supposedly getting more than working age people (why shouldn't they after all they have worked their entire life and don't have options available to increase their earnings).

I'm worried they maybe next on the target list, quite frankly I think this is a worrying trend building up.

www.express.co.uk/finance/retirement/445956/Fears-for-pensions-as-government-s-crucial-triple-lock-guarantee-faces-axe

Many,many pensioners do not need wfa.

Many, many pensioners do.

Winter fuel allowance could certainly be means tested. My dad is reasonably well off, owns his own home, has a good occupational pension as well as stste pension. he would be the first to agree he doesn't need it, and he is a lifelong Tory voter.

If the Tories start targeting Pensioners it won't be the wealthy they go after it'll be the poor and the venerable ones they target.

And they will as there is little else left so it's only a matter of time.

It's grim.

If you are poor.

I meant Vulnerable not venerable grrr!

I love the way people casually throw means testing into the conversation, without a single thought for the additional red tape and admin means testing creates. Sometimes it's cheaper to pay a modest benefit universally than faff about deciding who should get it, dealing with all the unintended and unforseen unfairnesses and appeals and the risk that the most vulnerable won't claim due to complexity. We have a mechanism for dealing with "wealthy" pensioners, its called income tax, and they are paying it.

Sorry, I meant wealthy pensioners are paying income tax if they are the "little people" like my Mum - the heriditary non-doms don't trouble themselves with such things.

Actually, CB relies on people who aren't entitled stopping claiming it, or refunding, and it's only working because most people are decent and honest. I guess they could try that with wfa if they were feeling especially mean.

They manage it with CB and every other benefit

Actually they don't

As for other benefits, the entire system is a shambles, as is tax credits, the last thing it needs is more complexity to pretend to save money.

No, you have read that stated by anonymous people who claim to be "financially astute" (whatever that is supposed to mean) that doesn't mean it's true.

Grimbletart like you we I am in my 70's DH 69 we have slogged are guts out. When our 3 "homegrown" children were young he worked during the day I worked nights as a midwife no childcare available. We have since adopted 8 children with SN (sadly 3 have died) now as OAP's we are caring for 5 the youngest 2 10 & 16 have complex health needs both tube fed etc.

We work bloody hard with minimal help

But I agree WFA should be means tested and no bus passes here so please do not tar us all with the same brush.

And BTW I did not vote Tory.

Keep your chins up all you OAP's we do have some use to this country despite what a lot of people on here think!!

washed Having a different opinion is one thing but speaking so negatively about one group of our society is not acceptable to me. Just because you might not have a mortgage payment doesn't mean all of a sudden all your costs go down.

Old age is expensive in ways you wouldn't imagine. I'm redoing my fathers bathroom for him to make it elderly friendly. The sitting bathtub is a fortune. You could argue that he should make do with a shower but warm soaks do wonders for his stiffness eliminating the need for daily medication. This isn't being paid for by the taxpayer but society is benefitting from having someone who is fully functioning and paying taxes for at least another 5 years. As it is he doesn't claim the fuel allowance and when they sent him his bus pass he asked if he could return it as he didn't want the money for going to waste.

Rather than have a means testing why not have a return process so those who think they do not the help can return whatever benefits they might receive? It would sure be a whole lot cheaper to administer.

All this talk of means testing the poor, how about means testing the rich and setting a higher tax band for those who fall into it?

Why the fuck not?

Oh yes, party funding and peer votes...

Silly me.

All groups aren't being treated the same though are they?

Any means testing on the wealthy? Any tax reforms really hitting those who can actually afford to pay more?

No is the answer there. It's all focus on those who rely on the state to survive not on those who rely on the state to profit.

Oh Washediris I can assure you as OAP's we get £18000/year and CTC, quite honestly if we received £40000/yr (CB benefit cut off level) they could stuff their fucking benefits!!

Washed you use the word 'sorry' in all your posts. You should be with such venomous shite.

Funny how taking CB off families

Not until they earn at least £40k!