What are all pensioners getting another £300 this winter??

[F0RBIDDENFRUIT]

They are amongst the richest people in the country, yes there are poor pensioners but a lot of them are way richer than anyone else.

£300 more for energy, none of the old people I know need this, they all have more money than their children.

Just because they vote, that is the only reason they can be doing this.

Yet those of us approaching our 60s or already retired, have replied on the state pension, couldn't afford a private pension, couldn't access one for most of our working lives.

What would you have us do? After paying contributions for 40ish years would you expect us to forego it?

Changes have been made over time to accommodate the changing financial reality, we all have to live with that. You'll find your own kids, grandkids moaning about things you have that they can't access soon enough.

Yes, this should be means tested and the payment increased to those who actually need it.

But it secures votes, doesn't it?

My elderly father will receive the £300 and could manage without it but why should he? He worked and saved all his life making sure he never spent what he didn't have and was always mindful of never living beyond his means so why should he miss out just because he was careful.

What a bizarre post.

Do you not understand cause and effect?

Less people came because they knew they would get sent back.

Brexit changed that calculus.

I think we should look more at taxing wealth over income, but those in power would never stand for that would they? The Duke Of Westminster (owns most of London) inherited £9.9 billion at 26 and didn't pay a penny in inheritance tax. How much IT did Prince Charles pay when The Queen died?
But lets keep fighting amongs ourselves.
Maybe if more young people bothered to vote, rather than bitching about people who do, they might have more say in the running of the country.

How the fuck did he not pay inheritance tax on that amount.

I'd be very interested in seeing the evidence of this.

Because the family money will be tied up in a Trust and therefore can be passed from one generation to another without having to pay IT.

It is perfectly legal.

The Tories have been in government for 13 years. They knew the state of the nation when they were campaigning 13 years ago.

They have been in power more than any other party in the 20th and 21st century.

How much time do they need?

Why are we fighting each other? Several posters have said we are broke. It wasn’t the pensioners, nor young families who brought the country’s finances to its knees. It is a result of 13yrs of a Tory government who are morally bankrupt. I am a pensioner. The £300 helps me but I could just get by without it. I would prefer not to be scrimping and scraping and worrying about bills or having to put back food items on the supermarket shelf because when I got to the till I didn’t have enough money, as I had to do when I was much younger and in full time work. And many young families are in that position now. None of us should be struggling, there is no need and it’s not because pensioners get benefits. I have never voted Tory and will certainly not be voting for this disgraceful mob. I would like to live in a democracy but unfortunately we have the FPTP system here which is not democracy.

On who voted Conservative in the last election... yes they clean up with pensioners

yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/12/17/how-britain-voted-2019-general-election

@MargaretThursday Are you my long lost cousin?

Whilst I take your point, child benefit is one of the most unfairly means tested benefits out there! Two people earning 49000 would receive it, but a single person earning 50000 with another on 10000 for example wouldn't get anything. N

In truth, they do pay IHT but at a far lower rate than the average person. They have an extremely convoluted set up (by design).

The historical context of their trust is deeply, deeply unfair. Goes back to a member of the family who got injured in a war and then secured tax exemptions from the Govt of the time. This has then continued on (this part is the unfair bit).

Just to correct a very common misconception

'Is the Winter Fuel Payment per household or per person?'

'Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free payment for HOUSEHOLDS that include someone born on or before 25 September 1957 (for 2023-24). It's designed to help you cover your heating costs in winter.'

Those households with an over 80 year old an extra payment

Bloodyhellken Maybe legal but is it moral?

Thank you @TheThinkingGoblin I didn't know that about war injuries and the link to Trusts.

@JoanThursday1972 🤣

I don't know because I was found on the steps of a church with 52 shillings, and every year 52 shillings was left for my upkeep. I was called Thursday because that was the day I was found. ("Thursday's Child" by Noel Steatfield)

The actual calculus of why we are broke is not difficult.

Too few people in the UK are net tax contributors

And that metric is getting worse as the population ages (as the population of the over 65s will be about 22-25% in the 2040s).

The reason why there is urgency now to fix the tax structure is that the more you wait, the larger the problem gets. And then the spending cuts will be a lot more painful. It is wiser (and more effective) to due to it now.

I agree it should be means tested.

There are plenty of pensioners that need it though. My DPs don't own their property, so despite being retired are still paying out over £800 in rent each month. They're on oil fired heating and 500 litres currently costs around £365.

According to one website, 500 litres is the equivalent of about 67 hours of use.

In the middle of winter, if you want the heating on for even 4 hours a day, that's £365 for only 17 days...

Hopefully their boiler is more efficient than that, or their insulation is good enough to keep the heat in (this is their first winter in this house).

@WhenIWasAFieldMyself confused by your post…as most of these things ARE means tested

They don't pay tax on that £300 but they do pay tax so effectively it does go back to the Treasury.

He should apply for housing benefit, @justanothernamechangemonday . He'd be entitled to quite a lot of HB, possibly the whole £600.

My MIL gets pension credit, because she only worked for 15 years and therefore doesn't qualify for state pension. She gets all her rent (council house, £165pw) and council tax (approx £1500 pa) paid from benefits, but only has £201 pw for everything else. That £300 makes a huge difference to her, it means she doesn't have to worry about putting the heating on.

I'm still working p/t at 68, because I need to build up enough savings to be able to pay for any house repairs etc that need doing, and to replace/repair my car should I need to. When I give up work, I will have just my state pension and a small private pension that will give me a tad over £300 a month after tax. I'll get a bit of help towards my council tax (and at over £1.5k pa, I'll need it).

My bus pass is pretty useless, as I live in a rural county with shit public transport. I thnk I've used it twice in the 2 years I've had it. I've been exempt from prescription charges since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism more than 30 years ago, so no savings there.

I looked into selling my house and moving into a flat, but the service charges etc are so high that I don't honestly think I'd be any better off.

I'm going to struggle when I finally have to give up work, and that £300 will make a big difference. Last year I used it to pay the bill for my boiler service.

Means testing something that costs £300 a head (household?) is not cost-effective.

Why do they get a pension at all? Seriously?
Our pensions are the lowest in Europe. Have a little think about why that is and what we could be doing if the country were being run properly. Then stop blaming other people for the government’s incompetence.