WTF? £600 winter fuel allowance for all pensioners!

[user1497207191]

No wonder the country has no money and the deficit/debt is getting bigger.

MIL just phoned up saying she'd got a letter telling her £600 was on the way to her and asking why, when she doesn't need it?

Just why??? She's not claiming means tested benefits. Her state and her husband's occupational pension are already far more than she needs to live on, meaning she saves a few hundred pounds a month into ISAs (which already stand at over £100k). Owns her own house, so no rent/mortgage.

Why the hell can't this money be directed at those who actually need it or more worthy causes? It's insane to keep throwing money at people who don't need it.

She doesn't need it, she doesn't want it. She wouldn't miss it if it wasn't paid to her.

If they can means test the child benefit and claw it back from those earning over £50k, why can't they come up with a way of ensuring winter fuel allowance is only paid to those who may need it? Why not only paid to those pensioners claiming pension credits, or rent allowance, or whatever?

Last year my parents (comfortable but not wealthy) donated their winter fuel allowance to ds and his gf who genuinely were struggling to heat their flat, but as students weren’t entitled to any of the col payments.
I thought that was a nice thing

Can't speak to the UK, but this happens in the USA because if they don't send it to everyone, all the whiners come out of the woodwork to complain about why are the unworthy getting paid for not working and a certain political party are very influenced by this and won't vote for it until the whiners stop whining. And the only way to stop the whining is to give them money as well.
So, the choice is to give it to everyone, or to no one.

Any person that receives assistance they don't want or need does have the option to donate the money they were going to use on their utility bill.

My mum always splits hers between my brother and I as she doesn’t need it. I give mine to charity as I too, don’t need it (I tell her to give it straight to charity but she says that’s up to me). I doubt my brother does. But yeah it annoys me that every pensioner gets it when it often isn’t needed at all.

Ex pats with no 2nd UK home get it as they are claiming their pension. Imagine! Living in Spain and getting a winter fuel allowance!

Saw a programme on pensions where Peter Stringfellow was says he asked not to receive his winter fuel allowance as he was a millionaire and HM Revenue & Pensions said “If you don’t want it, give it to charity.”

He said he already gave lots to charity and it should be directed to those who need it as it’s people’s tax money they’re playing with/ wasting.

At one time pensioners were the poorest group and so targeting support towards that age group as a whole made sense.

now it doesn’t.

those most likely to live in poverty are kids, yep it’s kids.

Don't worry ... People on PIP get £10 and Carers £10 so it all balances out 🥴

Shame they won't do the same for child allowance,if some want to be bitchy.

Well if child benefit is means tested and pension credit is given to those on low incomes it can't be that difficult to means test winter fuel allowance just give it to those on certain benefits.

They also get PIP and Carers.

Those who pay into the tax system must get something out of it, even if they do not need it. Thus ALL pensioners, needy or not, get the fuel allowance. All parents should get what used to be called Family Allowance; because everyone pays into the NI and Tax systems - I am very angry that Family Allowances (Child benefit) is means tested. If the well-off feel they have no benefits from the system then they will become less willing to pay into it - that's why your mum is getting £600. If she does not need it I suggest she gives it to someone who does - this seems simple enough - but she must get it to make it worthwhile for her to pay tax. That's basically it. The economics of a welfare state and social democracy. Also, £600 to each pensioner is not a great deal of money for the state to pay out.

Those who pay into the tax system must get something out of it

The thing we get out of paying into a tax system is a civilised society.

It is between £250 and £600 this year, higher than normal. Child benefit is £24 a week for the first child and £15.90 a week for the second, so a family with 2 kids will be getting over £2,000 a year so maybe the maths works out as being worth means testing.

We are in the same position as your MIL, we give our allowance to the Salvation Army every year.

BTW the the Sally Army CEO is only paid expenses at around £30k pa. Compare that to other charity CEOs who are paid upwards of £150k pa + expenses.

Been having this argument with my mother,( who receives it and lives abroad because winters are cold in the uk) for years! She says that she has always paid tax in the highest band and its about time she had something back. I tell her to give back to a pensioner who needs it. The argument goes on and on and on! I had no idea it was now £600 !!

Why shouldn't pensioners get a decent fuel allowance??. Paid our dues all our lives to support the good for nothings that have never contributed a penny into the system.
Benefits enabling them to drive new cars. Top of the range Tv's and mobiles. Dressed in designer clothes. Taking their kids to McDonald's etc and they reckon they can't afford to feed their kids.

So shut up having a go about the people who deserve help and watching their spending while struggling to make ends meet. You'll be old one day.

Lovely!

Utter nonsense.

Is it really though? I live in Spain and almost everything is means tested here, from how much money you get as a grant towards school lunches, unemployment benefit, even the free bus pass for kids, which is only worth around 80€ per year. How can other countries do it, but it’s too expensive in the U.K.?

Because it would cost more to means test than it would to pay it.
Simply that.
LA is so mired in poorly managed costing and procurement that this is rife.

So sick of the "grabby boomers" shit.

This was meant to quote someone saying average income of pensiomers is 15k but didn't work.

This isn't true, its 15k after taxes and housing costs. Which is exactly the same as for working people. https://www.unbiased.co.uk/discover/pensions-retirement/planning-for-retirement/what-is-the-average-uk-retirement-income

By your standards, children shouldn't be entitled to free prescriptions, dentists, eye care if their parents have assets worth over a certain amount. Don't forget to include their house and pension pots in the figures though

The post doesn't say that anywhere. You could just as easily deduce that the poster meant children should be entitled to higher standards of education, have more investment in leisure facilities and less waiting times for health care. Therefore we need to reevaluate where resources are allocated.