Pensions… again

[GoodnightAdeline]

https://amp.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/08/uk-state-pensions-benefits-changes-april-triple-lock-rise

Another pension increase we can’t afford when working people are grappling with the cost of the country.

What will be the endgame in all this? Where will we be in 20 years?

Oh I'm absolutely fine. I live in a country where national superannuation has also just been increased, and I haven't heard anyone moaning about it the way you are.

You are ranting, you won't leave it alone even though the majority of posters disagree with you.

Our state pension is one of, if not the lowest in Europe. It isn't a freebie you pay NI contributions to qualify for it. £221 a week is much less than the NMW for 37 hours a week, how do you expect pensioners to live, or do you want everyone who retires on a Friday to be exterminated by the following Monday?

If you don't agree with the state pension, I assume you will be refusing yours?

I'm in Scotland. Have never voted Tory in my life.

Theoretically, I get my pension in 3 yrs.

You mean the lockdown that we all endured?

You don't seem to understand that wealth is often down to luck and not age.

My husband died during lockdown, so the last couple of years of his life were fairly miserable.

He was brought up in a rural area. Left school at 15. (His parents wanted him to stay on, but the HT didn't think that someone from his background could progress: his parents were working class.)

Got the minimum wage as a forestry worker. Did 3 yrs in the army. Back to his home village and got the basic agricultural wage. Took whatever other odd jobs he could. None of them paid a pension - his NI contributions were supposed to be for that.

Went to night school. Sat the local uni entrance exam. Became a late entrant teacher.

When he retired, he got his State Pension plus a teaching pension of 8k. He was paying tax until the day he died, so from a monetary point of view, he contributed for 67 years.

If you assume that the majority of pensioners are well-off, it's because you're basing your ideas on your own social circle.

waves merrily

@GoodnightAdeline Maybe the state pension increase is unaffordable but I’d rather our collective taxes were used to prevent elderly people (and other vulnerable groups) freezing in winter or needlessly ending up in hospital due to, for example, hypothermia / anxiety / depression / malnutrition than some of the many other ways this government chooses to spend our money.
Annual rises are supposed to keep the state pension, benefits and wages in line with the cost of living although I imagine this falls short in real terms as it does for us all.
Sure, there may be some wealthy pensioners who can live well without the state pension. Not many will be magnanimous enough to decline it though. My guess is that the state pension will be means-tested in the future.

How do you feel about the reductions in NI contributions that have been rolled out since last year? They are 4% down now with the better paid workers making the biggest savings. Just wondered if you think this is affordable given the dire state of the economy. Of course we all know this is just an electioneering gimmick, perhaps honouring the pension triple lock at this point in time is too…

My mother was born in 1927, lived through a world war, rationing, having their family home destroyed by bombs, as did her brother and contributed to tax and NI until she died. Her contributions funded pensioners of the future. I never heard her or her brother once moan that they shouldn't be contributing to the economy to fund pensions.

I would be interested to know op if you have parents or grandparents? Are you resentful of them in some way?

And the country can afford to pay you for your children, your free hours of childcre and all the other little benefitts you have as a child owner
Your arrogance is astounding. Have you told your parents you can't afford to pay their pension?
Have you sorted your inheritance- you'll get more if they get more
Or should we just put old people down at 66?

Please provide a list of available, non-tabloid, economic research to support your simplistic view

@1dayatatime
"The increase in state pension is funded by taxpayers, "
Pensioners are also taxpayers, and the state pension is a taxable benefit.

(Note, the State pension itself is less than the personal allowance, and does not itself have a means of deducting tax. It is taken into account, however, if the pensioner has any additional personal pensions, in their tax code)

Oh do take a long walk off a very short cliff. How massively ignorant you are making yourself look.
You are ageist. Just admit it.

Where did I say I don’t agree with the state pension?

There’s an awful lot of comprehension issues going on among posters on this thread.

While I’m happy to concede the votes go against me around a quarter of people do agree, so mine is hardly a fringe view is it.

Why ddon't you respond the specific points levelled at you rather than merely announcing that other than those who agree with you, all other posters do not comprehend you ageist, selfish, ignorant and goady stance?

I have responded. We can’t afford the rise, I think it’s the Tories pandering to pensioners again, I feel the money could be better spent elsewhere and pensioners as a group are least in need of yet another rise or concession.

Why don’t you address that rather than making yourself look unhinged by telling me to walk off a cliff?

And further to the above I’ve been very clear that I think it should be means tested so those in most need do receive the rise.

If thinking paying money to people who don’t need it isn’t great for our struggling economy makes me a ‘heartless cow’ then I’m happy to be a heartless cow.

Don't move to Scandinavia op. Your head will explode with the unjustness of its welfare system!

It wouldn’t because the public services you receive in return for the taxes are much better. I wouldn’t care about the rise if we could afford it and other areas of the public weren’t in such desperate need.

We can easily afford it.

You could means test the state pension but at what level would you suggest?

If the NMW, is around 21k per year and the state pension is £11.5k, the vast majority of pensioners would still be assessed as needing this minimal amount?

Most people do not have private pensions of approx £10k p.a

A better question you could ask would be: Why have most European countries far higher state pensions? How do they manage? why have they far better public services?

But people like me will just stop paying into private schemes. Why should I pay 40% of my salary into a pension when others won't bother and then get the state to help. In fact, great idea, I could do with some extra cash every month.

Pensioners though come on ...the state pension isn't enough to live on as it is ..I will be there one day living off state pension as I'm single and cannot afford to pay into a private pension so will rely on the state ..I've worked bloody hard ally life pay my taxes sooo there you have it ...I hooe it goes up even more I still want my trios to Australia every year to seey daughter and grandchildren 🤣🤣

You have not addressed specific points at all - for example, I asked if you resented your parents' pension increase, and I asked for some economic examples not from the tabloids, amongst other things. Other posters have challenged you on specific points and you have not responded.
The 'long walk...' is a well-known phrase used as a polite alternative to 'sod off you don't know what you are talking about'. I don't think I'm the unhinged one here...

For Christ's sake - if you think the country cannot afford it, what do you suggest as an alternative? You have been all mouth and no trousers on this topic