Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

[TruthorDie]

The moaning about them seems to be never ending. So tone death and indulgent on both counts. Not sure which is worse. A friends mum was ranting on social media earlier about winter fuel payments being stopped and how “worried about being cold” she was. Bad news is Lynn you haven’t needed to work since 1989, married to an oil exec and have had lots of the good life. I’m sure all of your Florida holidays keep you warm enough!

Bright children can get on anywhere, my siblings and l went to a comprehensive. We all have a couple of degrees, one of us has a PhD so it didn’t hold us back too much in life. Before anyone comes at it from the neurodiversity angle then l am and l wouldn’t be surprised if my younger sibling isn’t

I don't think there's an easy answer. An article in the Guardian yesterday said that 8% of 15 year olds are now on disability benefits mostly for autism/ adhd etc. That's a massive amount of SENCO's needed to address that. The system is at breaking point clearly no to mention the costs.

My DM will suffer, she can’t get warm anymore and she is late 80’s. But her and my DF have savings. Do can pay for repairs to their house. But I suppose she can just wear a coat and hat and shoes in the house.

It's undermanaged because of being poorly organised. Managing needs to be effective. Top management needs to be more hands on rather than lots of pen pushing.

Don't be ridiculous, the country cannot afford handing out billions to people who are well off.
The inheritance issue is neither here nor there.

Same with VAT on school fees, we cannot afford it anymore.

However, it would be better for Labour to reform the energy market & reduce prices for all, rather than handouts.

Why has the UK got, when standing charge included, the most expensive electricity in Europe?

I've already said that the more well off who don't need it, shouldn't get it. But there are millions of pensioners not entitled to pension credits or benefits just living on the cusp who will be badly affected. And btw, my post was addressing someone's comments about her super rich parents and sarcastically referencing how her heart 'bleeds'. Keep up....

There isn't the correct number of staff in the NHS for management to be effective, they are constantly firefighting, moving staff from pillar to post to try and meet demand.

My DD trust has vacancies for OTs and Physio's that are 12m to 18m old, yet have soaring demand, with more people having strokes etc and needing to be kept out of Hospital.

Management spend their time restructuring, dealing with complaints and trying to conjure up ever more imaginative ways to reduce the threshold for seeing a healthcare worker.

& all the time people are leaving the NHS.

I won’t get wfa and that’s fine. We will be above the threshold and will do what we’ve done in the past and restrict the heating.

It would be interesting to know the numbers of pensioners who are sufficiently well off to have several holidays a year and/or second homes, as opposed to those who are still going to be in receipt of wfa. I expect most will be in a continuum between the two.

The manner in which some people talk about downsizing, I find irritating though. It isn’t simply a question of selling up and finding a smaller property. If it were, we wouldn’t have spent since February this year, trying and failing to do just that. For some people, their house has been their home for many years and they have such an emotional investment in it that the prospect of leaving it is really difficult.

I taught in state schools for forty years, so VAT on private education is not a concern for me, but the lack of investment in state education, particularly for children with additional needs is a disgrace. If I thought those monies saved were going towards improving the lot of vulnerable children in education and for more positive experiences in the NHS, then I’m sure many would think it worthwhile. But I bet that won’t happen.

Nonsense. Outside of MN, the vast majority of the electorate couldn't care less about VAT on school fees. It impacts only 7% of those with school age children, a tiny proportion of people to start with, and of those there are many people for whom it's loose change or who support the policy anyway. You are perpetuating the myth that a lot of noise from a vocal minority means this policy is highly controversial, when for most people it matters not at all, and is an easy way to raise a few quid without upsetting the majority.
If you seriously imagine the government feels the need to manipulate opinion, whip up bitterness, jealousy or anger to get this policy accepted against the preferences of your small demographic, you are seriously deluded about your own level of importance and influence.

5.5% increase was offered the other week. Most NHS staff are in Agenda for Change e.g. nurses, admin, porters, physios etc

£200 over the course of a 6 or 7month period of having to heat a house is not enough, it doesn't even touch the sides, its a few extra units per month.

Cutting unit energy costs is a far better way forward, for the pensioner, for everyone on a low income and for the taxpayer.

Where would you put the cut off point? and how much would it cost to administer some random income point?

The consultants are the minority, lots of doctors are called junior doctors and paid as such. Starting pay was £32,398 last year for doctors. Not very appealing especially in the south east. Also when student loans, professional subscriptions, exams etc need to be paid. Threads on here make me giggle when doctors struggle with childcare due to the hours and shifts. But who can afford a nanny on £33k?!

Ironically one of the big issues for the NHS are people living so long and using it +++

They aren’t bothered about it now, until what it actually means is that state schools become (more) overcrowded by kids who would otherwise have gone to a private school, and actually the VAT “gained” has been overtaken by the cost of state educating those kids. People just don’t know what it means. You are seriously deluded if you think it means that it will bring in loads of cash.

They won’t pay tax on £944 a month it’s under the personal allowance.

Hopefully the energy companies will come up with some kind of lower tarrif for pensioners.

TruthorDie
Bright children can get on anywhere, my siblings and l went to a comprehensive. We all have a couple of degrees, one of us has a PhD so it didn’t hold us back too much in life.

There are just as many private schools that cater for average ability children (and even lower ability children) as there are private schools that cater for 'bright children'.

Well he either has other income so his total income is more than £12570 or it is wrong, how is the tax being collected as state pension isn’t paid through paye? Does he have to do a tax return?

Everyone I know has signed the petition from AGE UK petition about the winter fuel allowance.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/campaigning/save-the-winter-fuel-payment/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyp8JIfAVmBuUdJkbZUTrXrxUq1j&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlIG2BhC4ARIsADBgpVQtrcZueFXj64-CPPGUPo3U82uBEe_LeH8p5r6lHOPa1f4ghM7mRgAaAshcEALw_wcB

Well, my Dad must have become a compulsive liar as he claims he pays tax on £218.15 per week. That’s the only explanation I can think of.

Winter fuel payment should always have been means tested so for me this is a move in the right direction, but the way it's means tested and the levels for qualification need to be looked at urgently.

I agree. If it had always been means tested and someone suggested making it universal, people would rightly say that was ridiculous.

That doesn't mean the threshold it's now been set at is right though.

Presumably you're young and active.

Many elderly people aren't and their income may be slightly above that to make them eligible for Pension Credit and thus WFA.
We'll see if/when cases of hypothermia increase next winter.

Many pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit but don't claim it, saving the government billions. Perhaps there should be more of a targeted campaign to help those eligible who don't claim at the moment.

I hope the State education sector is poised and ready for the influx of pupils who were or would have been privately educated!

they are talking about discounts for those with EHCPs

Which will put even more pressure on the system when private school parents or wannabees realise they can get a discount if they get an EHCP. And that extra pressure will disadvantage the children of those parents who have no choice but state education, even more.

So the relatively well off will benefit over the poor and the averagely paid, yet again

Your son must have EHCP funding to get a place at a specialist school. I have no issue with that if his level of need is so high. Did the state school say there was no need for specialist education or did they support you with documentation etc?

If he’s not a liar then It must be wrong so he needs to contact hmrc and get it corrected. If £218 is his only income he should not be paying any tax. It’s not just pensions he needs to take into account for income though if he has bank interest, investment income, rentals income, wages it all needs adding together and if his total is above £12570 he will pay tax on the amount over this limit. If he is telling you he is paying tax and his only income is £218 a week then it is either incorrect or he is lying about his income

They have said now that there won’t be discounts for ehcps this was just something mooted by people before the election but not actually said officially. It has been said that vat will be applied to all fees regardless of whether the child has an ehcp as in cases where the child has fees paid by the la through an ehcp the la can claim the vat back so there is no cost to them overall

None of the above but he does have some savings which he will have declared, so perhaps that’s why.