To say the £35k winter fuel threshold is way too high!

[chocolateismyweakness4]

The threshold needed to be raised, but £35k?! I wish I earned that and I have a mortgage and commuting costs. It also doesn’t take into account savings (so they could have millions in the bank) or household income.

We all know it’s a bribe, but they still won’t get pensioners to vote for them.

My parents are and my husband will be in a few months. Fairly common in our age group.

They’re all over the place. Reeves and co that is.

Admittedly I haven’t read the details, but has the reason for picking 35k been given? Just seems an odd figure.

Personally, I would have set it as anyone paying basic tax rate gets it, higher rate taxpayers not. (And equalise tax on work and other things like capital gains etc).

I think people forget that pensioners pay tax, and it’s a fallacy that a certain age group all have final salary pensions and are loaded.

Greedy boomer here, I am going to go and lie on a cold hillside this winter and wait for death as I guess that would make you happy. We are just as much of a disparate group as any demographic, my total income in retirement before tax is just over £20K and guess what I pay tax on that, I pay full council tax (minus the single person's 25% discount) but oh I am such a rich, greedy, nasty, selfish thing. I can barely make ends meet anymore due to the COL so to expire soon seems quite welcoming.

I am retired (ducks for cover and awaits cries of "greedy, stupid selfish boomer, why don't you die") and I think it is too high. This govt can't get anything right can they? Such a disapointment. I thought it would be around £20k -£25k so I was surprised. I wish I was on £35k I would be really content with my lot

Forgotten Kwasi Kwarteng? - you know - the one who crashed the economy?

Pensioners can claim Housing Benefit and it does not count towards taxable income either.

It's not venomous.
It reflects what's actually happening.

It's not, it reflects reality.

In what way? Boomers didn’t make the decision.
Would you be happy taking any other group and declaring they all had the same negative characteristic?
Many pensioners aren’t boomers anyway, and not all boomers are pensioners.
I’m not a boomer or a pensioner, incidentally. I’m just not ageist.

The government just can’t win

To be fair, most pensioners we know are very negative about “young people today”.

Ageism really is the last acceptable prejudice, it seems from some on this thread.

This is absolutely ridiculous and I have voted Labour my whole life but they are just continually testing my patience . My parents will get it back now and there is absolutely no reason for them too, they are super comfortable. Yes, give winter fuel payments to people who need it, do not give it to people who do not need it.

Agree they take it from all but the poorest and they are trying to kill people, terrible, worst thing ever. They restore it to some (but not the richest) and are somehow still terrible. I wonder if any of those complaining on here ever campaigned for the removal or means testing of WFA before this government came into power?

It’s a yearly bonus given to all state pensioners at Christmas time.

Really? I’m old enough to know quite a few despite not yet being one myself, and that’s not my experience.

No it isn’t. It’s £35k gross. You’re right that it’s too high.

Once again, this is ignorance.

Did you or your parents ever campaign for it to be means tested or removed before this government came into power? If not why not?

It’s an absolute joke. Families struggling, schools with no resources, NHS needing serious investment, no bloody affordable housing - but they’ll find the money for the over 60’s and whilst everyone else is bottom of the pit

What is? That not all boomers are rich? I can sure you that’s just a fact.

A lot of pensioners aren't at home all day though.

Why is everything a race to the bottom?! I'm not 40 yet so definitely no vested interest here.

I don't think £35k is a ridiculously high threshold I think its pretty reasonable. Many pensioners do have higher energy bills because many have health conditions which means they need to keep warmer such as arthritis. Surely the cost of Winter fuel payments is a drop in the ocean compared to increased NHS bill because they are turning heating off and getting sicker.

Schools are also getting an extra £4.5 billion.