To be glad triple lock going and hope they means test it too

[Randomamsi]

I have a multi millionaire senior relative who receives £1,400 from the state pension each month, in addition to 6k private pension.

He's not means tested and he's received that for 30 years. Yes, he paid into the system but he does not need it!!! He also had free uni, dirt cheap first house back in the 60s and retired aged 59.

Meanwhile the younger generation:

• thousands in student loan debt
• asset poor as can't get on the housing ladder
• means tested for child benefit, tax free childcare etc
• working until late 60s/ 70s

Why do pensioners have it easy while younger ones pay the price?

For vulnerable pensioners at risk of poverty, there should obviously be provision to help them, I'm not suggesting we let people starve. But multimillionaire pensioners or very asset rich pensioners do NOT need the state pension. It's about time things changed.

Are you buying extra years?

That's what I thought its about a £1000 a month

100%.

Where would you draw the line?

What’s your criteria for who should ‘qualify’ for the state pension?

its a benefit.

No I actually think universal benefits are a great idea and very positive for society because everyone feels they are benefitting /getting something back. Means testing child benefit was shameful, particularly basing it on household rather than individual income. I think making it look like people who save/do well get nothing for their taxes while others receive ‘free’ money is really detrimental to society. The NHS is on its knees, people go private, education is free but again people opt out because it doesn’t work and they can afford private or tutoring etc.

Oh no its not.

the help really gets to those that need it.
'Need it' and have contributed to it during their working lives. Yes, there are many who are genuinely unable to work and their needs would be catered for but it's the height of naivity to ignore the very large, and increasing, numbers who choose not to work and prefer to be a national burden. It's too easy to go to a GP, parrot the right words and magically have a MH condition, the 'bad back' of the 21st century. If the malingerers and their off-spring, were not being kept by the state there would be enough money for better facilities, too much money goes in the wrong places.

Google the state pension legislation. It’s a benefit.

There are two questions.

Triple lock is absurd, and I speak as a pensioner. If it continues unabated for ever, the pension will grow to far more than the average wage, and even far more than a high wage. Politicians and economists know it has to end, but politicians don't dare say so because they're afraid oldies won't vote for them. We could have some other target, such as X% of the median wage. I applaud Andy for having the courage to say what we all know.

Tbe other parties will all attack him, but none of them will promise to bring it back.

As for means testing, I think that is a non-starter for the basic pension. Like the NHS, we all pay for it, and we all hope to live long enough to receive it.

When the "new" state prbdion was bring pushed, one of the benefits claimed was that it would be high enough that pensioners would not need other benefits. I have my doubts. When there are pensioners who don't have enough, for one reason or another, then like working people on low wages, and non-working people on low benefits, we have a duty as a nation to keep the numbers dying in the streets from starvation or cold acceptably small. And in some cases this will mean finding out what they have, and what they need. If it is cruel to do that to pensioners, it is equally cruel to do it to the disabled, the unemployed and the low paid. Is it?

It’s not. People get old. Too old to work because your mobility and mental energy reduces. Which is why people pay into the system through their working life. There comes a time when old people cannot work. How would you suggest the elderly earn an income? Those who claim unemployment benefits can work, but many choose not to. That’s the difference.

My parents live in their home of 40 years. Dad pays tax on his pension because allowances have been frozen, if dad dies mum won’t be able to stay there as her pension is lower. The triple lock gives them a tiny bit of assurance they won’t be still worse off. Meanwhile the small inheritance dad should get from his mother is being eroded by her care fees. They don’t feel heard or seen by this government.

It’s amazing these days how you younger people think! It never ever occurred to me to begrudge my parents or grandparents their pension, but your money grabbing, me first attitude, is disgusting. When I started work there was no such thing as private pensions, years later employers actively discouraged us from taking out a pension because they had to contribute! Your generation will have had a private pension from the word go. You have one relative that maybe doesn’t need their pension, but we are not all that lucky. If they stopped the pension now, what do you think would happen? Let me enlighten you, millions of pensioners would just move onto other benefits and would probably be entitled to a lot more!

You are basing a whole generation on a few influencers on the internet.
Property to wage ratio now is ridic. Rents as a proportion of income is ridic.
Telling young people to stop ordering matcha or to stop going on cheap holidays is not going to make a difference.
if you voted conservative, you VOTED for crap public services and you got what you voted for, and now you’re moaning?
you couldn’t make it up

I remember this same type of diatribe many years back about Why Isn't CB Means Tested When My Friend Earns £25OK And Doesnt Need It. Be careful what you wish for because they did just that and now people are moaning about it!

I agree, especially about the media narrative of the ‘poor pensioners’. I also know lots of pensioners who tell me repeatedly how hard it is financially to be living of a pension, but have also been on abroad holidays, are driving around in new cars and doing their weekly shop in marks and Spencer’s. This type of lifestyle does not indicate to me any kind of financial struggle. My late grandparents had a higher joint pension income than dh and I had from both working full time. Whilst I appreciate some of this was from private pensions, (teacher and private company), at the same time, we were struggling to pay the mortgage and provide for dc and getting far, far less from the state.

How old are you as my FIL is 82 and has a private pension from a scheme that he joined at 16 years old?

Yes. And don't forget the removal of the 2 child cap and the billions of pounds this means will be paid (approx 3.6 billion a year IFS).. Totally unnecessary.

Thank you this.
1234… this is what you all voted for!!

I didn’t vote conservative. I’m a Labour voter however even I can see how much younger generations fritter money more than previous generations- massively!

The UK system is out of line with much of Europe. Middle earners marginal tax rate is similar but the way our system works,
the benefits that this group receives is lower. Much of the rest of Europe has a system where pay out is more linked to what has been paid in. With means testing, we’ll move even further away from that. Other countries seem to manage better in terms of cohesion and an overall perception of “fairness”. I wish we had this.

Agree. Burnham is dragging us all to the far left, with a mandate none of us would have ever voted for. He’s all for the feckless and idle Welfare claimants. Soon there’ll be more people on Welfare than people putting in the pot. What will he do then? I suspect he will arrange for anyone over 70 to be euthanised so he can use the pension pot to subsidise more of the feckless. He really is a halfwit.

SERPS. My dad gets approx £17k per year. You need to understand the difference between the old and new state pension schemes. The basic amount was lower under the old scheme BUT you could get a much higher amount if you paid more NI.

Howdon you define 'asset rich'? Should all benefits be means tested in this way then?

Pensions should not be means tested. If I have worked I deserve to be paid a full pension regardless of what money I have. Also £6k a month is not a multi millionaire. You sound bitter.