Do you think the new Labour government will mean test the State Pension?

[caringcarer]

I have been reading about an advisor to Rachel Reeves who is already advising her this is a good way to cut paying State Pension to many. I'm 4 years away from claiming my State Pension. I have 40 years NIC's paid in. I was expecting to get a full pension. I have a private Teachers Pension and a few investments. Do you think if the means test came in they would have to give 7 years notice? That is why Waspi women have a claim because they were not given sufficient time to make alternative arrangements. With just 4 years to go I don't think I can make this £11,500 pa up.

Where will this grab end?

Charging richer people to use NHS? Because they have the money so why not?

Charging richer people double road tax. Because they have the money?

”because they have the money” doesn’t mean a grab is ok. It’s commonly known as theft.

Starmer is as red as they come. I think he’s trying to figure out how hard he can fuck people without losing too many votes for next time. Or without too many rich, skilled people such as doctors just buggering off to Australia to escape this country.

If the reason for taxation is “because they have the money” then there is no reason not to put IHT up to 100% with no nil rate band. But that would lose too many votes.

Starmer is as red as they come

🤣

I don't think they will, but I'm sure the previous lot were heading that way.

I get a small, ill health pension. My UC is reduced £ for £ by my pension amount. I have a full NI record and I did 'the right thing' by paying in to a pension.

God, are we going to have endless waffle threads like this from Tory/reform folk?

Jeez. Give it a rest

🤣🤣

Like as been said,State Pension is NOT a benefit, it's compulsory for working people to pay for it.If the Government do means test it, can I claim back my payments?

I don't think it would ever be means tested. But I can see the pension age going up from 68 to 70 and potentially the triple lock being watered down.

The state pension is a benefit. Legally it is described as one and there is no right to any return of contributions or any pot being saved for anyone. It’s a contribution based benefit (there are others).

I do think the state pension will eventually be means tested- it’s incredibly expensive. We pay over 10% of all government revenues each year just to fund the state pension- about £110billion or so every year. I doubt it will happen soon though as politically it will be very difficult.

I don’t think they will because they’d have to pay back the voluntary NIC contributions.

It wasn't in the manifesto to strip all pensioners of the £300 WFA!
While this benefit is not needed among the more affluent pensioners it most certainly makes a difference to those of us who will now worry about being able to pay the high energy bills we are faced with.
We have another five years to go before we get a vote again. I never vote Conservative but I don't trust this Labour government at all where pensions are concerned.

Re.Sugar and spice... The National Insurance was never voluntary, I paid from 16 years of age,it was compulsory?!

Not all NIC is compulsory. A fair chunk is paid voluntarily with the promise of state pension in return. If state pension becomes means tested, they would have to refund all the voluntary contrubutions:
https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions

Married women were allowed to pay less until the late 1970s because it was assumed they re financially dependent on their husband.

If you are on certain benefits NI is credited but this doesn't apply to all benefits so if you have gaps you can pay voluntary credits to fill those gaps.

So say you are are out of work for a year and on a benefit that doesn't credit NI but then you get a job you could choose to pay the NI for the year you were unemployed.

The Birmingham Mail is constantly broadcasting all manner of sensationalist things that never come to pass

Indeed.

In fact, after a period of just ignoring it because all the headlines were clearly misleading and the articles illiterate nonsense, I've started deliberately reading it to amuse myself about how far the 'article' is away from what is implied by the headline.

How anyone with an ounce of critical thinking skills or more than basic literacy, both of which are essential skills for teachers, could believe a word they write is beyond me.

Good and then the Tories can undo it

There’s not going to be another GE.

We are generally living longer so there is a pensions crisis which needs to be dealt with by whichever party is in power and they don't have that many options.
My state pension age has already gone from 60 to 67. Luckily I have a good occupational pension and would be happy to be means tested IF and only if that money was redirected to those who really need it (and not diverted into something else).
That said, I think the cost of means testing, handling resulting appeals etc will hugely reduce the amount of money it generates so all that needs to be weighed up.

We are generally living longer so there is a pensions crisis which needs to be dealt with

I think life expectancy has stopped increasing and healthy life expectancy hasn’t changed so moving the pension age out isn’t fair but it will likely move out again. Free prescriptions for over 60s will be moved out. We already have more over 65 yr olds than u 15 yr olds so economically we are pretty fucked.

@Drogdab that's interesting, can you link please as I can only find reports like thiss*

I know a lot of companies have had to change their private pension schemes because of their members living longer. Will be very frustrating if you are right and decisions are being made on research which you suggest is inaccurate.

@OMGitsnotgood I’m not sure which bit you want me to elaborate on?

Healthy life expectancy?

”For the three aggregated years 2020–22, although male life expectancy was 78.8 years, average healthy male life expectancy was only 62.4 years – ie, 16.4 of those years (21%) would have been spent in poor health. Female life expectancy was 82.8 years, of which 20.1 years (24%) would have been spent in poor health. Although females live an average of four years longer than males, they spend a higher proportion and more years of their lives in poor health.
Moreover, healthy life expectancy in England in 2020–22 was lower than in 2011–13, when the data series began, falling by 0.8 years in males and 1.2 years in females during that time. So not only has life expectancy stalled, but males and females spend more years in poor health. As there had been minimal change in healthy life expectancy up to 2017–19, it is likely that the Covid-19 pandemic will have contributed to this fall, with delays in care for non-Covid conditions and an increase in long-term sickness following the pandemic being additional contributory factors.
Similarly, disability-free life expectancy is almost two decades shorter than life expectancy, and is higher among males (61.8 years) than females (60.5 years).”

“In 2022, about 17.47 percent of the population in the United Kingdom fell into the 0-14 year category, 63.36 percent into the 15-64 age group and 19.17 percent were over 65 years of age. The same year, the total UK population amounted to about 67.26 million people.”

iffx
Starmer is as red as they come. I think he’s trying to figure out how hard he can fuck people without losing too many votes for next time. Or without too many rich, skilled people such as doctors just buggering off to Australia to escape this country.

You do realise that he’s been PM for a month? Doctors have been buggering of to Australia for years under conservative governments.

You've made yourself look stupid with this post.