Free over 60's bus travel, Over 60's Fuel Allowance, Free TV licences for over 75's

[Chinghehuang]

Don't get me wrong I have absolutely nothing against people receiving these benefits if they are in need and means tested, but what I object to is the wealthy pensioners in our society being entilted to public money when they don't need it, take the Queen as an example over 80 and entitled to all of these benefits, does'nt make sense to me.

See what you mean. It's like child benefit for high-earning families.

But the beauty of these benefits is that they are universal. I wouldn't want to scrap them. It would be cheaper to keep them and have a graded tax system (rather than an arbitrary cut-off point) to make sure higher tax payers pay more. And to chase tax avoiders/evaders.

I think the BBC is now funding the TV licences for the over 75's and free bus travel and the fuel allowance are relatively low cost to the rest of us. Wealthy pensioners are unlikely to ever use a bus & public-spirited pensioners (like my own parents) could easily use their winter fuel allowance to help out other family members rather than keep it for themselves.

I think a few concessions for reaching old-age are a sign of a healthy society.

But we'll be working to 66 to fund it.

It's not great, really, but if bribing pensioners who actually bother to vote is the price for keeping Labour out of power, then I am all for it.

I heard Osborne on the radio defending the winter fuel allowance for all pensioners, and he said something like, for the small amount of money involved, it was cheaper to leave it as a universal benefit rather than trying to means test it. It made sense but I'm no expert.

I think we'll find that winter fuel allowance eventually ends up in the Pension Credit system. It's obviously been decided that it's too sensitive a thing to withdraw at this stage and the money saved is not worth the aggro... :)

Either way chil its morally wrong to give public money to the rich when they don't need it no matter what the figure amounts to, my FIL is loaded he does'nt need a free TV licence or free bus travel or help with heating costs but he gets the money regardless, crazy politics.
I read that in my area the local council is having to subsidise the free bus travelfor over 60's by upto £2 million. Not peanuts is it.
Think I'll get myself a bucket stick a label on it asking any wealthy older folk to donate their extra money to the families losing their EMA allowances.

Rather than a general campaign why not start with your FIL? Ask him if he'd donate his unrequired £250 to a worthy cause perhaps? :)

The winter fuel allowance was designed to alleviate fuel poverty but I think, like the Child Trust Fund it has largely missed the intended target. Wonder if there was any outcry that it was 'morally wrong' back in '97 when it was introduced? Must check. Free or heavily subsidised bus travel has been a feature of being an OAP for at least 30 years to my knowledge... Given that it tends to be poorer pensioners that use it, I don't think that one is as contentious.

Got no problem with any over 60, 75 or 80 year olds receiving help if they need it, but I do have a problem with universal benefits going to wealthy pensioners for no reason FIL included.

Well there's a turn up for the books. Vince Cable is now talking about proposals for a very much enhanced universal, basic state pension, no longer means-tested or reliant on NI contribs. Removing means testing would help women (who often don't have a full NI history) and would still encourage people to save for their old age. £140/week is the number being floated at the moment.

Interesting.

The over 65s and 70s were the war generation so perhaps they should get something now for the deprivation they lived through then.

Don't think wartime is really relevant to this new proposal. Looks like the idea is to compensate for a later retirement age with a new-look higher-rate universal pension. 65 year-olds in 2024 and 66 year-olds in 2026 will be people born around 1959/1960.

Sorry.. that should be born around 1953 or so because of the changes made last week.

It's divide and rule all over again.

It's misguided to direct ire at pensioners - wealthy or not - still getting their free tv licences. The coalition's cuts were always going to be ideologically driven and conscious of the core Tory vote.

I don't think that the wealthy pensioners give a hoot whether or not they receive a free Tv licence, winter fuel payments or free bus travel, why would they, I don't honestly believe that by giving them these incentives makes a blind bit of difference who they vote for. Wealthy pensioners will vote the same as they always have regardless of these benefits. Do you honestly believe that the likes of Alan Sugar, Margaret Thatcher, Kenneth Clarke, Cilla Black or Cliff Richard, the Queen need these benefits , how the government can justify giving these benefits to the wealthy among us and then take away students EMA allowance is beyond me. If we are going to live in a fair society then we must be fair with all of our benefits.

Mazzy - you're right. We shouldn't be sniping at each other or thinking only of what benefits us and our families in particular, right now (after all, we're all going to be getting pensions, I hope). We need to get a hold of the whole picture, and we need to make sure that vulnerable people, from families with young children to pensioners get what they deserve. And that richer people get taxed more (on a graded scale) to pay for it. Imo.