Cynical Moi, never

[Dezi]

Hi,
Nick Clegg has said that, if re elected, he will get rid of free bus passes & T.V. licenses for rich Pensioners who do not need these perks.
This comes on top of M.Ps & a couple of charities saying that rich pensioners should decline the £200 winter fuel allowance, or give it to charity.

I have no particular problem with any of the above, but what is a rich pensioner?

Obviously Fred “the charlatan” Goodwin Struggling along an a pension of £340,000 a year at 53 is rich.
Is it also a pensioner who was born during or just after the war who grew up with absolutely bu**er all, so went through life earning before he spent it, & would cringe at the mere thought of being in debt ?

This individual would probably end up owning his home, & possibly have a few bob in the bank, is he undeserving also?

Or is it just a cynical M.P. picking on easy targets to assist lowering our national debt crisis, which many pensioners had nothing to do with.

I know that there are several of pensioners on this site any thoughts Ladies & Gentlemen ??????

Dezi c:

 

[ipcel]

I might not need it but I'm keeping my £200 winter fuel allowance.
It will pay for the tunnel on my way to Sicily for January.

 

[n brown]

haven't got time to chat i'm afraid,too overwhelmed with excitement wondering whay to buy with our 10 quid xmas bonus.probably blow it on nearly a bag of coal or not quite a turkey.

 

[Deleted member 5759]

Why should I lose my free bus pass and winter heating, I have paid and still paying an absolute fortune in tax over the years, PAYE, Corporation Tax, NI tax on all my employees.

He needs to take away all the benefits from the layabout scroungers and benefit cheats before he starts on citizens who support the economy.

People do not realise that high pension receivers pay 40% tax on them that goes back into the Treasury.

Peter

 

[Deleted member 13543]

Maybe Mr Clegg realises just how unpopular this move would be, and wants to makes sure he DOESN'T get re-elected and have to sort out the financial mess the country is in??

 

[Dezi]

Why should I lose my free bus pass and winter heating, I have paid and still paying an absolute fortune in tax over the years, PAYE, Corporation Tax, NI tax on all my employees.

He needs to take away all the benefits from the layabout scroungers and benefit cheats before he starts on citizens who support the economy.

People do not realise that high pension receivers pay 40% tax on them that goes back into the Treasury.

Peter

No need to pick on Old Arthur Peter, he is struggling like everyone else.

Dezi :banana:

 

[Northerner]

I and my wife are now in receipt of this fuel benefit and I admit to mixed feeling. I'm a businessman with a good business and, by any standards, a large income. I'm not boasting but I need to put things in perspective. Half of me thinks that it's ludicrous to give this allowance to someone such as me who has lots of money. The other half thinks " Sod this, I've been a higher-rate taxpayer for forty years and I'm entitled to it!"

If it was taken from me though I wouldn't object to it. I can't expect public sector workers to have lower pensions for instance (which I agree with) and then refuse to make a sacrifice myself.

As to whom we choose to to stop paying Winter Fuel Allowance, for me there's one very easy method. You don't stop paying it to anyone, which keeps the administration simple but what you do is increase the tax codes for higher-rate tax payers, so that they pay back in income tax the same amount that they're receiving in fuel benefit. I know that there may be the odd person caught in the 'border line' trap, that's inevitable, but this would be fair for most higher-rate pensioners. By the time we reach pension age most of us have no mortgage, no dependent children and if we're higher-rate tax payers the chances are that we're not exactly skint!

 

[Firefox]

The basic purpose of any welfare or benefit system is to provide a minimum standard for those on or below the poverty line. It's not to provide a better standard of living for those who already surpass the minimum criteria by some margin.

 

[John H]

Hi,
Nick Clegg has said that, if re elected, he will get rid of free bus passes & T.V. licenses for rich Pensioners who do not need these perks.

Well, going on his record so far, if re-elected he will INCREASE these benefits! :wacko:

 

[Kontiki]

The richest people probably pay the most tax so why shouldn't they get these benefits? It would probably cost more to means test the benefits than it would save, also any savings would just go back to the government & not benefit any poor pensioners. Why do we want to penalise success, can you honestly see many millionaires travelling on a bus? If it wasn't for the pensioners bus passes many bus routes wouldn't be viable without subsidies.

What is defined as being well off, me & my wife worked all our lives, the only debt we had was the mortgage anything else we wanted we saved for. We made some investments along the way, paid into pensions, saved a bit & consider ourselves to be in a financially healthy position. Some others I worked with were always in debt but had new cars, expensive holidays & now aren't doing too well financially, should I give them my winter fuel allowance & my bus pass to help them??

I think Clegg must be determined to completely destroy any slim chance of getting any Liberal MP's elected next time.

 

[Dezi]

The basic purpose of any welfare or benefit system is to provide a minimum standard for those on or below the poverty line. It's not to provide a better standard of living for those who already surpass the minimum criteria by some margin.

I have an open mind on this subject, but I think the last time these criteria applied was probably the 1950s.

Dezi

 

[lego baby]

In his statement last week Osbourne regretfully informed us that the implementation of taxation on private flights
to & from UK airports would be delayed until 2013 because it is "complex to apply"

Therefore multimillionaires, superstars & tax dodging expats can continue to fly under the radar. Apparently there
are approximately 80,000 such flights per year, many of which are waved through customs.

You would think that the government might give greater priority to this before contemplating action over bus passes?



paul

 

[Channa]

Thankfully for the time being none of this affects me , but it does seem if you save for a rainy day , act the slightest responsible ...it matters not;

Indeed it seems there is a punitive regime towards those who do try and save ...better off far pissing up against a wall

Channa