State Pension

[baggieal]

There’s talk Labour will look at means testing state pensions and for me - I can see this happening. I know a very senior person who works in the NHS and she confirmed this will eventually happen there too!

Labour for me will be far worse - mark my words!

[mickd1961]

There’s talk Labour will look at means testing state pensions and for me - I can see this happening. I know a very senior person who works in the NHS and she confirmed this will eventually happen there too!

Labour for me will be far worse - mark my words!

I thought you were all in favour of people not having what they don’t need?

Surely there’s no easier way of taking some money of those people who in your words, “don’t need it” than by means testing the State Pension?

[baggieal]

I thought you were all in favour of people not having what they don’t need?

Surely there’s no easier way of taking some money of those people who in your words, “don’t need it” than by means testing the State Pension?

Read the post rather than have the usual dig. Where have I said it will be good or bad? Personally I couldn’t give a s hit either way as won’t effect me!

Labour will be worse was made as a general comment and they will.

[DaveP67 is back!]

I thought you were all in favour of people not having what they don’t need?

Surely there’s no easier way of taking some money of those people who in your words, “don’t need it” than by means testing the State Pension?

This is just social media BS, we all pay into our state pension, it isn’t a benefit.

[mickd1961]

Read the post rather than have the usual dig. Where have I said it will be good or bad? Personally I couldn’t give a s hit either way as won’t effect me!

Labour will be worse was made as a general comment and they will.

So you agree with taxing it for those “who don’t need it” then?

That’s my point.

No need to get so chippy…..go have a lie down on that mattress!

[baggieal]

So you agree with taxing it for those “who don’t need it” then?

That’s my point.

No need to get so chippy…..go have a lie down on that mattress!

Personally Mick - does not impact on me like thousands of illegals so why would I care?

I do care though about those pot holes as already spent 500 quid on new tyres!

Rule Britannia 😭

[WBA123]

Heard someone make an interesting point...

We have 2m more pensioners than we had 30 years ago. We are now living longer than ever, which is obviously great, but it does present a problem.

Each pensioner apparently costs the tax payer around £25k per year. When you take into account Pensions / NHS usage / Winter fuel allowances etc.

The average person in this country pays £5k in tax per year. Which means roughly speaking, we need 5 working people to pay for each pensioner.

Now the issue is...our indigenous population isn't growing - its levelled out. Younger people are putting off having children / having fewer children etc. because of the cost of living probably.

So in the last 30 years, we needed an extra 10m workers to pay tax, just to pay for the increasing number of pensioners there are today compared to 30 years ago.

The biggest issue we face is not immigration, but an ageing population and an increasing number of pensioners to pay for.

We really need public services to be improved to cope with the additional workforce we require. And the responsibility of not improving/investing in public services does not lie with immigrants, it is with governments.

[baggieal]

Heard someone make an interesting point...

We have 2m more pensioners than we had 30 years ago. We are now living longer than ever, which is obviously great, but it does present a problem.

Each pensioner apparently costs the tax payer around £25k per year. When you take into account Pensions / NHS usage / Winter fuel allowances etc.

The average person in this country pays £5k in tax per year. Which means roughly speaking, we need 5 working people to pay for each pensioner.

Now the issue is...our indigenous population isn't growing - its levelled out. Younger people are putting off having children / having fewer children etc. because of the cost of living probably.

So in the last 30 years, we needed an extra 10m workers to pay tax, just to pay for the increasing number of pensioners there are today compared to 30 years ago.

The biggest issue we face is not immigration, but an ageing population and an increasing number of pensioners to pay for.

We really need public services to be improved to cope with the additional workforce we require. And the responsibility of not improving/investing in public services does not lie with immigrants, it is with governments.

Don’t disagree with any of that! Money needs to come from somewhere to improve public services so the question needs to be asked:

Do those who are comfortable need state pensions and free NHS?

Most decent employers offer private health care for a benefit. Should more companies be forced to do this?

[soulman101]

Heard someone make an interesting point...

We have 2m more pensioners than we had 30 years ago. We are now living longer than ever, which is obviously great, but it does present a problem.

Each pensioner apparently costs the tax payer around £25k per year. When you take into account Pensions / NHS usage / Winter fuel allowances etc.

The average person in this country pays £5k in tax per year. Which means roughly speaking, we need 5 working people to pay for each pensioner.

Now the issue is...our indigenous population isn't growing - its levelled out. Younger people are putting off having children / having fewer children etc. because of the cost of living probably.

So in the last 30 years, we needed an extra 10m workers to pay tax, just to pay for the increasing number of pensioners there are today compared to 30 years ago.

The biggest issue we face is not immigration, but an ageing population and an increasing number of pensioners to pay for.

We really need public services to be improved to cope with the additional workforce we require. And the responsibility of not improving/investing in public services does not lie with immigrants, it is with governments.

Hi, I'm a pensioner and my wife will be in September.
I paid over £4k tax last year and it's gone up again this year, plus full council tax and dental treatment .
Before I retired i was a 40% tax payer and declared every penny, alot of my mates who also paid in never reached pension age .
We seem to be an easy target, we gafted for our money with no handouts .

[WBA123]

Don’t disagree with any of that! Money needs to come from somewhere to improve public services so the question needs to be asked:

Do those who are comfortable need state pensions and free NHS?

Most decent employers offer private health care for a benefit. Should more companies be forced to do this?

Something needs to change because the current system we have in this country is not sustainable.

And whatever does change will mean pain for some people. That might include means tested pensions, private healthcare, higher levels of immigration, higher taxes. Something is going to have to give in the next 10-15 years.