Quote Originally Posted by Dodbroon View Post
How do you define "don't need it"? ?10k gross private pension, ?100k gross private pension or maybe any private pension and other income.

It's a tad harsh to conclude that current pensioners should be means tested because their pensions are paid out of current tax collections if their tax collections during their working life were used partly to pay the pensions of previous generations.

National Insurance contributions were set up originally to provide a state pension along with other benefits. This was a key aspect of the Beveridge report of 1942 on social security. Individuals paid in money (agreed this was used to fund pensions and benefits of others at the time) to enable them to get a state pension on their own retirement together with other benefits if required. It would be the same way that folk who have built up savings and bought their own house have to pay for care later in life are fleeced compared to others who get the same free. I'm not talking here about a person who has had little income throughout his/her life and who has had no possibility of building up any savings. I'm comparing a person who has had modest to good income even very good income and who has lived lavishly and blown the lot with the person on the same income who has lived more frugally and saved for retirement. Means testing is morally wrong and stems from envy of those on the left against those who have done well for themselves in addition to the super rich who live off inherited wealth.

It is all irrelevant anyway. Even this incompetent, morally bankrupt Labour government or their (Barnet Formula dependent) Scottish SNP useless administration would hesitate to tamper with the state pension. They may allow it to fall further into taxability due to the fiscal drag of not increasing allowances, but means test or restricting the pension; no!! Perhaps the only way they are not stupid is in realising what will stop them being re-elected. This is that, political suicide!
It’s a benefit so should be means tested in line with all benefits.