Rich pensioners should give up benefits.

What does the team think of this.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22327335

I'm sure that well off pensioners , who have spent a lifetime working for their pensions etc, will be only too pleased to give them up after MPs, most of whom do not know what work is, have given up all their expenses.

I don't mind MPs getting expences, but they should have to justify them as they are expecting everyone else to justify what they collect from the Taxpayers never ending purse.

I'm sorry but I agree, I don't think that rich pensioners should have their foreign holidays funded by the state. I think that benefits should be curtailed at a certain level of income or savings, especially when some pensioners cannot afford to live.

SB
The point is that expenses should be justified honestly . At present it is like Ronnie Kray being on the jury that tries Reggie Kray. I also think that this government would just use this as a beginning, and if they were allowed their way, it would be TV licence, fuel allowance, bus pass, then prescription charges and then comes the question "do you need your government pension", even though you have paid for it . They have already virtually removed government grants for further education.
I would not be worried at not receiving the fuel allowance etc, but will continue to take it happily whilst MP's receive indiscriminate first class travel, ridiculous other expenses and grossly subsidised beer and food in parliament, and ministers and other minions are provided with chauffeur-driven cars free,

Mike

The thing is that MP's would also have their benefits removed on reaching the required income level. Why should anyone in receipt of say an income of £500,000 p.a. be entitled to benefit of any kind? As for expenses I think that as long as they don't include nights out on the razzle and similar and they are backed up by legitimate receipts and strict guidelines are in place for what can be claimed. Then as there are many jobs that include expense accounts there is little that we can do about such things but keep a sharp eye on them.

I don't think anyone would quibble with your figure of £500,000, but i suspect that the government has a figure more in the range of £15,000 in mind. Take note of the link below. Nowadays even many people on benefits cannot get money to help pay for a funeral

http://money.aol.co.uk/2013/04/15/pauper...26pLid%3D174048

Mike

I think that government penny pinching with the costs of funerals has been that way for a long time now. As for £15000 being the upper limit for benefit qualification then I'm sure that it wouldn't affect most benefit receivers at the moment or is this £15000 to include disability, rent & rate allowances and such because without such things you would be hard put to find anyone on such high benefit.

i having being away for so long, I am with you on high income have a ceiling for payment of benifits

the pension is not means tested as i understand it, my UK pension is not taxed in the UK but I have to declare it in australia where it is income tested, so I pay tax on my UK pension here

tca

Although we are given extra tax allowances. if our income from all sources exceeds the allowance limit then we pay tax.

i think if you have paid ni contributions then you should receive your state pension, this varies. i myself paid graduated tax many many years ago and n i contributions but fell short of the state pension so i am topped up with £9 per week pension credit guarantee, however, a couple of people i know, my sister being one of them, never paid any n i contributions, in the case of my sister she never married so could not claim on her spouses contributions, so when she retired she got the full amount straight off. if i had worked for another two years i would have not got the pension credit and would have been worse off, with the qualification of pension credit guarantee i do not have to pay for dental treatment, without i will have to pay, although my pension is exactly the same as my sisters, hers is called an income support pension, so she automatically gets all the benefits.

mps, home secretary s and any minister leave their jobs with a big payout, which i dont think is right.

steph

without wishing to stir anyone up, the system is a bit silly, i came to oz in 73, i did not have any intentions of returning, but being a capricorn im a bit careful - so i thought i will keep my NI for a couple of years just in case, well I kept paying to this year - turned 65, so i get my pension and then out of the blue they give my australian wife a pension too, shes only set foot in the country 8 times for a holiday

and before u ask no i dont get a pension here, I pay 50c in the $ tax so no chance,

tca
will you will get a winter fuel allowance as well - in your summer ?

pensioners do get gas and power discounts, discounts on travel (not free) and other things but its all means tested, im a mid range wage earner so for each $1 i earn i lose 1/2 in tax, because of my assetts its very unlikely i will ever get a pension, so around 45 yrs old u make a choice- slow down and aim for a pension or go for broke and grab as many assetts as you can, build up your superanuation and hope that the income from your assets and super will last you through till death, thats what I did, was working well till divorce that created a very large hole in the assetts, so I had to work twice as hard for the last 18 years - Ive just about got back to where i was. still i am not complaining - australia has been great for me. i really should come back to the uk withthe exchange rate and your lower cost of living i would be better off, BUT I LOVE THE SUN

I did not explian myself very well tca. In the UK pensioners for the last few years have got an extra payment every year to allow for extra energy used in heating over the cold winter. Apparently though ex-pat pensioners in Spain , where it is far from cold, also get it. I wondered if you got it , but , knowing how crazy civil servants are, you got it in our winter, which is your summer !!