testing pension incomes

[RedditchJay]

debate on Radio 2, government looking to cut free bus pass.... free tv licence... heating allowence on pensioners who are well off.......  think the government is grasping at straws to raise funds.....

[KerryS]

I am surprised these perks have lasted this long TBH. The bus pass is great but I expect it to go.

[Doug Dastardly]

IMO the government should be clutching at straws to save money. The country's on its bare bones.

If a well off pensioner loses their heating allowance so a GENUINE struggling pensioner can continue to be supported that's no bad thing.

p.s. I'm not implying that pensioners are scamming the benefits, just that some people are.

[wilsonch]

Dont get me started on this.....ok then

Why doe sit matter that you have some money as a 'well off' pensioner. If you have managed to save some money whilst you were employed good on you and if you have managed to have had a decent job whilst employed then you have probably paid more tax than alot of other people, and deserve the benifits that YOUR tax has paid for.

If everything was based on means testing why would anybody save for anything, spend it now on rubbish you dont need and the state will pay later.

Why not target the loop holes that are explioted by the rich, like not paying stamp duty on a house over £1m if you buy it through your offshore company and there are many more of these that rich people employ their accountant to exploit......tell me i'm wrong......

[nikpro]

Dont get me started on this.....ok then

Why doe sit matter that you have some money as a 'well off' pensioner. If you have managed to save some money whilst you were employed good on you and if you have managed to have had a decent job whilst employed then you have probably paid more tax than alot of other people, and deserve the benifits that YOUR tax has paid for.

If everything was based on means testing why would anybody save for anything, spend it now on rubbish you dont need and the state will pay later.

Why not target the loop holes that are explioted by the rich, like not paying stamp duty on a house over £1m if you buy it through your offshore company and there are many more of these that rich people employ their accountant to exploit......tell me i'm wrong......

Agree completely.  

There are so many 'spongers' in this country it's unbelievable! It is a real underclass that will never work and never want to work - this is where money needs saving.

Unemployment benefit should last six months then it's essential food tokens and no cash.

Yes it's degrading but we need to create a culture where not working is degrading. (I accept there are people who are made unemployed through no fault of their own and this would be harsh)

Why should some sponger get £350/per anum to decorate their house - it never gets spent on that just fags and booze.

Do you decorate your house very year?

TV is counted as an essential item??

I see people get arrested at 2am who demand to see a doctor - which effin' doctor were they on their way to see at 2am prior to being arrested!!

Lets get tough on the social security spongers and solve the debt problem - not make people who work hard suffer!

[SteveD]

i know a millionare and a couple of  multi millionairs who have a bus pass and get heating allowance ,and actually joke about it ,its just plain wrong they can claim heating allowance and bus pass , so the govermant are justified in my eyes

[jeff oakley]

To be honest if we went down the route of means testing for pensioners it would cost far more than it saves regardless of the wrongs or rights of the matter.

The way to save money is to limit benefits, in the States Arkansaw introduced a law which meant that a woman who was made pregnant got money for the one child, as everyone can make a mistake, but that was it 2nd child nothing. It cut the birth rate to single women overnight. In comparrison over here they are rewarded for having more. Then they feed the kid "sunny D" and they get labelled at school ADH and they get motability and a care allowance. These are the type of scams that need stamping out.

[lippydave]

To be honest if we went down the route of means testing for pensioners it would cost far more than it saves regardless of the wrongs or rights of the matter.

The way to save money is to limit benefits, in the States Arkansaw introduced a law which meant that a woman who was made pregnant got money for the one child, as everyone can make a mistake, but that was it 2nd child nothing. It cut the birth rate to single women overnight. In comparrison over here they are rewarded for having more. Then they feed the kid "sunny D" and they get labelled at school ADH and they get motability and a care allowance. These are the type of scams that need stamping out.

J.Clarkson Mode On:

What we need is carpet bombing (with cluster bombs), of sink estates or anywhere where the benefits claimants number above 25% of the local populace.....

J.Clarkson Mode Off:      

What we actually need is a complete re-organization of the benefits structure with claimants being properly reviewed to ascertain their true level of need vs greed...

That in addition to work schemes to improve the local infrastructure and only enabling able bodied claimants under 30 if they participate in the local community in a constructive and effective manner..

Most pensioners have already made their contributions to society, those youngsters on the bottom rung of the sponging ladder are the ones who need re-educating before a life of indolence and sloth becomes the norm for them...IMNSFHO..

[Dibby]

We've already had the debate on pensions, to be honest, with 44 years left there will be no free bus pass, no state pension, no retirement age, it will be every man for himself. I'm alright, Jack

...Unemployment benefit should last six months then it's essential food tokens and no cash.

Yes it's degrading but we need to create a culture where not working is degrading. (I accept there are people who are made unemployed through no fault of their own and this would be harsh)

Why should some sponger get £350/per anum to decorate their house - it never gets spent on that just fags and booze.

Do you decorate your house very year?

TV is counted as an essential item??

I see people get arrested at 2am who demand to see a doctor - which effin' doctor were they on their way to see at 2am prior to being arrested!!

Lets get tough on the social security spongers and solve the debt problem - not make people who work hard suffer!

With you 100% on that. It should be something to be ashamed of, and a council house should come with a council job, like they were originally intended, for council workers to live in.

Beefits should be a crutch to get by when times are hard, not a lifestyle choice to live off.

Heard the benefits cap is being set at £500 / week. Now that's a gross wage of about £38k. Now how can someone unemployed possibly be 'entitled' to more than a lot of families are earning?

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

I don't see the point of stopping the bus pass for better off pensioners because they won't be using it anyway! The bus companies don't charge a blanket fee to local authorities, but on a passenger numbers basis, IFAIK.

[S2T]

i know a millionare and a couple of  multi millionairs who have a bus pass and get heating allowance ,and actually joke about it ,its just plain wrong they can claim heating allowance and bus pass , so the govermant are justified in my eyes

It is not a question of claiming heating allowance etc the fact is you have no choice but are given it. There are a number of 'well known' individuals who are considerably well off and don't wish the heating allowance but would you believe there is no mechanism to return the payment.

My own view is rather than penalise the elderly who by and large have contributed to the economy in some form or another then they should get rid of child benefit. - if you cannot afford one dont have one

[jeff oakley]

Council house were always intended for people other than council workers. Having a benefit system is also the right thing for us to have, however. When it was first introduced it was a safety net, to ensure no one starved or was thrown out on the streets due to changes in their circumstances. Those on benefit accepted that they would be worse off than those in work. They had enough for food and heat, kids got free glasses, free school meals etc working was good, not working was seen as a failure by most. Even disabled people were encouraged to work in suitable jobs, which is why the first blue three wheeler cars were made available, single seat to enable them to get to work. Now it is a family car, extended to use by those who may care for a disabled person and the expectation to work has gone.

Now those on benefits are in many cases better off as they learn all the tricks to get more money. Now they expect big tv's, holidays, computers, x box, in fact everything others work for. And why should they? Today in the paper those on the frontline have been told there is a 1% pay increase over the next two years, whilst benefits are going up by 5%, where is the incentive

We need to get a grip as to what is reasonable but the MP's have no grip on reality and if someone like SteveD or me were made PM there would be a s**t storm of protests from the thousands who make money from developing this underclass on families who will never work. You do begin to think everything is set up to p**s me off about this subject.

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

J.Clarkson Mode On:

What we need is carpet bombing (with cluster bombs), of sink estates or anywhere where the benefits claimants number above 25% of the local populace.....

I'm a big fan of Clarkson, BUT.........

I lived on various 'sink estates' for a number of years, I've never been out of work in nearly 48years working life.

My Dad lived on 'sink estates' til' the day he died, I dont remember him ever being out of work.

There are thousands of decent people living on 'sink estates'

Still wanna bomb 'sink estates'?

I've got a bus pass, and I've had the winter fuel allowance twice, I dont need them, but I think I've earned them, I've probably used the bus pass less than 20 times in 2 years.

The winter fuel allowance goes into my upgrade fund, so I do put it to good use  

[Norman Verona]

My view is that we need a culture change with the way we look at "benefits".

Firstly the state pension isn't given to us by the state. Most of us paid for it, and in a lot of cases paid a lot of money.

Benefits are thought of as a right and this needs to change. There are no "rights" for anyone to be given my (or your) tax money. They must have good reason and even then it must be the minimum needed.

Job seekers allowance (dole) should be for a limited period, say 6 months. Then, it stops and you have to take a job offered you. If you get sacked or are unsuitable then no more money, just food vouchers.

I once "employed" a builders labourer for £40 per day cash. He wouldn't work outside in case he was seen. He was drawing over £400 per week in money and benefit (rent, rates etc) which was more than I was earning. This was in 1992 and he's still on benefits. He gets a job once a year and just gets himself sacked so back on the dole.

Benefits for the disabled and carers should be increased as these are the people who need help.

And whilst we're on the subject can someone explain why, having paid tax and NI for 44 years we were not entitled to medical benefits paid by the UK when we moved to France but had to wait until one of us reached retirement age. As I understand it an immigrant can claim free NHS treatment from the day they arrive in the country without having paid anything in to the "pot". No problem with that if they need treatment but what about us who paid in all that money. In actual fact it would have cost the government more in NHS costs if we had stayed in the UK.

[pistonbroke]

Well said that man