Winter Fuel: Labour Pledges Cuts For Rich

[super jumbe]

Hundreds of thousands of the most well off pensioners would lose their winter fuel payments under Labour plans, Ed Balls is to signal.

The shadow chancellor will say that at a time of severe public spending, benefits for richer pensioners "can no longer be a priority".

Under Labour plans, the payments would be stripped from all pensioners with sufficient income to pay higher or top-rate income tax - around 600,000 individuals at present - saving ?100m a year.

The payment of between ?100 and ?300 is made annually and they, along with other universal benefits for pensioners, have become a key battleground.

David Cameron has been pressed to scrap a pledge to abandon them.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/winter-fuel-payments-labour-announces-cut-044221117.html#p9qdOpP

[gmb45]

hmmmm should do n aw, i know most of them have paid tax insurance most of their lives but this type of benefit should be for the skint imo

[nara]

Seems fair enough.

[gmb45]

could use the 100m they save to scrap the unfair bed tax, very much doubt they will tho

[super jumbe]

Trying to squeeze every penny they can get hold off pensioners, forgetting those who have work hard to bring this country from poverty at the time they need help not abandoning them.

[Meat-Head]

two ways of looking at it

1) when i'm old my money is what i have earned (live on own, no kids/wife,pets)
and have paid ni etc etc

2) old folks are worse, hogging reduced to clear isles, all smell bad, all need to wait for their cars

3) Yes that phil pot bloke who torched his kids, slighly differant as he is off-line for ever, but should get NO pension

[nara]

Trying to squeeze every penny they can get hold off pensioners, forgetting those who have work hard to bring this country from poverty at the time they need help not abandoning them.

You did read and understand the link in post #1 didn't you?

[super jumbe]

Nooooooooooooo

[Snowy79]

I know they're rich and in theory don't need the money but it's pretty bad when you've contributed to the country for a benefit that you're entitled to for it to be removed. Is it any wonder the well off look down their nose at those with next to nothing. Surely it's better to take the money from those that don't contribute. i.e Oversees aid.

[bobwill]

Biggest problem of making winter fuel allowance means tested is it will cost more to administer than will be saved.
Another way would be to do it like bus pass in that you have to apply to have the winter fuel allowance
Now the allowance is sent to you and if you dont want it you can not send it back you have to put it in your bank
and then send a cheque or cash to charity

[thered]

Biggest problem of making winter fuel allowance means tested is it will cost more to administer than will be saved.
Another way would be to do it like bus pass in that you have to apply to have the winter fuel allowance
Now the allowance is sent to you and if you dont want it you can not send it back you have to put it in your bank
and then send a cheque or cash to charity

Not like Ed balls to jump on a bandwagon, its been spoke about many times

Your right what you say btw means testing all pensioners will cost as much as it saves.


It is a good idea in principal and its a benefit that is supposed to help the needy, maybe it could be done another way if your entitled to pension credit you get the allowance

Funny that ed balls seems to have had a brain transplant and u turn btw

He is usually spend spend spend lets borrow more to recover, cuts are wrong yet gives no plan in what he would do