The state benefits system mega-thread.

[Gary L]

To save the 12 billion?
isn't that the point?

[Taf]

All benefits frozen, apart from pensions.

Retirement pushed back to age 70.

Youths kept at school, college or military until age 21.

No Housing Benefit to the under 25's.

Child Benefit made equal for first and second child. No CB for more children.

All ideas that I have heard from friends recently.....

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Taf

All ideas that I have heard from friends recently.....

Youths kept at school until age 21.

I like that one. just to pee them off.

but I'd raise it to 25 to pee them off a bit more

[johnhook]

Originally Posted by Gary L

To save the 12 billion?
isn't that the point?

urinating in the wind that is my point

So if we can't do everything, we shouldn't do anything?

A couple of billion here, a couple of billion there, it soon adds up to serious money.....

[johnhook]

of course but although distasteful I want to know what is going to be done with the state pension. I believe that has risen 12 billion in a couple of years and will continue to. Ok if they stop tax credits now sorted cut ESA and housing benefit great in a few years the state pension will have swallowed that up and increased. The estimates are plain over 200 billion by 2030 that is only 15 years I still wont be eligible then it is an unsustainable rise the highest in the welfare bill what is going to be done with that? Nothing? because all I ever see is we cant not make cuts to the poor pensioner

---------- Post added at 20:10 ---------- Previous post was at 20:02 ----------

http://www.theguardian.com/news/data...zoomed-picture 2011 /12 figures show State pension 74 billion

the graph here shows 88 billion http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...12billion.html

so a 14 billion increase in a few years. If it continues? by 2018 it will be 100 billion by 2020 120 billion

[Kursk]

Originally Posted by johnhook

I still wont be eligible

So you don't want the benefits you are eligible for touched but you do want our seniors robbed of something they have earned?

Thought so.

[Ignitionnet]

The state pension will continue with its triple lock increases for the foreseeable as it's part of the bribes politicians throw at people for their votes.

He added: ‘We will always protect pensioners, because they have earned a secure retirement.’

Obviously with the state pension changes this is even less accurate, and I'm ignoring that our welfare system is almost entirely not contributory and those with poor pensions will have it topped up by pension credit. The state pension is paid for by today's taxpayers, and has increased as a proportion of the economy massively. There is a huge demographic time bomb there of too few workers for too many pensioners which is part of the reason why the government are trying to find other ways to help them fund their retirement, which also sadly involve transfers of wealth from workers but they are better able to hide them.

The issue of pensioner welfare is and always will be emotive. Add that to that they are a big cohort demographically with a high voting rate and you've no chance of any politicians doing anything that too obviously disadvantages them.

It's just a part of the money that the government, I'm talking in general there, spends on purchasing votes. I'm afraid the client state is alive and well, just the parties respectively have different clients.

[johnhook]

Originally Posted by Kursk

So you don't want the benefits you are eligible for touched but you do want our seniors robbed of something they have earned?

Thought so.

lol Ever spiralling welfare bill will be down to the state pension it will grow and grow this is a reality. The figures speak for themselves. I am just being real not blinkered

[Kursk]

Well, I shouldn't overly concern yourselves; there are plenty of options for making savings in other areas of the welfare budget with pensions, rightly in my view, protected.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by johnhook

lol Ever spiralling welfare bill will be down to the state pension it will grow and grow this is a reality. The figures speak for themselves. I am just being real not blinkered

You're actually entirely accurate there. Since 2012-13 welfare outside of that being paid to pensioners has dropped while the pensioner welfare bill continues to rise.

It'll also only get worse if wage growth remains weak, as pensions are guaranteed to rise by at least 2.5% even if inflation and wage growth run below that level.

Ignore Kursk; he appears to live in a different reality. A selfish, misanthropic one at that.

Regarding pensions - at the moment, I will be receiving my state pension when I am 66 years and 8 months old (according to the Government website), by which time I will have worked (with a six month gap when I was redundant) for 49 years.

Last year I paid nearly £20k in tax (which I have no issue with), and over £4k in NI contributions.

I have contributed to a couple (probably six) pension schemes, and have worked out my total pension, including state pension, will be taxed by the equivalent of the state pension amount.

So if because I have been prudent and put money into pension funds for my retirement (and I will be taxed on these as income), are people seriously suggesting I shouldn't get the state pension?

[Gavin78]

Lets face it the older generation at the moment have it made, they didn't pay much into the NHS pre decimalisation, living costs were lower, they get free bus passes, discounted offers and they got to retire at a much younger age.

I'm 37, living costs through the roof, Me and my wife earn too much to any state help. I'm on 17.8k a year wife is on around 10k a year so we are above tax credits. Nursery fees in 2010 were £28 a day now I pay £41 a day and nothing has changed in the nursery to justify the increase other than they stopped doing breakfasts for the kids now.

I'm confused where the Gov says average wage is about 23k

My latest pension forecast was something like 55k if I work till 69+10 months which is when they say I can claim state pension, while some have just retired in the NHS at 55. my wife is 6 years older than me so if I go at 70 she'll be 76 what kind of life will we have left together

So while I agree with cuts by the time I get old there is going to be a population growth of old people that out way the young that I can't even imagine a state pension by the time I retire as I can't see their being enough money to support them

[johnhook]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Regarding pensions - at the moment, I will be receiving my state pension when I am 66 years and 8 months old (according to the Government website), by which time I will have worked (with a six month gap when I was redundant) for 49 years.

Last year I paid nearly £20k in tax (which I have no issue with), and over £4k in NI contributions.

I have contributed to a couple (probably six) pension schemes, and have worked out my total pension, including state pension, will be taxed by the equivalent of the state pension amount.

So if because I have been prudent and put money into pension funds for my retirement (and I will be taxed on these as income), are people seriously suggesting I shouldn't get the state pension?

In all honesty yes because you do not need it. The state pension is part of the welfare budget in all honesty Hugh do you need welfare? will you ever need it?

I know what the state pension was meant to be originally but this failed. I do find it amusing that a guy on a high end wage wants his state pension irrelevant of where it comes from

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Last year I paid nearly £20k in tax (which I have no issue with), and over £4k in NI contributions.

Wowsers

If you ever need to borrow a few quid give me a shout