The state benefits system mega-thread.

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

The majority of welfare is spent on pensions. Would anyone object to the pension pot being cut drastically?

Yes. Because pensioners are the ones who have paid into the system all their lives.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

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

I need £10,000 - £50,000.
be generous and God bless you

---------- Post added at 13:16 ---------- Previous post was at 13:10 ----------

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Yes. Because pensioners are the ones who have paid into the system all their lives.

Not even £1 a week?

[johnhook]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Yes. Because pensioners are the ones who have paid into the system all their lives.

That is a good but emotive reason. It is unsustainable it is a bad medicine to swallow but if it does not change then the welfare bill will grow and grow no matter what cuts are made

Originally Posted by johnhook

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

Irrelevant of where it came from?

There was me thinking part of it came from me working solidly for 49 years, happily contributing through tax (at least 40% for the last 20 and the next 8 years) and NI....

Don't forget, I will be taxed on my pensions, including the state pension, so the country will be getting it back - or should I just not bother paying into my pension, and spend all the money now....

ymmv....

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by johnhook

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

There it is people.

It's where we've been heading for some time now.

The "you provide for me" culture

The you've worked hard all your life, been a net contributor to the system, well we want it all, and you can't have anything back - you richer than me greedy *******. You keep paying for me.

[johnhook]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Irrelevant of where it came from?

There was me thinking part of it came from me working solidly for 49 years, happily contributing through tax (at least 40% for the last 20 and the next 8 years) and NI....

Don't forget, I will be taxed on my pensions, including the state pension, so the country will be getting it back - or should I just not bother paying into my pension, and spend all the money now....

ymmv....

yes and fair play I respect you for it. I am sure you have had a high standard of living and enjoyed a good life for your hard work to? and you have self respect. As I said it is a very emotive subject but still alters nothing really the state pension is rapidly increasing and is unsustainable

---------- Post added at 14:28 ---------- Previous post was at 14:26 ----------

Originally Posted by Pierre

There it is people.

It's where we've been heading for some time now.

The "you provide for me" culture

The you've worked hard all your life, been a net contributor to the system, well we want it all, and you can't have anything back - you richer than me greedy *******. You keep paying for me.

utter crap

All I am saying is the state pension keeps rising and no one is prepared to accept it is a problem. Instead you have a pop and totally ignore the facts

Having to repeat myself because people ignore what I am saying and make assumptions that I want their tax

[Kursk]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

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

That's plainly unfair. My point of view is different to yours; that doesn't make me selfish or misanthropic. There are also others here who agree with my point of view.

Pensioners have earned their pension through times that have been difficult but they didn't bleat about it. Those who want to enjoy similar security will have to earn it too.

I suggest they get on with it instead of expending all their energy crying woe is me.

[Gavin78]

I can see both points of view but we are getting his hard from all areas, while they might be able to sustain the current state pension my gripe is that there are a lot of old folks now that retired at 55/60

I have to work a further 10 years beyond that to get state pension. so while these oldies are bleating on about paying in all their lives and living it up at being able to go at 55/60 and thinking of themselves lets look at the younger generation that are having to work 10/15 or even 20 years longer to keep those older ones going.

At the moment like I said it's 70 for me state pension but that's under this current Gov. I've got 33 years left to work to reach 70 we are talking about 5/6 general elections in my working life time and their either wont be a state pension by then or I'll be working till 100 to claim

On the bright side, we are living longer nowadays...

[heero_yuy]

Those in their 20's and 30's will have to provide for their own pensions as the giant Ponzie state scheme is coming to a shuddering halt. The triangle is collapsing as the population ages.

I think we have a duty to provide for those who have decades of contributions. The real losers here are likely to be those in their forties and early fifties, being caught between being unable to build a personal pension pot and the state pension falling in value.

[johnhook]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Those in their 20's and 30's will have to provide for their own pensions as the giant Ponzie state scheme is coming to a shuddering halt. The triangle is collapsing as the population ages.

I think we have a duty to provide for those who have decades of contributions. The real losers here are likely to be those in their forties and early fifties, being caught between being unable to build a personal pension pot and the state pension falling in value.

good job the welfare state will look after those in need

[Kursk]

Originally Posted by Hugh

On the bright side, we are living longer nowadays...

And triple-locked longer into the bargain.

Originally Posted by Gavin78

I'll be working till 100 to claim

I think the young are to blame for living longer due to their healthy lifestyles, the contentment of owning their own home and their feckless procreation .

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

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.

I got no idea if ignition agrees with me on what should be done with working age benefits, but I 100% agree with ignition that there needs to be something done about the special treatment to pensioners, pensions make a huge chunk of the DWP budget, and yet we have a government claiming much smaller budgets the country cannot afford.

My view is that pensioners should get the same treatment as working age sickness benefits, so increases and decreases are linked, and things like heating allowance, free tv licenses scrapped. Also they should be subject to the same housing changes, so bedroom tax and council tax support changes.

The entire benefit system is geared around giving a level of support depending on your age. e.g. the single room rate for housing benefit threshold was pushed to 35 years of age from 25, and I expect in 10 years it will be pushed again to 45 and 10 years later then 55 and so on. The cuts are been aimed at certain age groups, and of course this applies to pensions as well, as those currently funding the current pensioners will not get the same treatment when they retire.

[peanut]

Lost for words.. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-expenses.html

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by peanut

Lost for words.. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-expenses.html

Bit of a non-story really.

MPs have a credit card they can use for incidentals. They have to square it off every month by justifying the expenditure or it is blocked. seems like a good system to me.

All this is highlighting is that MPs are bad with their paperwork nothing more

All have since cleared their debts.