General Chat

Rita, I like to see other peoples point of view, but unless a reply was profane or deeply offensive i would never report someone for having a different point of view to mine. Tolerance is all that distinguishes us from the uncivilised. Cruelty in any form I find offensive.

Theresa(cork) Please come on the boards more often. I am drumming up mre contributers as we are losing so many, and that makes debate much less interesting. Most come over as inresestin gpeople who care deeply about what goes on in the world, though we have a bit of silliness thrown in to lighten the atmosphere on occasions.
I paid married womans stamp and had to continue working all the way through my chemo when i was younger, because i had exhausted my sick pay from work, and we could not make ends meet unless I worked.
I am hoping the govmt will not turn its eyes towards disability payments, as mine makes life bearable at the moment. I worked in th NHS for years, also looked after delinquent children and have cared for sick and elderly at home, All for quite low pay, so no opportunity to save for a rainy day.

Interesting debate!

My mum after many years of hard work has finally moved home to Ireland. She gave over 40 years of hard slog to the NHS, lived miserly (and we as kids did too) and eventually was able to afford to move last April. Just recently she received confirmation she will still receive her fuel allowance. (Until the most recent announcements that is!)

She has paid (extortionate) tax and insurance into the UK system for nearly all of that time but because she paid married womans allowance she cant get full pension, she also has a limited NHS pension. Over here she wont get free health care or prescriptions til she is over 70 or any pension til 66 (I doubt she will be entitled to it anyway having worked only a couple of years as a teenager).

Should she be entitled to fuel allowance, I believe so, she has paid for it. She will no longer be making use of the NHS (for what its worth) and that will save them a fortune as she has many illnesses; which is another reason for her to come here as I can care for her and take further weight off an already overstretched NHS.

My hubby worked from 15 until 30 in the UK, paid tax, insurance and private pension but we are unable to 'benefit' from them now we are here..... System is nuts in most countries, here as much as anywhere else.

Dont come on here much anymore but was bored tonight... and have enjoyed some of the intelligent threads on here!

T.x

Thank you- we'll have to look into that before making a decision.

Sorry, I wasn't too clear.

What I was referring to was that many private company pensions are reduced by a percentage when you reach state pension age. I think in my case I lose about half the amount of the basic state pension.

Inspectorgreenpen said ***Like others in the same situation will see it reduced yet again if and when I receive any state pension****

Do you mean by taxation, or someother reason? You're getting me worried here, OH being in a v similar stuation. We've recently been advised to consider 'draw down' because of inflation v growth.

Sandie says ***My hubby's state pension may be reduced or stopped cos he took responsibity to look forward and plan for his future and get his own pension when he wishes to finish work !****

Could you expalin please; have we missed an announcement?


Retirement age for men *might* be increased to 66. An official statement should be in October. This would effect those males born in 1951 onwards Grrr. In turn, this is going to effect other age related benefits - the heating allowance and bus passes where applicable.

As I said earlier, you don't contribute to your future pension, or indeed any other state benefits, as a tax payer you pay for those who are receiving it at the time.

Indeed most benefits are received by those who are not making any significant contribution at all - it is called taking from the those that have and giving it to those that haven't, in the interests of having a '"fairer" society....!

Whether or not this is right or wrong is another matter altogether, but like it or not, this is how it is.

Sadly, many of those who are having to foot the pension and benefits bill are struggling themselves. Any one who was so stupid to have tried to save for their retirement, such as myself, finds we get nothing from the state. Made redundant at 57 I have to live of my private pension, already reduced by 25% because I needed to draw it early, and like others in the same situation will see it reduced yet again if and when I receive any state pension. The only way we can make ends meet is to draw on our meagre savings month by month.

Yes, the whole system needs major overhaul. Perhaps those who have worked all their life and paid into the system should be paid far more than those who haven't, whether it be pension, unemployment benefit or whatever, but then oh dear, yet another two tier society and we can't have that....!

Sandie, surely you will get a state pension if you paid the stamps or was covered by Home Responsibilities protection etc?

Rita, you do cope well, I am glad you can have a fairly good quality of life.

Lizx

I'd like to add, but hope my comments do not get this whoosed !

I think that British peeps at home or abroad ,if they choose to do so, should get the pensions to which they are entitled , Fuel payments included if they have paid into the system where ever they choose to live.

Of course many living in this country, GB ,have not contributed and lived on benefits for yrs, many since birth get all benefits going.Ggrr.hiss.

Peeps entering this country under assylum or illegrant immigrants get benefits for which I have paid my taxes. I do not think that is fair.

My hubby's state pension may be reduced or stopped cos he took responsibity to look forward and plan for his future and get his own pension when he wishes to finish work !

There have been a lot of deletions on this thread,,so I don't know what has been actually said , but I stand by what I have said.

wisechild has a very valid point for whiich I admire her.

As an ex civil servant from the Social Security (everyone Boo!!!.lol )
I think that the whole system is cr*p and needs a total overhall.I won't get a state pensiion or aid from the state tho I paid my National Insurance and taxes cos I did the same as my hubby. We will not get a mega pension ! So we have made our own provisions !

Best wishes wildchild :)

Sandie.

n

Rita.
I admire you. You seem to manage very well.Having no rent to pay must be a help. We pay rent of €550 per month plus service charge of €350 per year,so as you can imagine, there´s not much left after the bills are paid out of a total pension of €1100.
Haven´t managed to get back to England for 3 years Holidays are out of the question. Didn´t even manage a honeymoon when we got married last year.
Not even a day out.
Still, we have each other & from what people seem to think, we are living a life of Riley. The truth is that life is pretty much the same wherever you live. it´s not a permanent holiday.

*admiring....think you got a bargain there, Rita lol BCXX

I also found this from 2007 - just look at the comparisons:


Last Updated: Tuesday, 13 November 2007, 09:10 GMT



State pension 'worst in Europe'

The report highlights the challenge posed by an ageing population
The UK's state pension system has been named as the worst in the European Union for the second year running in a survey by Aon Consulting.

British pensioners receive a pension equivalent to just 17% of average earnings, the lowest level in Europe, and well below the average of 57%.

Aon says the "inadequacy" of the UK's state system is "beyond question".

The government says reform is already underway to make the state pension simpler, fairer and more generous.

This info is from November 2007:


Britons have worst state pension in EU
Last updated at 22:52pm on 12.11.07

Millions of Britons are being condemned to poverty in old age by the worst state pension in the EU, a study shows.

The basic state pension of £87.30 a week is equivalent to just 17 per cent of the average wage, it found.

This figure rises to 30 per cent once pension payments related to earnings are taken into account.

But this is still only half the EU average of 60 per cent, the financial firm Aon Consulting said. Its study concluded: "The inadequacy of the state system is beyond question."

Charities including Help the Aged warn the problem has been made worse because the state pension has failed to keep pace with increases in the cost of essentials such as heating, water, and council tax.

A recent study found a quarter of pensioners are having to cut back on basics to survive. Until recently many British workers could rely on private pensions such as final salary schemes.

However, many of the most generous schemes have been replaced by deals requiring higher monthly payments in return for a smaller pension.

In addition, the study said a "spate" of banking scandals and crises had damaged confidence in the private pension system.

As a result, Britons are not investing in private pensions on the scale needed to make up for the state system's failings.

The average age of retirement in Britain - 62.6 - is also above the EU average of 61. Some 57 per cent of Britons aged between 55 and 64 are in paid employment.

Aon found the value of Britain's state pension for a single person is 30.8 per cent of the average wage. This figure is 32.5 per cent in Ireland, 39.9 per cent in Germany and 51.2 per cent in France.

The most generous state pension is offered by Greece, where the figure is 95.7 per cent.

Aon said Britain's ageing population is reliant on young immigrants to boost the number of workers, generating taxes to fund pensions.

But it stressed this was not a longterm solution to the pensions crisis.

The firm's chief actuary, Donald Duval, said: "Migrant workers have helped boost the pension pot in the UK to mitigate against its demomeal-graphic problems but this is not a sustainable measure. It is a smokescreen hiding deeper issues facing the pension system.

"More needs to be done to restore confidence in private schemes so as to drive an increased level of contributions. People cannot afford to rely on the state pension, which remains the lowest in Europe.

"The 2005 Turner Report on the future of pensions concluded that the ageing population left the UK with four choices: lower pensions, higher retirement ages, higher member contributions or higher taxes.

"Assuming that the first is unacceptable, some combination of the latter three needs to be encouraged."

A spokesman for Help the Aged said: "Pensioners are resorting to strategies such as buying cut-price food that is nearly out of date.

"Increasingly the poorest pensioners are turning to friends and family to help them out.

"Debt agencies are also reporting an increase in the number of older people who have borrowed money they can't repay.

"Simple things like going out for a meal or inviting people to your home become impossible. Holidays are completely out of the question, while people have to cut back on hobbies and social events."

The Government plans to restore a link between rises in earnings and rises in the basic pension by 2012.

However, this will be part of a package that will also raise the retirement age from 65 in 2024 to 68 by 2050.

• The Government should ignore some of the money pensioners receive from private schemes to encourage more Britons to save towards their retirement, a report suggests.

The Pensions Policy Institute said many are afraid to invest in private schemes because they would lose means-tested state benefits.

The research charity suggested the Government should therefore disregard the first £12 a week someone receives from a private pension when calculating their state benefits.

This would allow someone to have a pension fund worth £6,000 before it affected their means-tested benefits.

Interesting discussions here.

I think the amount the pension increases at 80 is scandalous, 25p, it must cost more than that to alter the payout and such and definitely more to send out notification to you Rita.

I know it's been done by people for documentaries but in truth, no mp would manage to live week after week on the small amount pensioners get. I haven't seen the latest figures but I think I am right in saying our state pensions are the lowest around. Maybe we should lobby for all pensioners in the EU to receive the same amount of money, then ours might go up a bit, as I think there were other countries handing out lots more than here.

Lizx

Presumably during the 40 odd years I worked & paid taxes, my money was supporting someone who was retired or not working for whatever reason.
In common with all pensioners, it´s my turn to recieved a pension now, albeit funded by someone else. This is the way the government has chosen to fund old age.
In the end, we are all powerless to change anything. The government will do as it thinks fit & we have no choice but to accept it.
So it seems that however valid the points for & against may be, the discussion is futile.

I am just sitting back and watching this....
What really gets me is the fact that the memories of the people are so, so short!

Is all this REALLY surprising you?

Deanna X

Keep it quiet, but free prescriptions slipped through the net, you still get them at 60 - not your new pension age! You can also get the Railcard reduction.

My Oh was also surprised to be able to claim back a few weeks worth of money back from his prepaid prescription.

Whilst the amount of pension you receive is based on the number of years of NI contributions, any payments or contributions you have made in the past as Tax or NI have already been spent and you are not 'entitled' to any of that money. Pensions and benefits paid this year have to come out of revenue raised by the government this year.

It just so happens that age entitlement to WFA is based on the same rules as used to calculate when you can receive a pension, free prescription, bus pass etc.

Payments of benefits to ex-pats will always be a hot potato, especially if they are not paying anything into the UK government coffers. The argument being "Why should I pay tax I already can't afford to someone who chooses to live abroad?"

Personally I believe that UK Government pensions should be paid based at the point that someone chooses to live abroad, but there should be no further entitlement age related or other benefits.

Just a small point.
Not all British pensioners living in other EU countries recieve the Winter Fuel payment. They have to have satisfied the eligibility conditions BEFORE they leave the UK.
I know more people who don´t get it than those who do.