MSE News: State pension could rise to £140 a week

StevieJ

dunstonh wrote: »

Its not really when you remember that its replacing both the basic state pension and the second state pension as well as pension credits. In fact, the single persons figure is probably lower than the current method if you take a typical basic state pension and SERPS/S2P/Graduated pension amount for an employed person.

The self employed look like the big winners here. Those contracted in look like the losers (assuming retrospective qualification - although it probably wont be).

That would be tantamount to robbery, are you sure that is what they plan?

bendix

At this stage the ideas are so nebulous that it's impossible to comment on them. This might happen; this could be. Green papers are not worth discussing - it's just a vague proposal at this stage and will likely never come to anything.

zarazara

I do hope this is implemented, we will be much better off.

baccyman

I'm not sure if i have read this proposal the right way, if someone has their pensions credit stopped because the government is going to increase the pension to £140 wont they be worse off because if you are entitled to pension credit you are entitled to free prescriptions and other benifits like reduced council tax and other benefits, I'm not sure what they all are because i am not a pensioner yet,

StevieJ

baccyman wrote: »

I'm not sure if i have read this proposal the right way, if someone has their pensions credit stopped because the government is going to increase the pension to £140 wont they be worse off because if you are entitled to pension credit you are entitled to free prescriptions and other benifits like reduced council tax and other benefits, I'm not sure what they all are because i am not a pensioner yet,

Good point, even if they continued with those they would still have to do the means testing, but as Bendix pointed out it is only a green paper although I think it has legs.

dunstonh

StevieJ wrote: »

That would be tantamount to robbery, are you sure that is what they plan?

Yes. Although details are sketchy, that is what the Hutton report recommended and that is the model that the Govt appear to be basing their position on.

Indeed, an article just posted on money marketing reckons there will be a last minute rush to contract out

http://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/1020798.article?cmpid=MME01&cmptype=newsletter

Stargazer57

bendix wrote: »

Green papers are not worth discussing

especially when they have yet to be published!
All we have to go on is a "briefing" to the Daily Mail and some desperate IFAs trying to breathe life into the cold embers of contracting out. Business must be a little thin.

Stargazer57

dunstonh wrote: »

Yes. Although details are sketchy, that is what the Hutton report recommended and that is the model that the Govt appear to be basing their position on.

Gosh, has Hutton done a report on State Pensions as well as on public sector pensions? Do you have a link?

dab43

Why? If two people who are married and have paid enough NI contributions. Why? do they not get £97.65 each. Instead of £156.16 as at present.
Are married people being discriminated against?.:(

redglass_2

dab43 wrote: »

Are married people being discriminated against?.:(

Well, it doesn't look great for single people. Half of what a couple gets? A room costs the same to heat with only one person sitting in it, possibly more. Ditto with lighting, tv, rent/mortgage... Not being half of a couple, I sometimes have to pay to get jobs done that two people could manage between them, I pay 75% of the full council tax bill (despite having no kids, so not benefiting from many of the services) and of course if I want to go on holiday I'm charged more for a room. To top it all I have to listen to politicians driveling on about 'hard working families' - believe it or not, I do work pretty hard even though I'm single but my work seems to be invisible to these MPs. For years I got lumbered with all the awkward shifts at my workplace while others said,'Oh no, I couldn't possibly...I've got children' when to my knowledge the time was sometimes not spent with the kids at all, but on going out for the evening. There are many, many people living alone in the UK and I'm surprised we don't stick up for ourselves more. OK, rant over but sometimes I get fed up with it...