RPI to CPI Early Day Motion 1032

JamesU

Stargazer57 wrote: »

What's happening to your Council tax this year? That's in RPI and not in CPI isn't it?

I thought council tax was frozen for a year as a sweetner some time back? Annual letter due around now, so shall find out soon I guess.

JamesU

Ripoff_2

JamesU wrote: »

I thought council tax was frozen for a year as a sweetner some time back? Annual letter due around now, so shall find out soon I guess.

JamesU

As far as I am aware Council Tax is supposed to be frozen for this year and it's a good job it is with 3.1% CPI increase. There again Road Tax didn't go up last year. However, all that has happened is that this year it has gone up by twice the rate of CPI and then a bit more by 7.9%. So even though CT is frozen, they will just increase it by a larger amount when the freeze is taken off to make it up, if road tax is anything to go by.

So it's another con trick really, as you say a sweetner but be prepared for lower pension increase at CPI next year and higher than even RPI increases the following year for CT.

Hence, why we ALL MUST fight this change from RPI to CPI and get RPI indexing restored.

Time for action http://marchforthealternative.org.uk/ join the TUC Rally on the 26th March

JohnB47

Received my council tax annual bill this morning - it has been frozen, although there is an entry that says " XXXX Town Council requires £X00000.00. Your contribution is £30.00" No mention of any freeze on that amount which suggests that it's a new payment. There is no mention of it in the accompanying documents.

Also, just been reading the BBC statement on Huttons report. At the end he is quoted as making a point that some measures had been put in place to save costs, more needed to be done.

The BBC said "he pointed to measures such as uprating pensions in line with the typically lower Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

He also said some big schemes had already decided to raise the normal pension age for new recruits to 65 rather than 60.

These changes have reduced cost pressures, but have not addressed fundamental longer-term structural problems, Lord Hutton said."

How curious that he quotes the move to CPI as among the cost pressure reducing measures - isn't the change because CPI more accurately reflects a pensioners inflation experience - nothing to do with cost cutting? But then he's a politition. 1+1 = 2 today, tommorow 1+1 = yellow. It's right that 1+1 = yellow, its fair and they always made it perfectly clear that 1+1 = yellow.

MEY_3

Is anyone planning to attend the rally in London on 26th March? If so, how about meeting up and making ourselves into a group so that we can present a co-ordinated approach to our cause? There is a shorter route for anyone that doesn't want to/can't walk the full distance. Details http://marchforthealternative.org.uk/

Though the march is about cuts in general the RPI to CPI issue is clearly a cut too as highlighted by JohnB47 above.

teacher_retired

JohnB47 wrote: »

Received my council tax annual bill this morning - it has been frozen, although there is an entry that says " XXXX Town Council requires £X00000.00. Your contribution is £30.00" No mention of any freeze on that amount which suggests that it's a new payment. There is no mention of it in the accompanying documents.

Also, just been reading the BBC statement on Huttons report. At the end he is quoted as making a point that some measures had been put in place to save costs, more needed to be done.

The BBC said "he pointed to measures such as uprating pensions in line with the typically lower Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

He also said some big schemes had already decided to raise the normal pension age for new recruits to 65 rather than 60.

These changes have reduced cost pressures, but have not addressed fundamental longer-term structural problems, Lord Hutton said."

How curious that he quotes the move to CPI as among the cost pressure reducing measures - isn't the change because CPI more accurately reflects a pensioners inflation experience - nothing to do with cost cutting? But then he's a politition. 1+1 = 2 today, tommorow 1+1 = yellow. It's right that 1+1 = yellow, its fair and they always made it perfectly clear that 1+1 = yellow.

I heard this along with a union representative already saying they had accepted the change to cpi as part of a negotiating strategy. A very worrying admission from the unions! What do others think?
It seems the accrued rights issue is being let go!

Alter_ego

Ripoff wrote: »

This change does not only affect Public and State pensions but private pensions as well

But that's not what the EDM wording in your first post says.

MEY_3

What do I think? If it's true my response is simple. This is pension anti-inflation index linking. If the union bosses feel it is within their gift to use as a bargaining chip then their members should have some sense and give them a good kicking. What these union bosses are NOT entitled to do however is to make that decision on behalf of current pensioners i.e. their former comardes. As an inflation index, RPI should be beyond being used as some sort of union or government bargaining tool. It is disreputable for anyone to use it that way.

viridens

As I have noted before, one of my concerns is that retired union membership is low, and public sector unions are quite rightly devoting their attention to the other horrific threats facing their working members. Understandably, our cause is relatively low in their priorities.

The relatively small number of us wicked 'gold plated' pensioners actively involved in the RPI/CPI campaign (eg count the total number of contributors to this thread) face the risk that our voice will not be heard clearly in the loud general clamour against cuts on 26 March and beyond. Marching pensioners are more likely to attract sympathy than marching unions. A turnout of 200 last time was a start, but no great victory. Hence my call for ideas to publicise our cause.

Andy_L

MEY wrote: »

What do I think? If it's true my response is simple. This is pension anti-inflation index linking. If the union bosses feel it is within their gift to use as a bargaining chip

It is, that's why we elect them. However any agreement has to be voted on my the members.

Always asuming its true - which it probably isn't. The head of Unison(?) was on the Today program this morning with Lord Hutton and was at great pains to avoid saying they'd accepted the CPI/RPI switch

teacher_retired

Andy_L wrote: »

It is, that's why we elect them. However any agreement has to be voted on my the members.

Always asuming its true - which it probably isn't. The head of Unison(?) was on the Today program this morning with Lord Hutton and was at great pains to avoid saying they'd accepted the CPI/RPI switch

Thanks -thats a relief perhaps it was one union voice I heard not representative of rest. Could contributors to this thread continue to let us all know any union input they here please. It helps to build the picture up as things develop.