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Better-off Pensioners 'encouraged' to give fuel allowance to charity
Comments
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vivatifosi wrote: »When my grandfather played football for a then top club, his win bonus was a chicken. That's even harder to believe now...
A lot more fowl play in those days
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The government is now criticised for maintaining WFA -- albeit in line with a pre-election promise. But let's remember that Cameron was trapped into making that promise by Brown saying that Labour would keep it. I don't remember too many people saying then that they would rather it were abolished and that they would be more likely to vote for Cameron if he promised to do away with it. Two years on it's a different story. And you can bet that if Cameron now did a u-turn, some of the very same people complaining about the cost and unfairness of this universal benefit would be slamming him for breaking the election promise.No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well.
The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.
Margaret Thatcher0 -
GeorgeHowell wrote: »The government is now criticised for maintaining WFA -- albeit in line with a pre-election promise. But let's remember that Cameron was trapped into making that promise by Brown saying that Labour would keep it. I don't remember too many people saying then that they would rather it were abolished and that they would be more likely to vote for Cameron if he promised to do away with it. Two years on it's a different story. And you can bet that if Cameron now did a u-turn, some of the very same people complaining about the cost and unfairness of this universal benefit would be slamming him for breaking the election promise.
indeed so
politics is a dirty business
and if have no integrity and you made promises merely to compete with the others, then it's understandable that you are damned whatever you do.0 -
TBH I don't know why pensioners can't afford their heating. A single pensioner will have a minimum weekly income of £142.70, (as of 2012, and it rises in line with inflation or 2,5% pr year) and if they are on this income they will have rent/Council Tax paid. They should be able to afford heating out of this. If they chose not to put the heating on and/or not claim everything they are entitled to, then these are different problems to not being able to afford it.(AKA HRH_MUngo)
Member #10 of £2 savers club
Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton0 -
seven-day-weekend wrote: »TBH I don't know why pensioners can't afford their heating. A single pensioner will have a minimum income of £142.70, (as of 2012, and it rises in line with inflation or 2,5% pr year) and if they are on this income they will have rent/Council Tax paid. They should be able to afford heating out of this. If they chose not to put the heating on and/or not claim everything they are entitled to, then these are different problems to not being able to afford it.
In many cases it might be the same problem as with some of the can't work/won't work contingent on welfare -- ie tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are the spending priorities such that things like fuel and food are allegedly unaffordable. The leftie, do-gooder brigade believe of course that help must be given regardless of the reasons and the degree of personal irresponsibility, and that things like tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are anyway to some individuals essential components of not being 'socially excluded'. Apart from being grossly unfair to the taxpayer such unlimited and indiscriminate welfare is of course a recipe for national bankruptcy, as more and more climb onto the gravy train. That's where we were heading under Labour.
Having said that I don't blame Cameron for continuing to honour his election promise to retain WFA, but I hope and expect to see it abolished after 2015.No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well.
The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.
Margaret Thatcher0 -
seven-day-weekend wrote: »TBH I don't know why pensioners can't afford their heating. A single pensioner will have a minimum income of £142.70, (as of 2012, and it rises in line with inflation or 2,5% pr year) and if they are on this income they will have rent/Council Tax paid. They should be able to afford heating out of this. If they chose not to put the heating on and/or not claim everything they are entitled to, then these are different problems to not being able to afford it.
I would guess that many pensioners, myself included, would be too proud to just spend their savings, down to rock bottom in order to claim rent/Council Tax paid.
Only my opinion as a pensioner of course.0 -
I would guess that many pensioners, myself included, would be too proud to just spend their savings, down to rock bottom in order to claim rent/Council Tax paid.
Only my opinion as a pensioner of course.
to avoid this means testing then, would you avocate that ALL pensioners should have their rent and council tax paid by the working taxpayers?0 -
to avoid this means testing then, would you avocate that ALL pensioners should have their rent and council tax paid by the working taxpayers?
Wouldn't be affordable -- let's just print some more money.No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well.
The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.
Margaret Thatcher0 -
to avoid this means testing then, would you avocate that ALL pensioners should have their rent and council tax paid by the working taxpayers?
It would certainly be unaffordable and I was not suggesting that everyone should have it. I was merely saying that some pensioners would find means testing daunting.0
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