The budget - not quite live

JasonLVC

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Is that why bingo tax has been cut then!? Due to the pensioner vote? I just see no real reason to do this at a time we need money. Seems absurd to cut stuff which people will quite happily pay for leisure purposes?

Bingo is a dieing past time, everyone prefers the FOBTS (the fixed Odd Betting Terminals and the quiz/fruit machines).

Osborne introduced a gaming machine duty the other year to pick up tax on fruit machines and quiz machines and now has upped the rate for FOBT's - seeing a everyone prefers these then it should raise a decent chunk of revenue.

As no-one plays bingo anymore, the cut in tax isn't going to be so big but will benefit the remaining bingo halls. Its been a long running battle this one for several years, so in theory levels the playing field somewhat.

tomterm8

Actually, although I haven't looked at any details yet I suspect it is related to online gambling. Bingo is incredibly popular online and I suspect he's trying to keep competitive with the rest of the world.

BTW, thank you to the people who posted about the pension reform.

N1AK

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Is that why bingo tax has been cut then!? Due to the pensioner vote?

Certainly seems like it. Boosts to cash ISAs (popular with pensioners), a pensioner only saving product, and a cut of a popular form of gambling with pensioners.

I can appreciate that political parties can't ignore politics when deciding policies but the ongoing trend by the conservatives to address no underlying issues while tossing out the odd policy to buy the grey vote has more than exhausted my patience with them.

PaulF81

Well, I think thats UKIP sunk then! Just make sure you dont spend your 15,000 ISA allowance on the annuities firms, they are getting absolutely hammered on the markets today.

harz99

N1AK wrote: »

Certainly seems like it. Boosts to cash ISAs (popular with pensioners), a pensioner only saving product, and a cut of a popular form of gambling with pensioners.

I can appreciate that political parties can't ignore politics when deciding policies but the ongoing trend by the conservatives to address no underlying issues while tossing out the odd policy to buy the grey vote has more than exhausted my patience with them.

You forgot the 1p cut in beer duty which will also be popular with the pensioners who frequent Wetherspoons and similar large chain pubs.



Just about the only non pensioner friendly budget measure is the tobacco duty increase, and with the increases in recent years, many pensioners will have given up smoking anyway, so not much impact.

moneyistooshorttomention

Two things striking me to date from what I can see:

- This pensioner only savings product won't apply to all pensioners if its due to start January 2015 and apply only to pensioners 65 plus age group. They seem to have overlooked extending this to women who are/will be in receipt of State Pension as at Jan. 2015, but will be younger than 65. Think the female Revised State Pension Age will be somewhere between 62 - 63 at that point. So what about those women? Why cant they have it too, as they will be pensioners by anybody's definition at that point (even if we only count pensioners in receipt of State Pension).

- A small employer pointed out, on another Board, that their accountant had told them they will no longer be able to recover Statutory Sick Pay from the Government as from April. That is, that it will be employers, rather than the Government, that will be paying that. Is that the case? If so, then I'm so glad not to be a sickly person with an employer that only paid SSP anyway to ill employees, as I would be expecting my employer to be trying harder to find excuses to sack me in order to avoid a potential new cost.

Nick_C

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

- This pensioner only savings product won't apply to all pensioners if its due to start January 2015 and apply only to pensioners 65 plus age group. They seem to have overlooked extending this to women who are/will be in receipt of State Pension as at Jan. 2015, but will be younger than 65. Think the female Revised State Pension Age will be somewhere between 62 - 63 at that point. So what about those women? Why cant they have it too, as they will be pensioners by anybody's definition at that point (even if we only count pensioners in receipt of State Pension).

It needs to be same age for men and women, otherwise its unlawful discrimination. Any women of 63 who are already getting their SRP are bloody lucky.

moneyistooshorttomention

Nick_C wrote: »

It needs to be same age for men and women, otherwise its unlawful discrimination. Any women of 63 who are already getting their SRP are bloody lucky.

The male username is no coincidence then?:rotfl:

In that case, it should be made that all female pensioners in receipt of State Pension as at Jan. 2015 get it and men the same age get it too.

Makes sure all female State Pensioners get fully treated as the pensioners they are and stops whinging by any male State Pensioners that are so inclined. (You'll excuse the slight "tone in my voice" here as I am both retirement age and retired, but not yet in receipt of my State Pension because I haven't reached that revised SPA...). Feeling more than a little fed-up at half my income vanishing into the Governments maws before it even comes into my hands as a result of that...

Nick_C

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The male username is no coincidence then?:rotfl:

In that case, it should be made that all female pensioners in receipt of State Pension as at Jan. 2015 get it and men the same age get it too.

Makes sure all female State Pensioners get fully treated as the pensioners they are and stops whinging by any male State Pensioners that are so inclined.

Being male, its no coincidence that I have a man's name. Well spotted.

So your proposal would give a beneficial financial product to 63 year old women who have retired, and 63 year old men who are working? Interesting idea.

I don't think its whinging to object to being discriminated against on the grounds of gender. You wanted equality, enjoy it. It works both ways.

moneyistooshorttomention

...and a female friend of mine who is one of the women who is working on past her State Pension Age..

.....and men who have retired before their State Pension Age...

Chips for dinner anyone? (off or on shoulder):rotfl:

BTW..It was a man who complained about differing State Pension Ages (in an attempt to get mens State Pension Age reduced to same as women). It then backfired, as men got nothing, but women got belted with that revised SPA. So Mr Law Changer did for women, but without helping men at all.....