Pensioner's 'perks' under review.

Cardew

http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/money/investing-pensions/state-pension-and-other-pensioner-benefits-under-review-11364097761631

dunstonh

That seems to be fair. Pensioners have largely got away with the direct impact of austerity than other groups in society. The triple lock is unsustainable and just creates unfairness. It has served its required purpose.

brewerdave

...but means testing of the other "benefits" ? Thought it was more money to manage a restriction on the WFA than it would save??

Silvertabby

I'll probably get shouted down for this, but I just don't understand why everyone gets 'free' prescriptions from 60. At the very least, it should be linked to Pension Credit age, rising to State Pension age.

Spoken as a 60 year old who, unlike some people, doesn't abuse the system. I used to work with a couple of 60+ ladies who boasted that they went to their Drs for 'free' paracetamol, cough linctus, hay fever tablets, etc, which they then doled out to their families.

The triple lock is only guaranteed for the life of this Parliament. I can't see it going on beyond 2020.

Cardew

brewerdave wrote: »

...but means testing of the other "benefits" ? Thought it was more money to manage a restriction on the WFA than it would save??

That was certainly stated in Parliament some years ago.

Much has been made of the undoubted fact that current pensioners are much better off in recent years; and some of the perks are indefensible.

However having been encouraged all through their working lives to save, save, save, over the last few years the dramatic drop in interest rates has hit those with savings.

Some friends of mine intended to buy a smaller cheaper house and they expected to pocket £100k from the move. A few years ago that might have produced an income of around £6k pa - now about £1k.

nickcc

Seems a good idea to me as long as they increase interest rates to the same as we paid back in the eighties, I'd be more than happy to lose all of my so called pensioner perks as long as interest rates were 13%.

elsien

I wouldn't call the state pension a benefit. It's an entitlement I'll have well and truly earned. If it's not been abolished or risen to the age most of us are dead by, by the time I get there.

LHW99

or risen to the age most of us are dead by

That is, after all, where the state pension started from.

Silvertabby

“ or risen to the age most of us are dead by
”
That is, after all, where the state pension started from.

70 for both men and women. Not only that, but it was means tested, so only the destitute qualified for payment - so as very few really poor people survived to that 'grand old age', the pensions bill must have been miniscule.

missbiggles1

elsien wrote: »

I wouldn't call the state pension a benefit. It's an entitlement I'll have well and truly earned. If it's not been abolished or risen to the age most of us are dead by, by the time I get there.

I have as well but not everybody has.

dunstonh

Some friends of mine intended to buy a smaller cheaper house and they expected to pocket £100k from the move. A few years ago that might have produced an income of around £6k pa - now about £1k.

Using savings for income has always been higher risk and not usually a good idea for all the money. You can still get more with investments.