[News] Winter Fuel Payments Are Back

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

When do us YOUNGSTERS get our AVOCADO payments?

 

[AmexRuislip]

Basics. Every pensioner who earns under £35,000 will get £200 (per household). Over 80's get £300

More than 75% of pensioners to get winter fuel payment as Reeves confirms major U-turn - live updates

Pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income below £35,000 will now be eligible, reversing one of the government's first major policies.

www.bbc.co.uk

That'll cheer the majority of NSC!

 

[CheeseRolls]

Agreed. But at least they seem to have arrived at a sensible point now - political damage done though.

Having bitten the bullet and ditched it, I would have hoped that any attempt to soften the impact would have been via a simpler mechanism than restoring it with a means assessed element.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Having bitten the bullet and ditched it, I would have hoped that any attempt to soften the impact would have been via a simpler mechanism than restoring it with a means assessed element.

Such as ....

 

[Official Old Man]

Worth noting that the £35k includes the pension. Average pension is around £14k leaving £21k eanings. Many pensioners aged 67 to 75 are still fit and active and out working part time jobs. That said, I doubt many reach the £21k mark.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Such as ....

If you've got an old name like Bert or Margaret then you get it, but if it's something like Dave or Graham then you're probably ok

 

[cjd]

It sounds lovely

I guess the issue is one of fairness between generations. Now this seems to be the sort of thing that is best discussed calmly as people take sides. And of course everyone agrees that old people who need heating subsidised should get it.

But the £35k cut off is a lot. The average UK working income is £37k. And if you're working age you have a lot more financial commitments on average. Can you put together an argument that it's fair for an average working age person to subsidise the heating of a retired person with an income of, say £30k?

No I wont "put an argument together for an average blah, blah, blah".

This comic book forum serves little or no purpose to any political ideology, no matter whether you are left or right. What offends me is the total ignorance of so many (predominantly the left ) of reality., who use this (supposedly .... football forum ) as a medium to spread their bile. The elderly do not deserve to be caught up in this here. This forum frequently posts what I consider 'hate' posts against the elderly who lets face it, often includes our own parents..until they are deceased and we the next generation take their place in the "to be hated" queue )

Shame on the Moderators ( Guinness Boy in particular) and to a lesser degree Bozza as well, who has allowed a Brighton and Hove Albion FOOTBALL Forum to sink so low.

 

[darkwolf666]

Worth noting that the £35k includes the pension. Average pension is around £14k leaving £21k eanings. Many pensioners aged 67 to 75 are still fit and active and out working part time jobs. That said, I doubt many reach the £21k mark.

State pension is currently just shy of £12,000 per annum. I understand this £35,000 is per household, so 2 on £12k = £24,000.

I'm not sure that getting the full state pension AND getting a wage were the target for all the previous heat or eat comments though!

I am surprised there is no savings element to this announcement, as the usual cut off for means-tested benefits is savings of £16k as the cut-off point!

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

No I wont "put an argument together for an average blah, blah, blah".

And we'll draw our conclusions as to why

This comic book forum serves little or no purpose to any political ideology, no matter whether you are left or right. What offends me is the total ignorance of so many (predominantly the left ) of reality., who use this (supposedly .... football forum ) as a medium to spread their bile. The elderly do not deserve to be caught up in this here. This forum frequently posts what I consider 'hate' posts against the elderly who lets face it,

I guess you could report anything you regard as hate to a moderator

often includes our own parents..until they are deceased and we the next generation take their place in the "to be hated" queue )

Shame on the Moderators ( Guinness Boy in particular) and to a lesser degree Bozza as well, who has allowed a Brighton and Hove Albion FOOTBALL Forum to sink so low.

Hmmm. You know you didn't have to post on a thread which has nothing to do with football?

 

[Bob!]

Worth noting that the £35k includes the pension. Average pension is around £14k leaving £21k eanings. Many pensioners aged 67 to 75 are still fit and active and out working part time jobs. That said, I doubt many reach the £21k mark.

Surely it's a further £21k INCOME not EARNINGS.

There will be plenty non working pensioners with private pensions of more than £21,000 per year.

 

[cjd]

Nothing worse than an expat telling those back home how to live their lives!

I'm not telling anyone how to live their lives you ignorant ****...who of course has no family.

I do have a lot of family in the UK. I will be returning there one day..probably quite soon. I do pay the vast majority of my taxes to the UK. It does matter to me how people are treated, whether here or in France...or anywhere else for that matter.

I would rather have an opinion on the way society treats people rather than yours which consists of what expensive restaurant you eat in.....pathetic as always.

Some things about people never change.

 

[medwayseagull reborn]

State pension is currently just shy of £12,000 per annum. I understand this £35,000 is per household, so 2 on £12k = £24,000.

I'm not sure that getting the full state pension AND getting a wage were the target for all the previous heat or eat comments though!

I am surprised there is no savings element to this announcement, as the usual cut off for means-tested benefits is savings of £16k as the cut-off point!

Where does it state the £35000 is per household ? If that is the case I cannot see how 75% of pensioners will receive it ( although that is only my perception ).

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Also where is this £1.25bn year coming from?

Maybe the state will have to reduce it's overreliance on DEI officers in order to fund the measure?

 

[Weststander]

BBC's Faisal Islam
Economics editor
"Essentially the winter fuel payment will be paid out to every pensioner again, and then clawed back from two million pensioners with incomes over £35,000 through the tax system".

Assumptions made in posts above that this is a per household assessment. I can't see that in the government detail, and with independent taxation there is no database of all household income combined.

 

[Nobby]

No I wont "put an argument together for an average blah, blah, blah".

This comic book forum serves little or no purpose to any political ideology, no matter whether you are left or right. What offends me is the total ignorance of so many (predominantly the left ) of reality., who use this (supposedly .... football forum ) as a medium to spread their bile. The elderly do not deserve to be caught up in this here. This forum frequently posts what I consider 'hate' posts against the elderly who lets face it, often includes our own parents..until they are deceased and we the next generation take their place in the "to be hated" queue )

Shame on the Moderators ( Guinness Boy in particular) and to a lesser degree Bozza as well, who has allowed a Brighton and Hove Albion FOOTBALL Forum to sink so low.

Go back to the sunbed son, and calm down.

 

[Weststander]

Where does it state the £35000 is per household ? If that is the case I cannot see how 75% of pensioners will receive it ( although that is only my perception ).

Nor can I.

The government know that 9m pensioners (that's individuals) have total income up to £35k each, out of 12m, giving the 75%.

 

[cjd]

I guess you could report anything you regard as hate to a moderator

I have done in the past with what I regarded as a hate post, to Bozza. Unfortunately, he didn't agree with me , which I accept. It is his Forum and he hasn't yet felt what it is like to be elderly personally.

I suspect he will see things differently in 15 years or so time....but maybe not. I do know, he will have thought about it , which is so much more than most. I can't ask anymore than that.

 

[beorhthelm]

Worth noting that the £35k includes the pension. Average pension is around £14k leaving £21k eanings. Many pensioners aged 67 to 75 are still fit and active and out working part time jobs. That said, I doubt many reach the £21k mark.

they report 6 million pensioners, 75% of all, will get the payment.

waiting to see how the means testing will be implemented. this was always the problem, it's difficult so didn't get applied in the first place, then an "easy" qualification of bundling with benefits. what's the new solution that wasn't available for past 28 years?

 

[Flounce]

Can anyone clarify if this only covers actual annual income ignoring any investments?

 

[BenGarfield]

It’s a huge amount, but as someone else said, they vote and moan.

There will be working families and single people who can’t turn their heating on, in much worse financial positions, who have to subsidise this.

Working families dont subsidise this as tax doesnt pay for anything at central government level. As with a lot of goverment fiscal policies and its own byzantine internal finance mechanisms, its a hotch-potch of smoke and mirrors and political expediency which has accreted over the years. A simpler plan would to be to scrap the old state pension altogether, give all pensioners a tax credit of a sufficient amount that they wouldnt need a winter fuel allowance or any other daft add-ons. Then tax it back for wealthier pensioners using the tax system as they propose with the revised winter fuel payment.