B0ycey wrote:It is actually more 'those pensioners that vote in high turnout' 'those pensioners'.
The triple lock is a bad policy for national fiscal finance. Pensioners also get subsidies in other areas like winter fuel allowance to free bus passes and television licenses. May, like every politician, knows this is an issue and tried to address it in the last election. The result. Despite having a massive lead in the polls and destroying Labour in the local elections only a month before, when a manifesto was published trying to restore the tax burden that pensioners have towards the national debt, she got punished by the electorate. Pensioners are not living on the breadline like the media want you to believe. Even the ones that did not save in their working lives accumulate wealth during retirement due to over inflated pensions in comparison to their spending. The exception is usually with poor health. Poor health such as care does take away savings. So in summary, you do get what you vote for.
I have had to explain this many times to people before now about the 'importance' of voting. Because the reason the youth get punished by government is basically because they don't vote whilst pensioners do.
BOYcey-
"The triple lock is a bad policy for national fiscal finance. Pensioners also get subsidies in other areas like winter fuel allowance to free bus passes and television licenses".
Nonsense-
With respect, "The triple lock is a bad policy for national fiscal finance", the issue of what is due to pensioners each year NOT by way of 'Increases', but, by way of COMPENSATION for INFLATION is a no brainer, the FACT is, pensioners, have NOT had an increase with the TORIES.
The 2.5% figure often quoted, is BELOW THE LEVEL OF ACTUAL INFLATION SINCE 2010,which is 2.9%.
The AVERAGE (manipulated)CPI from 2010-2017 has been 2.9%, that equates to the accumulated government STEALING from pensioners each year at 0.4% from increases due to inflationary effects, to date over 7 years, that is a total theft of 2.8%, which, in terms of theft is GRAND LARCENY.
That money was taken from these pensioners when in work, which was hypothecated to fund their State Pension, funded by CONTRIBUTION, It is NOT a 'Benefit', the government have a FINANCIAL OBLIGATION TO THOSE OLDER PENSIONERS LIKE MYSELF.NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER AREAS OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
For your information, bus passes, TV licences were paid for by LOWER pension 'increases' under Gordon BROWN, who then
used that money to SUBSIDISE BUS COMPANIES 'CONCESSIONARY' FARE SCHEMES TO THOSE PENSIONERS & TO THE BBC, TO FUND 'FREE' TV LICENCES TO THOSE AGE 75+.
In other words, that government appropriated pensioners money into the BBC & Bus companies.
Remember this, the above misappropriation affected ALL pensioners, BUT, NOT ALL pensioners watch TV or use Buses, those people have been subjected to THEFT BY THE STATE.
They compensate with increases by comparing the CPI in September each year ,BUT , pensioners(like everyone else)when they shop or receive bills, are paying bills at CURRENT prices at the RPI rate.
It stands to mathematical logic, that subtracting the CPI from RPI amounts to the actual devaluing of pensioners(Basic State Pension)incomes by the government & they still have to contend with over-inflation price increases.
I have often stated on here , that the rich-better off, get tax relief on their yearly payments into their own 'PRIVATE' pension schemes to the tune of £40 BILLION a year, in a ten year period of 'AUSTERITY' for everyone else, that equals £400 BILLION of TAXPAYERS money siphoned off into the pockets of those two groups.
That money should have been taxed at source on those people, if they want to build a 'private' pension pot, it should NOT be taxpayers that fund it, because, on retirement, these people go to live abroad, they then do not pay taxes from the income, the capital of which British taxpayers have funded, it's IMMORAL, particularly when state benefits & pensions are probably the lowest in Europe.
BOYcey - Pensioners are not living on the breadline like the media want you to believe. Even the ones that did not save in their working lives accumulate wealth during retirement due to over inflated pensions in comparison to their spending.
Nonsense-
Obviously, you are not a pensioner, how do you know pensioners are not on the breadline?
I worked all my life, yet my combined BSP + Additional State Pension is lower than the 'NEW' State Pension.
The 'NEW' State Pension from April for a single person is, £164.35 per week.
For someone like myself born in the early 1940's, it is £125.95 per week from April, even with the additional state pension related to earnings levels, I am still well below the 'NEW' State Pension.
This is important, BEFORE the TORIES came to power in 2010, anybody with total income BELOW the Tax Threshold, were NOT liable to pay taxes, including Council Taxes.
The Tax Threshold for paying Income Tax is from April, £11,800 PER ANNUM OR £227 per week.
Anyone on the 'OLD' BSP of £125.95 per week, would have an annual income of 52x that, £6,549 PER ANNUM, which is £5301 BELOW the Tax Threshold & NOW they also pay Council Tax as well.
As I have said before, it is WRONG to make 'GENERALISED' statements on particular groups of people, invariably, there are ALWAYS exceptions, in this case, millions of pensioners that do NOT fit into YOUR assertions on pensioners.
Now, I have highlighted those exceptions & as a group, we do NOT want to claim anything to which we have not paid for, we also do not do so, because we hate any 'Means Tested System', NOT because we 'cheat', but because we ONLY want what is rightly ours based upon that which we know we have paid for within the system.
On the other hand, there are, as I have stated, the RICH & BETTER OFF, who receive from the government each year, £40 BILLION as Additional Pension Contributions Relief at their Marginal Rate, the money, of which they pay into their personal pension pot is regarded as 'deferred' income, it is therefore NOT taxed at source, but is taxed on retirement, as income tax, BUT, many, many of these people, up sticks, move abroad, OUTSIDE of U.K Tax jurisdiction, thereby keeping the gains paid by the rest of us 'Taxpayers'.