Rajab Al Zarahni

5 hours ago, nong38 said:

The triple lock will continue, the DUP will claim a gain everybody wins! With inflation now running at 2.9% the Tories will happily let it ride for the time being, what will it be when the September inflation figure comes out for this is the one that the increase will be based on and with the BOE reluctant to put interest rates there is room for further moves north, not as if it helps us much.

If the Labour party were to gain control of the country then inflation would rise and the pound would fall we must all hope for "strength and stability" over the next couple of years.

Theresa May's change of policy from triple lock to double lock was an own goal. Firstly it wasn't going to happen to 2020 and secondly the 2.5% trigger would be irrelevant if price or wage inflation was greater. On current forecasts  the government would be paying out the same increases on double lock as they would have done on the triple lock .  She would have been wiser just to leave it be.

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

This guy is trolling, I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion, if he is not trolling,  he is really well over the top, the UK government is stealing from UK OAPs by withholding their annual pensions increases, I would bet he doesn't state his rubbish in the company of his friends, if he has any, no wait, according to his avatar he is in Yorkshire.

Video on Yorkshire culture.

18 minutes ago, Flustered said:

Blah, Blah, Blah

 

Already stated income taxed in UK on investments/pensions  "The only tax it gets from us is if we have UK investments paid for by earnings in the UK, i.e private pension".Perhaps you should read first before getting in a tizzy.

 

My views are well documented so why you keep on asking the same questions, going round and round in circles I do not know. 

It's curious that you should refer to this as "the only tax" as the amounts involved can be considerable.

Private pensions are taxed at source if they originate in the UK whether or not they are invested in the UK.

By way of explanation, I was posing a rhetorical question with no expectation of a coherent answer.

20 minutes ago, Flustered said:

I have paid my full quota of NI contributions since I started working as well as paying into private pension funds. Even when overseas I paid my stamp to ensure I would receive the full pension when I retired. I saw the UK State pension as a bargain when the cost of the pension portion of the NI stamp is looked at. I do not believe in the nanny State, benefits and freebies so I look at UK State pension payments very differently to you.

 

As there is no State pension fund and pensions are paid out of taxes collected, the NI contributions only go part way to funding the State pension. The bulk of the State pension is paid out of the Exchequers central tax collections. This includes all taxes collected by the tax department.

 

So my dear friends, if we are living overseas, we are not paying tax on goods or services we buy and the Exchequer does not collect any money from us. The only tax it gets from us is if we have UK investments paid for by earnings in the UK, i.e private pension. Ergo we are not paying our fair share. Our UK State pension is actually supporting the economy of another country.

 

That is why I do not sit and whine about my pension being frozen when I declare myself non resident, but accept that I am contributing to another countries economy. Far better to petition that country to give you benefits than asking for a handout from a country you have ceased to support.

 

As usual, just because someone dares to have a view contrary to yours, you will continue to harass and hound and go round in circles asking the same questions over and over again rather than accept as I do that each one of us is entitled to our viewpoint. 

Factually incorrect and misleading. What about the income tax deducted from our UK pensions at source ? 

What pitiful nonsense to suggest a petition to the Thai government for the payment of benefits and what a surprise that you should commend the use of a petition.

The reality is that you don't even believe in your own nonsense. You just  want to live in an imaginary world where you have been unjustly persecuted for your beliefs.

27 minutes ago, Flustered said:

 

 

 

 

I agree guys. Your time would be better spent filling in petitions that will never be read and raise false hopes rather than working out how to improve your finances.

Your posts have never included a single helpful suggestion on how anyone might improve their finances. You are against petitions and any attempts to influence MP's or political parties. Your most distinctive contribution has been to try and deter anyone from taking any form of action that might have even a remote prospect of success.  You are a declared opponent of unfreezing overseas pensions and opposed to pensioner benefits generally. I suspect that you would like to see pensions withdrawn altogether.

Success in achieving the unfreezing of overseas pensions might be a daunting prospect but with you on on our side their must be every prospect of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory !

8 hours ago, evadgib said:

Methinks it might be Bendix recycled ?

My heart has started pounding and cold shiver just went down my spine 

57 minutes ago, Flustered said:

The UK Government is not a charity.

 

If I make a decision to move to another country, that is my responsibility and not the UK governments. If all you want is security and a benefit culture, stay in your home country and do not go overseas to a far and foreign land.

 

The more I read about people not being paid enough to live a nice warm comfortable lifestyle in a country where the cost of living is far below that of the UK, I realise what a bunch of moaning freeloaders they are.

 

Grow a pair, take responsibility for your own actions and stop expecting the UK government to pay for your lifestyle and decisions. You chose to live in Thailand and take a Thai wife, so man up and take responsibility.

 

If you cannot earn more than the £18K per year to bring your Thai wife back to the UK, make the most of your situation. Why should the UK taxpayer pay for you to chop and change where you live as the whim takes you? If you cannot support a Thai wife in Thailand, why go there in the first place? If you say you did not know how your income would shrink over the years, that is your fault no one else's.

 

Now expect more disgruntled namby pamby's to complain how hard done by they are and how hard hearted I am.

Thank you for your comment. I'll waste no time reading it.

11 minutes ago, Flustered said:

You cannot put a figure on wealth or income.

 

What is wealthy to you may be poverty to someone else. What is wealthy in the Yemen is poverty in America. 

 

Wealth is happiness in not having debt and living within your means. If you have surplus, you are wealthy.

If that is true how are you able to identify the wealthy pensioners on the bus from Hull to Scarborough ?

15 hours ago, Flustered said:

Yes, I think that if people can afford to pay they should. There are far too many handouts to those who do not need them.

 

Prescriptions: That is an area that needs totally overhauling. Any item that can be purchased over the counter should not be on prescription. Items like paracetamol cost almost 10 times as much on prescription as they do over the counter. It is the way the NHS do their purchasing. Aspirin is cheaper over the counter as are many other items. I see no problem with anyone who is on higher tax bracket having to pay, pensioner or not. Our widowed neighbour who we look in on and help out has more unused prescription medicines in her drawers than Boots have in their warehouse. She is reasonably well off but this is a classic example of "it's free so I ask for them".

 

Pensions: A double lock is more than sufficient. Pensions should be on a simple inflation linked rise. And as pensioners, we have different purchasing/living requirements to families so a pensioners cost of living index should be set up. Freezing of pensions when living in other countries can be looked at in different ways. there is an argument that says that as you are spending your money in another country the UK do not get the benefit of it. However, the majority of pension annuities pay UK tax so there is a trade off. Obviously I would be better off if the State pension were to rise in line with the UK but I have factored in the fact that it will be frozen. I am not complaining as I know what to expect and have made a qualified decision. Do I think it should be frozen? a hesitant yes.

 

TV licenses: I think that the BBC should be commercial and there not be any TV license. It is outdated and not fit for purpose. Let the BBC compete on equal terms. But all being equal, I think that over 75s should pay the license fee as well as full council tax.

 

As you can see, I do not believe in a free dinner for anyone and that the individual should take responsibility for themselves. This way, there would be more money in the pot to help those who do need it. I don't need the winter fuel allowance or free travel on the buses and did not ask for them. They were given out as a universal credit by Gordon Brown as a bribe for votes and no party has the courage to rescind them.

 

Finally, it's not comfort in this forum I seek but the other points of view. What purpose would a forum have if different points of view could not be put forward and discussed. Too many good FMs are bullied off from threads because groups gang up on them for having a different view. The more views the better informed we all become.

 

Nothing to do with this thread but you asked in a courteous way and I hope I have replied in one.

 

 

I would always support someone like yourself who wishes to exchange comments in a civilized and courteous manner, however I see you in the same way as someone who joined the Catholic church to become a christian because he didn't believe in god.

What I think we share is a common view that it would be better to abolish all allowances and additions to the State pension in favor of a higher pension payment.

If the State pension was frozen at its rate of instigation for all pensioners then although harsh, I feel it would be equitable. Everyone, after all, would be treated equally badly as against the present system of only applying detriment to some.

My grievance is not with the freezing of pensions in principle, rather it is with the government for failing to communicate this policy to those affected at the relevant time and to apply the policy, arbitrarily and in defiance of logic, only to people who reside in certain countries.

5 hours ago, Flustered said:

The problem with the winter fuel allowance is that it started off as a Gordon Brown bribe and was only intended for one year. But having been given, it was then political suicide to stop it.Also we have the OAP bus pass, another bribe.

 

The country managed for thousands of years without a winter fuel allowance or free bus pass so the fairest thing to do would be to scrap them and that will never happen. 

 

My opinion which will probably upset some is that the winter fuel allowance should only be given to UK resident lower tax bracket and the bus pass have an annual charge of £25.

 

 

I am fascinated  as to why someone with your distinctive and thought provoking views has found comfort on this forum.

How do you feel about pensions generally and the index linking of pensions ? In particular, do you believe that the freezing of pensions for those who chose to retire to certain countries is an injustice ? After all, as your comment correctly suggests, these are things the country managed without for thousands of years.

Additionally, it would be most helpful to know your view about prescription charges for pensioners. Can I take that you would like to see pensioners paying the going rate like everyone else ? 

And what of the free TV licence for the over 75's. What you like this to be withdrawn ?