No increase for Thai based UK Pensioners: vote here to get this changed

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

So do you!...

https://www.gov.uk/benefit-fraud

Benefits that cannot be reduced or stopped

The following benefits cannot be reduced or stopped if you commit benefit fraud:

• State Pension

Something at least!!!

[Liverpool Lou]

11 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Benefits that cannot be reduced or stopped

The following benefits cannot be reduced or stopped if you commit benefit fraud:

• State Pension

Something at least!!!

What happens after a benefit fraud investigation

If you’ve committed or attempted fraud, one or more of the following may also happen:

• you’ll be told to pay back the overpaid money
• you may be taken to court or asked to pay a penalty (between £350 and £5,000)

 

That's something also!

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

16 hours ago, Thailand said:

18 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

A complete waste of time but should be done anyway by those affected. 

The argument has been kicking around for decades and a favourable change in the rules will never be made.   

 

So far they're only 91,000+ signatures short of a parliamentary consideration of a  discussion so don't start thinking about what you're going to spend your increase on just yet! 

Expand  

Before there was not the power of social media, if everybody posts the links via twitter etc it could really gain traction, maybe!

That petition has been running for four months (two more to go) and has only managed to get just over 9,000 signatures so it doesn't look as though it's ever had much traction and what it did have is disappearing fast.

[DaLa]

Is being senile, hard of hearing and very, very shortsighted and unable to use new fangled interwebby thing....thus confused as to where I live  ( and all that poo about residency, 6 month, 90 day, 183 day , SRT etc etc)  classed as fraud?

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

That petition has been running for four months (two more to go) and has only managed to get just over 9,000 signatures so it doesn't look as though it's ever had much traction and what it did have is disappearing fast.

More a reflection of a certain age profile that doesn't have access to/doesn't bother to/doesn't understand...... online stuff.

 

If this was circulated in the bars and cafes of the costa del sol it could be up in the millions.

[John Drake]

3 hours ago, whiteman said:

Or you  should have brought shares in Apple,Telsa,Google Facebook ,when they were new.

What happens if you bought Pets.com and Enron instead.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

So do you!...

https://www.gov.uk/benefit-fraud

State pension is specifically excluded from 'benefit fraud' by law.

Wrong to even think it's a benefit.

Benefits are given free to the poor and needy, benefits are means tested.

State pension is purchased with 20% of your wages, if you paid you're entitled.

Edited March 26, 2022 by BritManToo

[Whale]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

 

@billd766 gets 400 GBP every 4 weeks after paying 44 years NI (2009 state pension age 65).

I get 700 GBP every 4 weeks after paying 40 years NI (2022 state pension age 66).

 

So it's a little more than 200bht ............... seems unfair @billd766 gets less than me.

I see, I did not realise that. I agree.

[cleopatra2]

1 hour ago, DaLa said:

Is being senile, hard of hearing and very, very shortsighted and unable to use new fangled interwebby thing....thus confused as to where I live  ( and all that poo about residency, 6 month, 90 day, 183 day , SRT etc etc)  classed as fraud?

No it is regarded as claiment error.

Subject to civil proceedings of a 50 gbp fine  ( failure to notify within reasonable fine) and reclaim  of overpayment.

[Doctor Tom]

Doesn't bother me, as I am just on an extended holiday here and my permanent home, which I haven't seen for a while, due to covid and a lack of interest in my home country, is in the UK. 

[Will B Good]

41 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Doesn't bother me, as I am just on an extended holiday here and my permanent home, which I haven't seen for a while, due to covid and a lack of interest in my home country, is in the UK. 

Just been reading up on that....

 

3.2 Second automatic UK test

 

You’ll be UK resident for the tax year if you have a home in the UK for all or part of the year and the following applies:

 

......... you’ve been present in that home for at least 30 days at any time during the year.

 

I am hanging my hat on that.

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Will B Good

[Burma Bill]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Only if you're daft enough to tell them you've moved.

With respect, when one completely sells up in the UK to retire overseas (Thailand or Cambodia for example), one has to inform of the new address for all the relevant documentation to be sent - you will be daft not to do so! Yes, I know some ex-pats have UK "accommodation" addresses whilst living abroad so that they can get the increases and, ironically, the Winter Fuel Allowance but many do not, like me. I am very fortunate in drawing two additional pensions which are index linked (Civil Service and Local Government). Regarding my State OAP, it would be nice to receive 137.60 GBP per week, instead of my current 102 GBP per week first received in 2009.

[billd766]

17 hours ago, London Lowf said:

I have a private pension that I have not yet needed to touch - in the year to 18th September last year it grew by 9.81%!

 

I also own my property outright and since I bought it in October 2019 it has increased in value by over 40%.

 

I am not wealthy - I had always earned just slightly over the average wage, but I listened when it was drummed into me to buy a property and a private pension. I appreciate that many could not afford to do this, but many simply did not plan for retirement.

But many of us did plan for retirement.

 

I certainly did back in 2002, but who could foresee the 2008 financial crash or Brexit or currently the war in Ukraine.

 

There are thousands of financial analysts across the world but few, if any, can see more than 3 or 4 weeks ahead, let alone years.

 

If they could then they wouldn't be working as an analyst for a company but would be millionaires or even billionaires.

[BritManToo]

49 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

With respect, when one completely sells up in the UK to retire overseas (Thailand or Cambodia for example), one has to inform of the new address for all the relevant documentation to be sent - you will be daft not to do so!

What documentation would this be?

All my Tax/NI/State pension is done online through my gateway account, anything that can't handle is done by phone via my Skype London phone number around $90/year). Nothing is done by post. (I did need to phone a couple of places to buy some extra years NI, and a free VPN to make my state pension claim online)

 

Banking/private pension, all done by phone using my Skype London phone number, I don't require a UK debit card. UK banking mainly handled by bank and Wise phone apps.

 

If they really must they can email me, or phone me on my Skype London phone number. Paper and post are things of the past.

Edited March 26, 2022 by BritManToo

[cleopatra2]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

State pension is specifically excluded from 'benefit fraud' by law.

Wrong to even think it's a benefit.

Benefits are given free to the poor and needy, benefits are means tested.

State pension is purchased with 20% of your wages, if you paid you're entitled.

UK state pension is in law a benefit as described in the relevant social security acts.

The state pension is exempt from the penalty of loss or reduced benefit.

The majority of persons would fall into claimant error and be issued with a civil penalty applied onto the overpayment . 

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

So do you!...

https://www.gov.uk/benefit-fraud

State pension is specifically excluded from 'benefit fraud' by law.

No, it is not "specifically excluded" from fraud allegations or charges, state pension payments are excluded from being stopped.   Fraudulent claims can have consequences.

[DaLa]

3 hours ago, cleopatra2 said:

No it is regarded as claiment error.

Subject to civil proceedings of a 50 gbp fine  ( failure to notify within reasonable fine) and reclaim  of overpayment.

I'm expecting the phone call any day.  It will go something like this:

 

'Mr Da La ...UK Gov representative here from DWP , we would like to talk to you regarding your state pension claim'

 

Me....a pencil up each nostril and 'Wibble'.

[Burma Bill]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

 Paper and post are things of the past.

Not for me, I still use my local Post Office. I do not own or use a smart phone because of medical disabilities with my fingers. I do use my computer for emails. What is SKYPE????

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

What is SKYPE????

Telephone system that lets you have a phone number in different countries/towns using a computer or smart phone. For $90/year I can appear to have a landline phone number in London.

[London Lowf]

11 hours ago, mikebell said:

When you move to Thailand, your pension is frozen at that sum.  I have lived here 15 years after my 65th birthday so I receive the weekly rate current in that year (- 2007?)

Okay - so that is the reason that you are receiving so little!

 

You had me (and others) confused for a while.

[London Lowf]

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

State pension is purchased with 20% of your wages, if you paid you're entitled

The State Pension is funded by National Insurance, not Income Tax.

 

The basic rate is 12%, but if you earn more than +/-£1,000 a week then the rate is only 2% on the excess.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, London Lowf said:

The State Pension is funded by National Insurance, not Income Tax.

The basic rate is 12%, but if you earn more than +/-£1,000 a week then the rate is only 2% on the excess.

The employer also pays 13.8% (unlimited) towards NI contributions.

Employers usually aren't charitable, so effectively that payment comes out of the employees 'potential' wage.

Edited March 26, 2022 by BritManToo

[London Lowf]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Employers usually aren't charitable, so effectively that payment comes out of the employees 'potential' wage.

True up to a point - and the employer's NI continues after the State Pension Age whereas the employees contributions stop, which seems a bit unfair. I was in that situation as I worked for an "extra" six months and it was fantastic - no NI and my mortgage was finished. It was tempting to do "just one more year" and then "just one more year" as so many people do, but the clock was winding down and so I quit while I could still enjoy it.

 

However, maybe you would argue that the office space rental, furniture, computer, etc. also "comes out of the employees 'potential' wage"?

 

Rhetorical question, just food for thought.

[DILLIGAD]

17 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it is not "specifically excluded" from fraud allegations or charges, state pension payments are excluded from being stopped.   Fraudulent claims can have consequences.

A fellow expat here had nearly all his State pension stopped to repay the 'excess' funds paid because he didn't tell them he lived in Thailand. He has since died, so I cannot ask him more details.

[mikebell]

On 3/26/2022 at 8:19 AM, BritManToo said:

Only if you're daft enough to tell them you've moved.

Or honest enough?  Are you still getting your cold weather money?

[jwest10]

On 3/25/2022 at 2:44 AM, London Lowf said:

Done ????

 

Although the article headline is rather sensationalist and implies that Thai expats are singled out. This has always been the case for emigrant pensioners unless it was to another EC country - not sure if that has now changed?

Done same same and nothing being done and frozen state pension issue ONLY AN ISSUE OF ONLY 75 YEARS AND THE SAME CIRCLE GETTING BIGGER.
Easy solution revoke Section 2 of Pensions Act 2014 but they won't the ever forgotten about 550k frozen state pensioners.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, DILLIGAD said:

20 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it is not "specifically excluded" from fraud allegations or charges, state pension payments are excluded from being stopped.   Fraudulent claims can have consequences.

A fellow expat here had nearly all his State pension stopped to repay the 'excess' funds paid because he didn't tell them he lived in Thailand. He has since died, so I cannot ask him more details.

Tell that to the government, if it's accurate, not me.  The content of that comment of mine was not my opinion, I was quoting the gov.uk interpretation of the law from it's website and that contradicts your friend's claim.   Regardless of that you're not expecting to elicit sympathy for a fraudster, surely?

 

 

[billd766]

23 hours ago, Whale said:

I see, I did not realise that. I agree.

But I retired in 2009 at age 65.

 

However it also depends on the date you retire. For example in 2022 if you reach retirement age on or before 5th April you get the rate set for the tax year 201/22. If you retire 06 April or later then you get the 2022/23 rate of pension as 06 April is the start of the new tax year.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Or honest enough?  Are you still getting your cold weather money?

My government has never been honest with me (or any other  Brit citizen), why should I be honest with them? 

 

Only a fool plays by rules made up by lying, thieving, two faced cheats and mass murdering war criminals

 

As for honesty, that went out the window (with the rest of my Abrahamic imposed morals) once I started using my Western financial superiority to leverage a much younger 3rd wold female into my bed. I'm a lowlife, same as all the other white guys in Thailand. Dishonesty is the least important part of my personal moral turpitude. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by BritManToo

[petermik]

4 hours ago, mikebell said:

 Are you still getting your cold weather money?

Yup....and very grateful for it.

Edited March 27, 2022 by petermik