Frozen pension policy turns British expat's dream into a nightmare

[transam]

1 minute ago, VBF said:

And to complement both your comments, I mentioned above that the UK DWP and Passport Offices are both government departments. OF COURSE they exchange information even if it requires a warrant to do so. I believe @BritManToo is either very naïve, very ignorant or he's winding us all up intentionally.   I also believe he has me on "Ignore" so may or may not respond. 

Not the latter.....🤭

[sambum]

11 hours ago, theoldgit said:

https://britishpensions.com/are-you-receiving-a-uk-state-pension/

 

https://www.canzukinternational.com/2023/02/canadian-mp-urges-canada-uk-to-negotiate-end-of-frozen-pensions.html

 

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-02-19/debates/24021975000085/FrozenBritishPensions

 

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad/rates-of-state-pension

 

However, pensioners resident in the USA receive the annual increases

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, ridiculous isn't it when you can live on one side of the Niagara Falls and get the increments, and live on the other side and not get them! It's almost criminal 

 

 

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Until you renew passport then they can see where you have been living.

If they look at the old stamps!

How many extra staff would they need to look through old passports?

 

I don't think they do because they missed it last time I renewed, and it'll be another 9 years before I need a new one. Nearly 70 now, suspect I'll be dead before then.

[hunkidori]

I once knew a guy who was fiddling sickness benefit while staying long term in Thailand. He told me that when they pulled him in for questioning they knew exactly where he'd  been. The bit that stuck out for me was they said that on such-and-such a day you were stamped in and out of Cambodia. He had obviously done a border run that day and they knew.

 

Now, I'm not saying they trace all of us but I reckon if they want and have reason to then they can find out where you've  been

[sambum]

11 hours ago, jfeigel said:

 

...I don't know if that is the case with Canada...

It is - I have posted details from the British Government website

Edited April 27 by sambum

[transam]

1 minute ago, FruitPudding said:

 

How long do you have to be "back" before you can use the NHS for free like everyone else?

I know a couple that went back for life-saving stuff, no problem........🤗

But that doesn't mean it is no problem.

Just imagine the boat people turning up at a hozzy, I doubt they are told to bugger-off.......🤭

[transam]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

If they look at the old stamps!

How many extra staff would they need to look through old passports?

 

I don't think they do because they missed it last time I renewed, and it'll be another 9 years before I need a new one. Nearly 70 now, suspect I'll be dead before then.

Perhaps they had no instruction then, remember the "dots"........😂

[theblether]

One of my ( very ) close relatives is an HMRC tax investigator. I posted this years ago but now time for a reminder. The government has an internal system called ICE. My relative only needs to submit your national insurance number and it spits out reports. If he adds a last known address and ( god forbid ) a passport number, twenty-three government agencies spit out everything they know about you. 

 

First, I haven't read the whole thread - the Thai government has a report of every time you have entered the kingdom. Do not kid yourself that the British government does not have every single entry you have made to the UK in the last 20 years. Second, the UK government has access to every flight manifest for passengers of any nationality entering or leaving the UK. By the way, some of you will be unaware that the HMRC investigation period has been extended from the previous six years to twenty years now. 

 

Second - HMRC can demand every financial transaction linked to your UK account and the banks cannot deny access to the records. So every time you have used an ATM drawing from a UK bank in Thailand it's recorded and accessible by HMRC. Equally every bank transfer overseas is recorded but no one is that stupid that they don't know that. 

 

Third - DWP are part of the ICE system, that should be obvious to everyone too. 

 

Fourth - one that you likely don't know - council tax records are part of ICE so if you are declaring that you are resident in the UK to bypass the pension freeze it will take the DWP a press of a button to discover your registered address. Another press of the ICE button will uncover your banking records, flight manifests etc. 

 

You cannot defeat ICE. 

 

After the bad news, now the good news. HMRC etc are far too busy to be chasing up every pension claimant. The people that get caught usually have an unexpected change in circumstances ( such as the person who they are registered as living with dying ), or the housing association discovering that an "unknown" person is living in the accommodation, or the "registered person" coming to the attention of social work support due to illness. Otherwise, someone would need to grass you into the authorities. 

 

There have been absurd cases where, for example, people sublet their own council house and use the profit to live in Thailand, then the council catches them out. You must be beyond stupid thinking you'd get away with that. 

 

However - this OP is approaching trolling territory. Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? They are nowhere near being affected by the pension freeze. 

 

And this forum has been tortured for decades by people moaning about the pension freeze that knew before they retired it applied in Thailand.  An utter waste of time as the governments ( including Labour ) have no interest in increasing their pension burden for people who choose to live overseas. They are delighted you have made the move and saved them a fortune. 

 

So sad, too bad. 

 

 

[theoldgit]

11 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

How long do you have to be "back" before you can use the NHS for free like everyone else?

I don’t think there is a set time, but you might need to satisfy the NHS Trust that you’re resident in the UK.

 

You might need to prove that you live in the UK, property ownership or rental details, tax and/or DWP letters etc etc.

As l’ve said  NHS Trusts are required to carry out these checks for non emergency treatment, but whether they do so or not is another matter.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

[FruitPudding]

7 minutes ago, theblether said:

One of my ( very ) close relatives is an HMRC tax investigator. I posted this years ago but now time for a reminder. The government has an internal system called ICE. My relative only needs to submit your national insurance number and it spits out reports. If he adds a last known address and ( god forbid ) a passport number, twenty-three government agencies spit out everything they know about you. 

 

First, I haven't read the whole thread - the Thai government has a report of every time you have entered the kingdom. Do not kid yourself that the British government does not have every single entry you have made to the UK in the last 20 years. Second, the UK government has access to every flight manifest for passengers of any nationality entering or leaving the UK. By the way, some of you will be unaware that the HMRC investigation period has been extended from the previous six years to twenty years now. 

 

Second - HMRC can demand every financial transaction linked to your UK account and the banks cannot deny access to the records. So every time you have used an ATM drawing from a UK bank in Thailand it's recorded and accessible by HMRC. Equally every bank transfer overseas is recorded but no one is that stupid that they don't know that. 

 

Third - DWP are part of the ICE system, that should be obvious to everyone too. 

 

Fourth - one that you likely don't know - council tax records are part of ICE so if you are declaring that you are resident in the UK to bypass the pension freeze it will take the DWP a press of a button to discover your registered address. Another press of the ICE button will uncover your banking records, flight manifests etc. 

 

You cannot defeat ICE. 

 

After the bad news, now the good news. HMRC etc are far too busy to be chasing up every pension claimant. The people that get caught usually have an unexpected change in circumstances ( such as the person who they are registered as living with dying ), or the housing association discovering that an "unknown" person is living in the accommodation, or the "registered person" coming to the attention of social work support due to illness. Otherwise, someone would need to grass you into the authorities. 

 

There have been absurd cases where, for example, people sublet their own council house and use the profit to live in Thailand, then the council catches them out. You must be beyond stupid thinking you'd get away with that. 

 

However - this OP is approaching trolling territory. Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? They are nowhere near being affected by the pension freeze. 

 

And this forum has been tortured for decades by people moaning about the pension freeze that knew before they retired it applied in Thailand.  An utter waste of time as the governments ( including Labour ) have no interest in increasing their pension burden for people who choose to live overseas. They are delighted you have made the move and saved them a fortune. 

 

So sad, too bad. 

 

 

 

And to think, they probably thought prima nocta (i.e. wedding tax) was as bad as it could get.

 

 

Edited April 27 by FruitPudding

[VBF]

5 minutes ago, theblether said:

One of my ( very ) close relatives is an HMRC tax investigator. I posted this years ago but now time for a reminder. The government has an internal system called ICE. My relative only needs to submit your national insurance number and it spits out reports. If he adds a last known address and ( god forbid ) a passport number, twenty-three government agencies spit out everything they know about you. 

 

First, I haven't read the whole thread - the Thai government has a report of every time you have entered the kingdom. Do not kid yourself that the British government does not have every single entry you have made to the UK in the last 20 years. Second, the UK government has access to every flight manifest for passengers of any nationality entering or leaving the UK. By the way, some of you will be unaware that the HMRC investigation period has been extended from the previous six years to twenty years now. 

 

Second - HMRC can demand every financial transaction linked to your UK account and the banks cannot deny access to the records. So every time you have used an ATM drawing from a UK bank in Thailand it's recorded and accessible by HMRC. Equally every bank transfer overseas is recorded but no one is that stupid that they don't know that. 

 

Third - DWP are part of the ICE system, that should be obvious to everyone too. 

 

Fourth - one that you likely don't know - council tax records are part of ICE so if you are declaring that you are resident in the UK to bypass the pension freeze it will take the DWP a press of a button to discover your registered address. Another press of the ICE button will uncover your banking records, flight manifests etc. 

 

You cannot defeat ICE. 

 

After the bad news, now the good news. HMRC etc are far too busy to be chasing up every pension claimant. The people that get caught usually have an unexpected change in circumstances ( such as the person who they are registered as living with dying ), or the housing association discovering that an "unknown" person is living in the accommodation, or the "registered person" coming to the attention of social work support due to illness. Otherwise, someone would need to grass you into the authorities. 

 

There have been absurd cases where, for example, people sublet their own council house and use the profit to live in Thailand, then the council catches them out. You must be beyond stupid thinking you'd get away with that. 

 

However - this OP is approaching trolling territory. Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? They are nowhere near being affected by the pension freeze. 

 

And this forum has been tortured for decades by people moaning about the pension freeze that knew before they retired it applied in Thailand.  An utter waste of time as the governments ( including Labour ) have no interest in increasing their pension burden for people who choose to live overseas. They are delighted you have made the move and saved them a fortune. 

 

So sad, too bad. 

 

 

Well I gave you a 👍 for that because I think you're spot on and effectively agreeing with what I wrote above. I just didn't know it was called ICE.

One question: Why did you say   "...Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? "

I don't get that bit!

[theblether]

3 minutes ago, theblether said:

One of my ( very ) close relatives is an HMRC tax investigator. I posted this years ago but now time for a reminder. The government has an internal system called ICE. My relative only needs to submit your national insurance number and it spits out reports. If he adds a last known address and ( god forbid ) a passport number, twenty-three government agencies spit out everything they know about you. 

 

First, I haven't read the whole thread - the Thai government has a report of every time you have entered the kingdom. Do not kid yourself that the British government does not have every single entry you have made to the UK in the last 20 years. Second, the UK government has access to every flight manifest for passengers of any nationality entering or leaving the UK. By the way, some of you will be unaware that the HMRC investigation period has been extended from the previous six years to twenty years now. 

 

Second - HMRC can demand every financial transaction linked to your UK account and the banks cannot deny access to the records. So every time you have used an ATM drawing from a UK bank in Thailand it's recorded and accessible by HMRC. Equally every bank transfer overseas is recorded but no one is that stupid that they don't know that. 

 

Third - DWP are part of the ICE system, that should be obvious to everyone too. 

 

Fourth - one that you likely don't know - council tax records are part of ICE so if you are declaring that you are resident in the UK to bypass the pension freeze it will take the DWP a press of a button to discover your registered address. Another press of the ICE button will uncover your banking records, flight manifests etc. 

 

You cannot defeat ICE. 

 

After the bad news, now the good news. HMRC etc are far too busy to be chasing up every pension claimant. The people that get caught usually have an unexpected change in circumstances ( such as the person who they are registered as living with dying ), or the housing association discovering that an "unknown" person is living in the accommodation, or the "registered person" coming to the attention of social work support due to illness. Otherwise, someone would need to grass you into the authorities. 

 

There have been absurd cases where, for example, people sublet their own council house and use the profit to live in Thailand, then the council catches them out. You must be beyond stupid thinking you'd get away with that. 

 

However - this OP is approaching trolling territory. Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? They are nowhere near being affected by the pension freeze. 

 

And this forum has been tortured for decades by people moaning about the pension freeze that knew before they retired it applied in Thailand.  An utter waste of time as the governments ( including Labour ) have no interest in increasing their pension burden for people who choose to live overseas. They are delighted you have made the move and saved them a fortune. 

 

So sad, too bad. 

 

 

 

ps - I should add - some of you will remember a few years ago that the Thai government requested the UK government validated your income for retirement visa reasons. The UK government flat out refused, they weren't prepared to share that info with another country.

 

It would have been a catastrophe for many pensioners. First, for those who were cooking the figures to qualify - second, those who were claiming they were resident in the UK. So while some of you spend all day growling like bulldogs chewing a wasp, never forget how close you were to being dragged under the radar by Thai government policy. 

 

And who knows what the unintended consequences of the new tax policy will be.  

[MicroB]

11 minutes ago, transam said:

You just wasted a lot of time writing a load of nonsense...........🤣

 

No waste of my time, Burt Reynolds-wannabe.

[transam]

My aunt was married to an American, he worked for Hertz, I think, they worked all over the place. Then he landed a position in the UK, paid his taxes in the UK as well as UK NI for a number of years.

He retired, they moved back to the USA. To his surprise he had enough NI payments to get a % of the state pension, and he got the upgrades too, until he died.....

[theblether]

3 minutes ago, VBF said:

Well I gave you a 👍 for that because I think you're spot on and effectively agreeing with what I wrote above. I just didn't know it was called ICE.

One question: Why did you say   "...Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? "

I don't get that bit!

 

The OP mentions that age group - no one reading that OP cares about people that age. They know they are going to have their pension frozen. 

[VBF]

1 minute ago, theblether said:

 

The OP mentions that age group - no one reading that OP cares about people that age. They know they are going to have their pension frozen. 

I see  👍

[Chivas]

24 minutes ago, theblether said:

One of my ( very ) close relatives is an HMRC tax investigator. I posted this years ago but now time for a reminder. The government has an internal system called ICE. My relative only needs to submit your national insurance number and it spits out reports. If he adds a last known address and ( god forbid ) a passport number, twenty-three government agencies spit out everything they know about you. 

 

First, I haven't read the whole thread - the Thai government has a report of every time you have entered the kingdom. Do not kid yourself that the British government does not have every single entry you have made to the UK in the last 20 years. Second, the UK government has access to every flight manifest for passengers of any nationality entering or leaving the UK. By the way, some of you will be unaware that the HMRC investigation period has been extended from the previous six years to twenty years now. 

 

Second - HMRC can demand every financial transaction linked to your UK account and the banks cannot deny access to the records. So every time you have used an ATM drawing from a UK bank in Thailand it's recorded and accessible by HMRC. Equally every bank transfer overseas is recorded but no one is that stupid that they don't know that. 

 

Third - DWP are part of the ICE system, that should be obvious to everyone too. 

 

Fourth - one that you likely don't know - council tax records are part of ICE so if you are declaring that you are resident in the UK to bypass the pension freeze it will take the DWP a press of a button to discover your registered address. Another press of the ICE button will uncover your banking records, flight manifests etc. 

 

You cannot defeat ICE. 

 

After the bad news, now the good news. HMRC etc are far too busy to be chasing up every pension claimant. The people that get caught usually have an unexpected change in circumstances ( such as the person who they are registered as living with dying ), or the housing association discovering that an "unknown" person is living in the accommodation, or the "registered person" coming to the attention of social work support due to illness. Otherwise, someone would need to grass you into the authorities. 

 

There have been absurd cases where, for example, people sublet their own council house and use the profit to live in Thailand, then the council catches them out. You must be beyond stupid thinking you'd get away with that. 

 

However - this OP is approaching trolling territory. Mentioning the 55 year old and 61 year old is another absurdity. Who cares? They are nowhere near being affected by the pension freeze. 

 

And this forum has been tortured for decades by people moaning about the pension freeze that knew before they retired it applied in Thailand.  An utter waste of time as the governments ( including Labour ) have no interest in increasing their pension burden for people who choose to live overseas. They are delighted you have made the move and saved them a fortune. 

 

So sad, too bad. 

 

 

 

Post of the thread and hopefully a few heads have been finally wobbled as reagrds their own naivety

[sambum]

11 hours ago, new2here said:

I have empathy for those hit with this.. but.. (as a non-UK national) it SEEMS like this issues was known in advance .. and if so, then I have to acknowledge this fact (ie it was known to people in advance) and that’s something quite different as opposed to say the government instituting a brand NEW rule that adversely impacted retirees.. 

 

In a "caring society", which the UK seems to be judging on the number of immigrants it opens its doors to, one would expect it to treat all of its own citizens and  pensioners fairly, and in the same way.

 

Obviously they are NOT, and we can be forgiven for not wanting to live in a country that puts the lives and wellbeing of immigrants above that of its own citizens.

 

And quite possibly (and I know the facts should have been checked beforehand) a lot of the expats hit by this anomaly didn't know about it. After all, one would expect if you'd paid youur dues all your working life, it would be reasonable to expect that any benefits due to you in old age would be paid to you wherever you choose to live - would you not?

 

I get a company pension in addition to my State pension, and that is increased every year  in line with inflation, (minimum) and they don't specify where I have to live in order to get the increases, so why should the Government? And to the people who say "Ah, but you're not paying Income Tax in the UK (which was one of the reasons for the "knockback" a few years ago when the case was taken to the European Court of Human Rights ((I believe), I DO pay tax in the UK as my gross income from the 2 pensions is more than the Personal Allowances threshold, so my company pension is taxed!!!

Edited April 27 by sambum

[MicroB]

6 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

"There isn't the money to pay for overseas pensioners". Really!! There seems to be enough to pay for all these immigrants, legal and illegal, MP's "expenses" etc,etc,etc.

 

Then move back to the UK. Then you will get your pension. All 500,000 of you. Test the system. The system was built on the assumption, essentially, of the £10 Pom. That a substantial portion of British workers would leave the UK for elsewhere, effectively subsidising the home market.

 

The UK government claims illegal immigration costs $3 billion. Other sources dispute that, with some evidence.

 

Parliamentary expenses are £140 million

 

The cost of treating smoking related disease to the NHS is about $3 billion. Scrap treatment of a self inflicted illness, and you have your savings to boost pensions. Being humane, the government will offer free morphine to those with lung disease to help them on their way.

 

This is the natural absurdity when you conflate the DWP budget with other budgets. There isn't a pool of money to dip into. There is only HMG's ability to borrow money. So they would have to borrow more money, to spend on mostly well to do pensioners living in sunny climes. Or borrow the same money, , and ebut redistribute the moneys differently. So your example of illegal immigration; the natural conclusion is for the Home Office to scrap its illegal immigration budget, which would include getting rid of the UK Border Force (we never had it before), cutting back on Royal Navy patrols,  having a policy of non-intervention of foreign beggers on the streets of the UK, and stopping intervention in the black market sweat shops, as it costs too much. Therefore the cost of illegal immigration goes away.

 

And the quote was from 1994, if you bothered to look at it. Maybe there is something about government finances that you know that has radically changed. If so, please share, rather than keeping it to yourself.

Willian Hague in July 1994 said:

 

Quote

 

The principal difficulty in extending the payment of pension upratings abroad is the cost, as my hon. Friend anticipated. This year, the Government will spend some £800 million on pension payments to beneficiaries who live outside the United Kingdom. I know that my hon. Friend is only too well aware of the huge size of the social security budget and the need to ensure that it is sustainable and affordable in the future.

 

If all pensioners overseas were to be paid at the same level as pensioners in this country, that figure of £800 million would rise to about £1,030 million—an increase of nearly 30 per cent. or £230 million. That figure is no longer an estimate, in that it is based on the actual count of 85 per cent. of the pensioners overseas and what their entitlements would be. It is a huge amount of money and would have to be found from the existing social security budget paid to people who are resident in this country. The House knows that there are many worthwhile claims on that budget; we cannot meet them all at once.

 

The only circumstances in which overseas pensions are not frozen are where the pensioner is in the European Economic Area or where we have a reciprocal agreement with another country which provides specifically for upratings. We have some 30 such agreements, including those with member states of the European Economic Area, although most of the latter were in existence before our accession to the European Community. The costs of making any further agreements are a very important consideration, as I am sure my hon. Friend will recognise.

 

 

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Andycoops said:

Complete <deleted>.

 

I pay income tax on my pensions because my combined income means they they are over the 12570 GBP allowed tax free.

So in fact I pay for UK services I never use and haven't in nearly 16 years but can't have any increase to my 40 years of NI contributions to my state pension.

 

Get the facts right.

 

If your income is over the minimum for tax and your income arises in the UK you will be paying income tax, regardless of where you live.

Get what facts right? I agree with you, but I would be trying to find a way around paying so much tax, It's ridiculous.

[Chivas]

Out of interest I had reason to ask lets say our delightful Police force how they "knew" I had been on a flight arriving from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow when I had reception committee lol at the airport some years ago

 

Bantering in the car back to Heathrow Central Station the Police (on this occasion is was a minor issue quickly sorted) guy said 2 things happen when arrest warrants are put in place.

1) Whats the registered Home address (obviously) but 2) before they go there does the person have a passport and "is it in use" currently

 

Once point 2 is established as a yes a marker is put on the passport and as soon as you check in a red flag is waved and our wonderful Police organise a reception on the plane lol

 

Not my finest hour on Etihad lol

Edited April 27 by Chivas

[Ajarnbrian]

UK state pension amount first depends on number of ‘contribution years’, 35 years needed (for those reaching pension age since 2016). Your pension should be increased yearly to allow for cost of living increases. But it has long been frozen if you’re not living in the UK or EU countries, or - wait for it - US, Philippines, Israel or Turkey. Yes, Philippines fine for getting your annual increase but not Thailand. Go figure.

[thaivisareader]

 hope they're not also taxed on those state pensions brought into the country by Thailand next year

[VBF]

3 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

2 hours ago, Andycoops said:

Complete <deleted>.

 

I pay income tax on my pensions because my combined income means they they are over the 12570 GBP allowed tax free.

So in fact I pay for UK services I never use and haven't in nearly 16 years but can't have any increase to my 40 years of NI contributions to my state pension.

 

Get the facts right.

 

If your income is over the minimum for tax and your income arises in the UK you will be paying income tax, regardless of where you live.

Get what facts right? I agree with you, but I would be trying to find a way around paying so much tax, It's ridiculous.

There are many ways to legally avoid paying the tax in UK (ISAs EIS, VCT come to mind) but some of it just isn't legally avoidable.

One assumes that @Andycoops has explored those devices and is still a taxpayer, as am I!

[BumGun]

17 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

, but if does highlight the unfairness of policy

I've always assumed the policy has nothing to do with perceptions of fairness. if you're living in the UK you're spending in the UK, if you're living in Thailand you're spending in Thailand and that's why they don't want you to do. Regardless, those in the OP have choices; go back to ol' blighty, go somewhere else like The Philippines,  endure ,or endure and complain 🙂

 

The immigrant/refugee blaming in here is depressing, it's the very wealthy that have corrupted the system not refugees or immigrants, they're typically the ones emptying the bedpans at the hospitals and picking the fruit and veg.

 

As David Cameron pointed out, when he was PM he could return illegal refugees to France but then the UK decided to leave the EU and that option was no longer possible .  Many are there legally and everyone is entitled to show up and ask for refuge and have their case looked at.  Ukraine. Afghan, & Syrian War refugees aren't there for the hell of it. 

Tax is not paid as a savings scheme you can later draw down on and as the original article states the pension system has been this way for 70 years.

[transam]

1 minute ago, Ajarnbrian said:

UK state pension amount first depends on number of ‘contribution years’, 35 years needed (for those reaching pension age since 2016). Your pension should be increased yearly to allow for cost of living increases. But it has long been frozen if you’re not living in the UK or EU countries, or - wait for it - US, Philippines, Israel or Turkey. Yes, Philippines fine for getting your annual increase but not Thailand. Go figure.

They have an agreement with the UK, that is what it is all about. They are saying you cannot go to a country that hasn't got this agreement and get rises.

 

Which beggars the question for many, including me, "Why".... 

 

 

 

[transam]

5 minutes ago, BumGun said:

I've always assumed the policy has nothing to do with perceptions of fairness. if you're living in the UK you're spending in the UK, if you're living in Thailand you're spending in Thailand and that's why they don't want you to do. Regardless, those in the OP have choices; go back to ol' blighty, go somewhere else like The Philippines,  endure ,or endure and complain 🙂

 

The immigrant/refugee blaming in here is depressing, it's the very wealthy that have corrupted the system not refugees or immigrants, they're typically the ones emptying the bedpans at the hospitals and picking the fruit and veg.

 

As David Cameron pointed out, when he was PM he could return illegal refugees to France but then the UK decided to leave the EU and that option was no longer possible .  Many are there legally and everyone is entitled to show up and ask for refuge and have their case looked at.  Ukraine. Afghan, & Syrian War refugees aren't there for the hell of it. 

Tax is not paid as a savings scheme you can later draw down on and as the original article states the pension system has been this way for 70 years.

We can live in many countries other than the UK and spend our pension money there, the rest is also bumgun.............😋

[delgarcon]

1 hour ago, FruitPudding said:

 

You think it's fair that expats who have 'paid in' don't get the full pension??

No its not and regardless of what the numpties believe, I'll carry on getting my full pension my way😉

[Pouatchee]

1 hour ago, sambum said:

From the British Government website:-

 

Your State Pension will only increase each year if you live in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Gibraltar
• Switzerland
• countries that have a social security agreement with the UK (but you cannot get increases in Canada or New Zealand)

 

I am canadian and I was quoting someone who said that canadian pensions, just as uk pensions, dont increase if you live abroad as in thailand...

[ukrules]

On 4/26/2024 at 6:48 PM, Ralf001 said:

 

Wow ok 24yrs ago.

 

Sounds like piss poor planning from those whinging about it now !

 

Labour government in charge then, Tony Blair and his mob.