UK pensions

[Flustered]

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

The no tax thing is only true if your UK income including your state pension is less than the tax free allowance that everybody gets.

 

If you were prudent enough to earn other pensions as I and many others did, then if the pensions are UK based you are taxed in exactly the same manner as anyone else in the UK who earns more than the tax threshold. I started paying income tax in the UK at my first job when I was aged 15 years and 2 months  and now at 72, 73 in May I am STILL paying income tax in the UK and most probably will until I die here in Thailand in many years time hopefully..

Almost exactly the same situation.

 

Paying in since the age of 16, several private pensions as well as the State one but I will be paying income tax in the UK until the day I die regardless of where my "residence" is. I accept this as all of my income that paid for my pensions was UK derived.

 

At the very least, we should be automatically entitled to the NHS if we have a problem and fly home and not jump through hoops to get it. I suppose the obvious answer is to turn up at immigration and demand asylum.

[nontabury]

18 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

Only those with tiny pension pots (less than say GBP 200,000) would sensibly have kept their pensions in the UK.  Others would do as I've done and transferred them offshore (QROPS).  Zero tax.  (Unfortunately, that opportunity has been closed in the last few days.)

What new regulations have they brought in over the last few days,regarding new QROPS ?

[Oxx]

29 minutes ago, nontabury said:

What new regulations have they brought in over the last few days,regarding new QROPS ?

Have a look at http://citywire.co.uk/new-model-adviser/news/budget-2017-hmrc-introduces-25-tax-charge-on-qrops-transfers/a999002

 

Really surprised you missed this.

[evadgib]

Latest from the Consortium:

 

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by evadgib

[rockingrobin]

16 hours ago, evadgib said:

Latest from the Consortium:

 

 

I think this is due 20th April 

 

https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmagenda/OP170418.pdf

( page 22)

[evadgib]

Received yesterday:

 

 Thank you for sending emails and letters to UK politicians. It is making a difference

 

I am delighted to report yet more progress on the political front this week.

 

Following Jeremy Corbyns announcement of Labours support last week, he has written to the government to formally request an opportunity for parliament to vote on the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze our pensions. 

 

You can read the article in the Daily Mail about Corbyn's support here.  Daily Mail story

 

 Corbyn also raised frozen pensions in his response to Theresa Mays Statement in the Commons on triggering Article 50, the highest profile of all parliamentary occasions.

 

The APPG have also had great success. Sir Roger Gale and Ian Blackford made a bid before the Backbench Business Committee, supported by a list of MPs from every party, including former Minister, Oliver Letwin. I am delighted to confirm that it was announced on Thursday that this bid was successful. There will now be a parliamentary debate on frozen pensions in the Commons on Thursday 20 April 2017. The motion will be:

 

STATE PENSIONS PAYABLE TO RECIPIENTS OUTSIDE OF THE UK

That this House notes the detrimental effect that the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2017 will have on the lives of many expatriate UK citizens living overseas with frozen pensions; and insists that the Government take the necessary steps to withdraw those Regulations.

 

We must collectively continue to educate and motivate MPs on this issue and to prepare the way for the debate and vote. It is very clear to our team in Westminster that your lobbying is having a significant impact. Dont worry about replies refusing to engage with you as a non-constituent, although these are disappointing the fact that your message has been seen is the important thing. I also suggest that you say upfront to the MP that this is a Parliamentary matter, not a constituency matter. 

 

Parliament has now risen for its two week Easter Recess, but our lobbying must continue as the vote is the third day after MPs return. Over the next two weeks I would therefore like to ask you to:

 

1. Ask your UK based family and friends to write to their MPs about the injustice of your frozen pension. They should be clear that they are constituents and provide their postal address to prove it. They should explain your situation and say they think it is wrong. They can ask their MP to sign EDM1097 (the motion to annul the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze your pension) and to speak in the debate on 20 April. These constituency emails are vital. MP email addresses are available at http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
2.  Write again to MPs in the UK. As many as you are able to. Ask them to support us in the debate on April 20, and to sign EDM1097 
3.  For those on Twitter, please tweet MPs to encourage them to stand up for frozen pensioners. More MPs manage their own Twitter accounts than public emails, and some will be bored over the Easter recess. This is therefore the best way to get to them! The ICBP (@pensionjustice) will be tweeting a series of infographics next week, so please retweet these to your followers and tag MPs you have a connection with. Please always use the hashtag #endfrozenpensions in your own tweets.

A list of all the MPs in parliament and their Twitter accounts is available at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmn-JU3LQ_vYaLKIj-Y50Zc1olITP-ygeVGP9YlPyjA/edit?usp=sharing.

 So much has been achieved over the last three weeks. If we keep the momentum up I am increasingly hopeful that we can prevail. So lets all keep working at it!

 

Best wishes,

 

Dave Morris

Chairman CABP

 

[evadgib]

 

Edited April 3, 2017 by evadgib

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, evadgib said:

Received yesterday:

 

 Thank you for sending emails and letters to UK politicians. It is making a difference

 

I am delighted to report yet more progress on the political front this week.

 

Following Jeremy Corbyns announcement of Labours support last week, he has written to the government to formally request an opportunity for parliament to vote on the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze our pensions. 

 

You can read the article in the Daily Mail about Corbyn's support here.  Daily Mail story

 

 Corbyn also raised frozen pensions in his response to Theresa Mays Statement in the Commons on triggering Article 50, the highest profile of all parliamentary occasions.

 

The APPG have also had great success. Sir Roger Gale and Ian Blackford made a bid before the Backbench Business Committee, supported by a list of MPs from every party, including former Minister, Oliver Letwin. I am delighted to confirm that it was announced on Thursday that this bid was successful. There will now be a parliamentary debate on frozen pensions in the Commons on Thursday 20 April 2017. The motion will be:

 

STATE PENSIONS PAYABLE TO RECIPIENTS OUTSIDE OF THE UK

That this House notes the detrimental effect that the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2017 will have on the lives of many expatriate UK citizens living overseas with frozen pensions; and insists that the Government take the necessary steps to withdraw those Regulations.

 

We must collectively continue to educate and motivate MPs on this issue and to prepare the way for the debate and vote. It is very clear to our team in Westminster that your lobbying is having a significant impact. Dont worry about replies refusing to engage with you as a non-constituent, although these are disappointing the fact that your message has been seen is the important thing. I also suggest that you say upfront to the MP that this is a Parliamentary matter, not a constituency matter. 

 

Parliament has now risen for its two week Easter Recess, but our lobbying must continue as the vote is the third day after MPs return. Over the next two weeks I would therefore like to ask you to:

 

1. Ask your UK based family and friends to write to their MPs about the injustice of your frozen pension. They should be clear that they are constituents and provide their postal address to prove it. They should explain your situation and say they think it is wrong. They can ask their MP to sign EDM1097 (the motion to annul the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze your pension) and to speak in the debate on 20 April. These constituency emails are vital. MP email addresses are available at http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
2.  Write again to MPs in the UK. As many as you are able to. Ask them to support us in the debate on April 20, and to sign EDM1097 
3.  For those on Twitter, please tweet MPs to encourage them to stand up for frozen pensioners. More MPs manage their own Twitter accounts than public emails, and some will be bored over the Easter recess. This is therefore the best way to get to them! The ICBP (@pensionjustice) will be tweeting a series of infographics next week, so please retweet these to your followers and tag MPs you have a connection with. Please always use the hashtag #endfrozenpensions in your own tweets.

A list of all the MPs in parliament and their Twitter accounts is available at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmn-JU3LQ_vYaLKIj-Y50Zc1olITP-ygeVGP9YlPyjA/edit?usp=sharing.

 So much has been achieved over the last three weeks. If we keep the momentum up I am increasingly hopeful that we can prevail. So lets all keep working at it!

 

Best wishes,

 

Dave Morris

Chairman CABP

 

About a year ago I wrote to Louise Haigh regarding EDM 767 which was about frozen pensions. I got a reply which effectively said that the Labour party did not agree with the discrimination but she herself could not get involved in EDMs. I cannot remember the reason and no longer have the email.

An interesting point regarding EDM 767, of the 28 MPs that supported the motion, 18 of them were SNP, the party that on here everyone loves to hate.

 

Although this is a move in the right direction, I am not holding my breath on a positive outcome for the near future. The debate is to held after the regulations come into force and getting it reversed is almost a non starter, just look towards next year.

[evadgib]

39 minutes ago, sandyf said:

About a year ago I wrote to Louise Haigh regarding EDM 767 which was about frozen pensions. I got a reply which effectively said that the Labour party did not agree with the discrimination but she herself could not get involved in EDMs. I cannot remember the reason and no longer have the email.

An interesting point regarding EDM 767, of the 28 MPs that supported the motion, 18 of them were SNP, the party that on here everyone loves to hate.

 

Although this is a move in the right direction, I am not holding my breath on a positive outcome for the near future. The debate is to held after the regulations come into force and getting it reversed is almost a non starter, just look towards next year.

My own MP's hid behind cabinet positions in order to avoid same.

 

I agree SNP have their uses re this particular issue 

[sandyf]

11 minutes ago, evadgib said:

My own MP's hid behind cabinet positions in order to avoid same.

 

I agree SNP have their uses re this particular issue 

It doesn't help when those with the loudest voice duck the issue. I regret not having kept her response as I could have compared it with what gets said in the debate.

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

I have written to the BBC at 09:53 today and conveyed the following request:

 

" EDM1097, the motion to annul the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze overseas state pensions,is scheduled for debate in parliament on the 20.04.2017.
This debate will be of huge importance and interest to those pensioners who have retired to commonwealth countries and many non EU countries such as Thailand. 
I would be grateful if you would consider it a broadcasting priority."

 

Might I suggest that other contributors to this thread make a similar request through the BBC website.

In addition to writing to MP's it's very important to try and raise the profile of this debate in the media.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Rajab Al Zarahni

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

If anyone forms the erroneous belief that the UK government can't afford to ufreeze the pensions of those retiring abroad then read this:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4377652/Foreign-aid-firms-rip-taxpayers.htm

 

Foreign Aid-definition: Poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries ! 

[Expattaff1308]

18 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

If anyone forms the erroneous belief that the UK government can't afford to ufreeze the pensions of those retiring abroad then read this:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4377652/Foreign-aid-firms-rip-taxpayers.htm

 

Foreign Aid-definition: Poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries ! 

For the costs involved they could pay the increase in frozen pensions from the Foreign Aid budget it would be a pittance compared to what they waste. As you rightly say..

."Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country and giving it to the rich people of a poor country.”

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

I have written to the BBC at 09:53 today and conveyed the following request:

 

" EDM1097, the motion to annul the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze overseas state pensions,is scheduled for debate in parliament on the 20.04.2017.
This debate will be of huge importance and interest to those pensioners who have retired to commonwealth countries and many non EU countries such as Thailand. 
I would be grateful if you would consider it a broadcasting priority."

 

Might I suggest that other contributors to this thread make a similar request through the BBC website.

In addition to writing to MP's it's very important to try and raise the profile of this debate in the media.

Certainly the debate is important but I do not see that if the regulations due to come into force on April 10th were annulled that anything would change, surely the up rating regulations currently in place would still be there. As far as I can see the new regulations only amend parameters surrounding core legislation.

Maybe I am missing something but I would have thought it was the original regulations regarding persons abroad that needs to be addressed.

Pensions for those living in the EU are not frozen due to a reciprocal agreement. There is a question mark over the agreement and brexit but personally I think it will remain in place, its not like its the only reciprocal agreement with the UK.

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

44 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Certainly the debate is important but I do not see that if the regulations due to come into force on April 10th were annulled that anything would change, surely the up rating regulations currently in place would still be there. As far as I can see the new regulations only amend parameters surrounding core legislation.

Maybe I am missing something but I would have thought it was the original regulations regarding persons abroad that needs to be addressed.

Pensions for those living in the EU are not frozen due to a reciprocal agreement. There is a question mark over the agreement and brexit but personally I think it will remain in place, its not like its the only reciprocal agreement with the UK.

Media coverage of the debate will raise the public awareness of the issue and the debate will hopefully concentrate the minds of MP's We can influence this process by encouraging the BBC, Sky and Al Jazeera etc to give it prominent coverage. The particular legal instrument that would effect any change is not important at this stage. What is going to take place is a parliamentary debate and we need to exploit it all we can in furtherance of our objective. 

[evadgib]

23 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

If anyone forms the erroneous belief that the UK government can't afford to ufreeze the pensions of those retiring abroad then read this:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4377652/Foreign-aid-firms-rip-taxpayers.htm

 

Foreign Aid-definition: Poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries ! 

This caught my eye yesterday but will likely be purged as off topic...

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dfid-in-the-news

 

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

I have written to SKY Broadcasting at 12:00 today and conveyed the following request:

 

" EDM1097, the motion to annul the Up-Rating Regulations that freeze overseas state pensions,is scheduled for debate in parliament on the 20.04.2017.
This debate will be of huge importance and interest to those pensioners who have retired to commonwealth countries and many non EU countries such as Thailand. 
I would be grateful if you would consider it a broadcasting priority."

 

Might I suggest that other contributors to this thread make a similar request through the SKY website.

In addition to writing to MP's it's very important to try and raise the profile of this debate in the media.

[evadgib]

Of interest to veterans:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/veterans-gateway

[NoshowJones]

On 3/29/2017 at 10:25 PM, nontabury said:

 Unfortunately what you say is very true. I have also noticed those comments in the UK media. 

 

"Many posters are blatantly hostile and jealous of ex pats retiring abroad and regularly assert that we don't pay any tax",

That's because they know that they will never be able to retire abroad as they spend most of their time sitting on barstools most of their working life, paying rent and not being able to afford to buy their own homes.

[evadgib]

@Rajab Al Zarahni

 

Sky, BBC & Telegraph contacted re EDM 1097 this afternoon.

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

Here is a link for checking the coverage of the frozen pensions debate on the BBC.

 

BBC Parliament does broadcast live coverage of the debates that take place within the House of Commons and I would recommend that you keep an eye on the network's schedule pages for details of when the debate is due to begin. You can find these pages at:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcparliament/programmes/schedules/2017/04/15

[nong38]

Uk pensioners at the moment have a triple lock increase in position whereby the recipient is to receive an increase of at least 2.5%.

If inflation is higher then that amount is paid, inflation as per Consumer prices index, which lower than the Retail prices index.

Airport Passenger Duty will rise by inflation each year, inflation measured by the Retail prices index. Interesting dont you think that when the Government is paying out it uses the lower form of inflation but when taking in it uses the higher form, dont tell anyone!

[dabhand]

Yet another frozen pension (with a splash of brexit) article in the mainstream UK media. Keep them coming. The usual mix of comments.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/apr/12/the-older-expats-facing-poverty-thanks-to-brexit-and-frozen-pensions

The fall in the pound’s value coupled with post-EU uncertainty and pension regulations has led to alarm over the plight of many older British expats

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

13 minutes ago, dabhand said:

Yet another frozen pension (with a splash of brexit) article in the mainstream UK media. Keep them coming. The usual mix of comments.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/apr/12/the-older-expats-facing-poverty-thanks-to-brexit-and-frozen-pensions

The fall in the pound’s value coupled with post-EU uncertainty and pension regulations has led to alarm over the plight of many older British expats

Read the comments to get a feel for how Guardian readers view our predicament.

[Eff1n2ret]

1 hour ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

Read the comments to get a feel for how Guardian readers view our predicament.

Yes, but they are of course far superior to us common expat oicks.  I wonder what they will find to read after the Grauniad goes bust.

[nong38]

You would almost get the idea that if our pensions were to be uprated then somehow it would be the "stay at home" UK pensioner would be paying for it and therefore adversely affect them as individuals! The out pouring of hate seems almost on a par with what Maggie had to put with and the silly people stupid people who voted for Brexit. It seems some people just have to have something to rail against.

Whenever anyone does a financial plan the further you look forward the more unreliable it is. All you can do is to do one of two things, use the figures that are in place today and multiply by the number of years of your choice or use the figures of today and guess what is going to happen over the years and that is exactly all you can do and hope that all the information you have is valid. I dont suppose that a lot of people moving abroad factored in a frozen pension because they in all likelyhood never knew it would happen until it was too late and I also guess that the majority of UK pensioners did not know that if they decided to move abroad that their pension would be frozen.

It would interesting to think for a moment about pensioners in the UK, what if their pensions were to be affected by their movement within the UK, say for instance someone from Surrey had their pension cut because they had moved to Nottingham or Liverpool how would they feel about that? It is cheaper to live in Liverpool or Nottingham you know, reasonable or not? Its a debate on the same lines.

[nontabury]

4 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

Read the comments to get a feel for how Guardian readers view our predicament.

 

Yes, it plainly comes across that many Remoaners are anti, at what they refer to us,as the baby boomers. Allthough we probably are to blame, for raising such a generation of selfish offsprings.

Edited April 12, 2017 by nontabury

[evadgib]

4 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

Read the comments to get a feel for how Guardian readers view our predicament.

"Give us back our 11 days!"

 

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Give-us-our-eleven-days/

[rockingrobin]

On 4/8/2017 at 10:15 AM, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

Here is a link for checking the coverage of the frozen pensions debate on the BBC.

 

BBC Parliament does broadcast live coverage of the debates that take place within the House of Commons and I would recommend that you keep an eye on the network's schedule pages for details of when the debate is due to begin. You can find these pages at:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcparliament/programmes/schedules/2017/04/15

With a GE almost a certainty for 8th June , does anybody know when parliament will be dissolved , will it be before or after this debate

[nong38]

With the news that there is to be a General Election in the UK ( if parliament agrees tomorrow ) the pound has risen, lets hope that it keeps going that way and eases our position somewhat, a Conservative win and it does at this early stage look likely could give it a further boost.