Rise In British Men Marrying Thai Brides Behind Foreign Pensions Increase, U K Govt Suggests

[webfact]

Rise in men marrying Thai brides 'behind foreign pensions increase'
By Tim Ross, Political Correspondent

LONDON: -- Men who move abroad to marry “Thai brides” they met online are adding to the cost of state pensions for foreigners who have never lived in Britain, government sources suggest.

The growth in internet romances may be partly behind the rise in foreign women who are receiving state pensions despite never paying tax in the UK, it was claimed.

A new law will be announced in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday intended to close the loophole and ensure that only those who contribute through the National Insurance system can receive a British state pension.

However, critics of the reforms raised concerns that some women who leave Britain with their husbands and have children abroad could be penalised as a result of the tighter rules.

Experts warned that the new arrangements would be a “bureaucratic nightmare” to enforce.

According to government figures, taxpayers are funding the pensions of some 220,000 people living outside the UK, half of whom are foreign citizens who have never set foot in Britain.

The pensions, which can be worth up to £3,500 a year and last until death, cost taxpayers £410 million a year.

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of pensioners overseas receiving a married person’s pension rose by 17 per cent.

A government source said the increase in internet match-making websites may be partly responsible.

Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10040205/Rise-in-men-marrying-Thai-brides-behind-foreign-pensions-increase.html

-- The Telegraph 2013-05-07

[overherebc]

Stop paying allowances to illegal immigrants and their extended families in UK and it will easily offset the cost of the rise in pension payments to people who paid tax and NI all their lives in the UK>

Rant over.

[Payboy]

Rise In British Men Marrying Thai Brides

How's a man supposed to get a rise these days?

[Hawkman]

Maybe, if a lot of UK women wern't so fussy at what is "boyfriend material" then men wouldn't need to look abroad.

Only slight joking of course. Men are just as bad.

[BrianCR]

I don't know how much they are paying out to others but I hope that it's more than the pittance I get after contributing all my working life - I want to live for at least another 100 years, why? only to get half of the money i paid in back LOL

[Eddy B]

This post is so full of crap. Next it will be blaming people who have paid pensions for living too long. If you have paid into a pension; then you are fully entitled to what you are owed regardless. Just a shame that the government now is full of rich hi-so dipshits that have no grasp of what it is like to live like a normal person. Stop letting immigrants in with no way to fund themselves, stop foriegn aid to countries that hate us and that will save the honest tax payer more than the money quoted in the above crap.

[animatic]

If a British citizen legitimately married a foreign in the officially recognized legal manner,

then how can they legitimately make her a second class wife?

That is what they want to do.

And what of a British National wife born in India or Hong Kong,

who has never set foot in England, never worked so never paid taxes?

Is she also now a second class British Subject?

[bobl]

£410 Million? Okay that's a lot of money. Now let's put it in perspective.

Pensions - £138 Billion. Out of a total of £684 billion.

So, 0.3% of the pension budget. 0.06% of the overall budget.

Yes, I'm sure clawing a fraction of that back will fix all their problems. Much more effective than not spending £12Bn on a computer system then scrapping it because it doesn't work. Or the £2.4Bn battlefield radios (that don't work) for the MOD. How about the £250M helicopters that can't fly at night (or in clouds). I'd sure like to see a breakdown of exactly how "policing" Julian Assange has cost the taxpayers £3M (so far). And these are 'tip of the iceberg' examples.

Edited May 7, 2013 by bobl

[BrianCR]

Maybe, if a lot of UK women wern't so fussy at what is "boyfriend material" then men wouldn't need to look abroad.

Only slight joking of course. Men are just as bad.

Could that also be construed as also saying if a lot of UK men were "girlfriend material" they could marry someone they could speak with? LOL

[BrianCR]

Eddy B, on 07 May 2013 - 14:21, said:

This post is so full of crap. Next it will be blaming people who have paid pensions for living too long. If you have paid into a pension; then you are fully entitled to what you are owed regardless. Just a shame that the government now is full of rich hi-so dipshits that have no grasp of what it is like to live like a normal person. Stop letting immigrants in with no way to fund themselves, stop foriegn aid to countries that hate us and that will save the honest tax payer more than the money quoted in the above crap.

They already have blamed us for living too long, that's why they are upping the age of retirement. It's about time MP's looked at what they are getting as a life pension even after serving only a 4 year stint!

[lee b]

why dont we stop paying money to countrys like nigeria then who hate the UK. Oh and stop paying for nigerians etc in the UK. Maybe we could save billions !!

[chainarong]

If a British citizen legitimately married a foreign in the officially recognized legal manner,

then how can they legitimately make her a second class wife?

That is what they want to do.

And what of a British National wife born in India or Hong Kong,

who has never set foot in England, never worked so never paid taxes?

Is she also now a second class British Subject?

Yes, not being from UK I can see your point, could turn into a nightmare, however the budjet has a big black hole in it in OZ ,so fella's expect the same from Wayne Swan or Tony Abbott

[kennedy]

I'm not a Brit, and it pissed me off! Especially the third comment down on the telegraph.

[jonnyscot]

This is called passing the buck for their xxxx up in earlier years,

also many Brits married to Philippino women and other Europeans too not only Thais

The uk govt made the mistake of opening its borders to allow unskilled eu workers into the country, these unskilled workers bring in their families and find that they are entitled to claim benefits because they are low earners,, whilst the majority of uk unemployed find that they are better off on benefits so stay there,,, now the purse strings are getting tighter,

I'm not one for claiming benefits whilst I'm still in employment and at this time don't need it, but those idiots running the country grind my teeth,

I just wonder exactly how much I've paid in NICs in my working life to date as I've been paying at the higher rate of NICs for 28 years,

the govt would have been better keeping out the unskilled eu workforce and instead should have better controlled payment of benefits to the unemployed and checks on their job seeking

[JoePai]

Did not know one could claim - how does you go about claiming for your (legal) wife when you retire ?

[Neilly]

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of pensioners overseas receiving a married person’s pension rose by 17 per cent.

Wonder how much of that 17% rise is down to couples bailing out of UK?

[dumpling]

Just another off topic finger pointing session from the UK government.They have been doing this for years. They blame one group and then another all to keep Joe public from focusing on the fact they are the reason the economy is in the tank.

Cut backs on benefits, inspection of those that receive state assistance which the majority have been paying into through high taxes all their working life.Although the propaganda would have us believing no one works anymore and just live from claiming welfare.

Where did the money go?

That is in an easy one. They (the government) have been robbing the country blind for years.They manipulate policy to favor those companies, banks, etc that they have an interest in.They prop up a corrupted system.

The British people (of which I am one) need to wake up to the rot that has set in before they all end up like Greece.

The topic of paying pensions to wives of Britons outside the country or of different ethnic/National backgrounds is a test case, if they can do it with one group they will do it to all.

Soon the country will have a welfare system that benefits no one apart from those at the top handling the money.

Enough already! its time people stood their ground and showed the British Government that they are there to serve the public not lord over them.

sorry rant over

[retell]

3500 per year , that's why all those brit expats live like kings in thailand

[darrendsd]

Personally I agree with it, a UK national living abroad should get a pension of course they should, however why should his wife regardless of country of origin get a pension also when she has never set foot in the UK?

I know a guy who was married to a Thai girl, they claimed and received her pension, they then split up but have not divorced, the reason they have not divorced is so that she can still claim her UK pension which they split between them.

[darrendsd]

3500 per year , that's why all those brit expats live like kings in thailand

That's what his wife will receive

A single UK pension at the moment is around 5-6k a year

[Locationthailand]

Work for it, run your own superannuation and pull it out as you need it. Social security crap is killing all the countries where they continue to hand it out. I tend to agree, the Brit by birth and receives a pension but if he marries offshore and the bride is not a Brit by definition nor lived in the UK, then simply no pension.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Locationthailand

[Riverman63]

It's done because its easier than making Amazon, Google, Vodaphone etc pay the billions they should be contributing in corporation tax. Makes good headlines in the xenophobic press when bashing foreigners too.

It's probably the right thing to do but a drop in the ocean of savings compared to the deals done that rip off the British taxpayer with the companies above

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[bangkapi]

why dont we stop paying money to countrys like nigeria then who hate the UK. Oh and stop paying for nigerians etc in the UK. Maybe we could save billions !!

Nigerians have oil.

[khunsiam]

If a British citizen legitimately married a foreign in the officially recognized legal manner,

then how can they legitimately make her a second class wife?

That is what they want to do.

And what of a British National wife born in India or Hong Kong,

who has never set foot in England, never worked so never paid taxes?

Is she also now a second class British Subject?

India and Hong Kong were colonies of the UK...is it the loads of gold that were shipped from India to the UK that make the difference?

[joorakee]

This is called passing the buck for their xxxx up in earlier years,

also many Brits married to Philippino women and other Europeans too not only Thais

The uk govt made the mistake of opening its borders to allow unskilled eu workers into the country, these unskilled workers bring in their families and find that they are entitled to claim benefits because they are low earners,, whilst the majority of uk unemployed find that they are better off on benefits so stay there,,, now the purse strings are getting tighter,

Let the less skilled workers earn decent money (not a measly £5 per hour!) and the problem will solve itself (at least partially). The lower the wages, the more people preferring to wangle social security benefits. Not that I'm defending my fellow countrymen, many of whom have emigrated to the UK since we joined the EU, but I can totally understand people who choose the latter having to choose between working their asses off for peanuts (washing dishes, cleaning toilets, etc.) or staying on jobseeker's allowance and the like.

[7by7]

Stop paying allowances to illegal immigrants and their extended families in UK and it will easily offset the cost of the rise in pension payments to people who paid tax and NI all their lives in the UK>

Rant over.

Sorry to spoil your rant, but illegal immigrants cannot claim any benefits in the UK.

Neither can legal ones, until they are no longer subject to immigration control; i.e. have ILR or the equivalent.

[yoshiwara]

Why should married pensioners have a better deal than single pensioners when they are dead?

Edited May 7, 2013 by yoshiwara

[Bluespunk]

Wow, lot of bile out there today.

[Chicken George]

I agree that my wife who has never lived in the UK should not get a pension. I just hope they willl still give me my state pension when I'am 66 and not deduct 30% or indeed anything because I live abtoad. The last labour givernment already let Equitable Life loose half of my pension fund! Bastards! I put in 50k over 29 years and only got back what I put in..