End of Pensioner "Perks"

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pete75
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by pete75 »

thirdcrank wrote:
IMO, The simple fact that the BBC continues to be financed by an almost universal flat-rate household tax, whether or not they ever watch the BBC is indefensible, except that change would be a pain for the BBC. Gordo simply delayed the inevitable change by having the government paying for all those telly licences.


At least you can avoid paying for the BBC by not having a TV. Advert funded TV is paid for by everyone buying the advertised products whether they have a TV or not.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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Mick F
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Mick F »

pete75 wrote:Image
Not correct.

Mrs Mick F is a Waspi.
She has to be 66 to get her OAP and no-one told us that the rules had changed so much.
She's 63, and for all our life together - married 46 years this year - she was going to get her OAP at 60.

Under the rules, when I turned 65 and she was over 60, we should have had a married couple's OAP. She should have had 60odd percent of my pension.

Then, they changed the rules, and each person had to have their own pension, married or not, but she should have had her's at 60. They then changed it again, and she had to be 65. Ok - equality and all that.

They never told us/her that she now has to be 66. :shock:
Shocked, we were! :shock:
Mick F. Cornwall
thirdcrank
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by thirdcrank »

Mick F wrote:
pete75 wrote:Image
Not correct.

Mrs Mick F is a Waspi.
She has to be 66 to get her OAP and no-one told us that the rules had changed so much.
She's 63, and for all our life together - married 46 years this year - she was going to get her OAP at 60.

Under the rules, when I turned 65 and she was over 60, we should have had a married couple's OAP. She should have had 60odd percent of my pension.

Then, they changed the rules, and each person had to have their own pension, married or not, but she should have had her's at 60. They then changed it again, and she had to be 65. Ok - equality and all that.

They never told us/her that she now has to be 66. :shock:
Shocked, we were! :shock:


Perhaps a good case for watching the telly, reading a paper and relying less on chat in the boozer?
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Mick F
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Mick F »

Check out Waspi.

Women Against State Pension Age Inequality.
https://www.waspi.co.uk

No-one is complaining about the changes at all.

The way it was done and how quickly it was done and how there was no notice about it for the ladies born in the mid 1950s is the issue.
Mick F. Cornwall
philvantwo
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by philvantwo »

Never mind Mick F, you've got your state pension and your navy pension!!
pete75
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by pete75 »

Mick F wrote:
pete75 wrote:Image
Not correct.

Mrs Mick F is a Waspi.
She has to be 66 to get her OAP and no-one told us that the rules had changed so much.
She's 63, and for all our life together - married 46 years this year - she was going to get her OAP at 60.

Under the rules, when I turned 65 and she was over 60, we should have had a married couple's OAP. She should have had 60odd percent of my pension.

Then, they changed the rules, and each person had to have their own pension, married or not, but she should have had her's at 60. They then changed it again, and she had to be 65. Ok - equality and all that.

They never told us/her that she now has to be 66. :shock:
Shocked, we were! :shock:

My wife is now 62. I can remember her telling me when Ken Clarke was chancellor in the mid nineties that her state pension age would be 65 so obviously the information was about back then.
She thought if she did want to retire at 60 she'd have to put a lot into her private pension. She's self employed with a small business so her pension is entirely her own responsibility. The only thing is when she reached 60 she didn't want to retire is carrying on with her practice. Can't put anything else into the pension though because she's reached the lifetime limit.

BTW that chart is correct - as I said it was produced in 2010 so you need to add 9 years on to all the ages.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
pete75
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by pete75 »

Mick F wrote:Check out Waspi.

Women Against State Pension Age Inequality.
https://www.waspi.co.uk

No-one is complaining about the changes at all.

The way it was done and how quickly it was done and how there was no notice about it for the ladies born in the mid 1950s is the issue.


As I said it was announced when Ken Clarke was chancellor getting on for 25 years ago - how much notice did they want?
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Spinners
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Spinners »

pete75 wrote:
Spinners wrote:
pete75 wrote:Why should a 75 year old pensioner get a free TV licence and not a 70 year old on the same income?


Totally agree. That's why I'm all for scrapping it totally.

I'd also preserve the free bus pass but only for people who reach their state retirement (67 for me). Most 60-year olds are still working and don't really need it.


It's not issued at 60...



It is in Wales. I hadn't realised it varied within our (dis) United Kingdom.
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pete75
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by pete75 »

Spinners wrote:
pete75 wrote:
Spinners wrote:
Totally agree. That's why I'm all for scrapping it totally.

I'd also preserve the free bus pass but only for people who reach their state retirement (67 for me). Most 60-year olds are still working and don't really need it.


It's not issued at 60...



It is in Wales. I hadn't realised it varied within our (dis) United Kingdom.


There are other anomalies as well. Bus passes issued by some local authorities can only be used after 9:30 am and by others at any time of day.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Oldjohnw
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Oldjohnw »

Spinners wrote:
pete75 wrote:
Spinners wrote:
Totally agree. That's why I'm all for scrapping it totally.

I'd also preserve the free bus pass but only for people who reach their state retirement (67 for me). Most 60-year olds are still working and don't really need it.


It's not issued at 60...



It is in Wales. I hadn't realised it varied within our (dis) United Kingdom.


Scotland has it at 60 and it includes national travel and some train travel. Those of us just south of the border get free travel to the border then pay for the rest of the journey. One exception is the Berwick to Galashiels route although we can't break a journey.
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thirdcrank
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by thirdcrank »

I fancy that bus passes are one thing among many where the admin costs more than it would to give them away. I was lucky, as in old enough, to get mine aged 60. In those days it meant a trip to the post office with 94 different forms of ID, two independent witnesses, an album of photos and then being treated as a suspected terrorist/ drug dealer/ paedophile by a Mrs Raven tribute act.

After all that, they got one of the numbers on the huge date stamp upside down so it only lasted a couple of years instead of the usual five. During that time Leeds City Council had taken it in-house so on renewal, it meant sending the stuff in. In a giant leap into the electronic age, they started an online renewal service. Naturally, that involved creating a password strong enough to withstand hacking by the Kremlin and supplying the memorable answers to a boatload of questions: When did you last see your father?

Come the next renewal, they had introduced an entirely new digital system needing the creation of another account and an electronically submitted photo which was scanned for compliance by their system. eg no specs, even though any OAP getting on a bus is likely to be wearing them and not going to be thrilled to be ordered to remove them as a condition of travel.

NB The functionaries who dream up this nonsense forget that reducing traffic is a GOOD THING and pensioners continuing to drive beyond their sell-by date is a BAD THING.
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Mick F
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Mick F »

pete75 wrote:As I said it was announced when Ken Clarke was chancellor getting on for 25 years ago - how much notice did they want?
No-one is complaining about the equality of the pension ages. No-one is complaining about women having to wait until they were 65 .............. but now it's 66.
No-one is complaining about that.

The complaint is that the change from 60 then 65 then 66 was very quick and the change from 65 to 66 was done with little notice and none of the affected women were contacted about it at all. It came as a complete surprise to many thousands of women.

It has left some women very much out of pocket and had already retired or were planning to retire. Mrs Mick F and me are fine. Long marriage, stable household and finances ................ but some women are up in arms about it and Waspi have going to the high court taking the government to task.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Vorpal »

IMO, public transport should be free or minimal fee for everyone, not just pensioners (but maybe that's another topic :wink: )
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Mick F
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Mick F »

I agree about fares on public transport, but I'd happily pay if they put on more busses.
Last bus to town is 5ish PM and if you went in on it, there's none to bring you home again.

Taxi companies make loadsa dosh because of the lack of public transport, not least of which the only bus route doesn't go to where people live. There is a route in and out of one or two villages, but not all by any means.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Paulatic
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Re: End of Pensioner "Perks"

Post by Paulatic »

pete75 wrote:
Mick F wrote:Check out Waspi.

Women Against State Pension Age Inequality.
https://www.waspi.co.uk

No-one is complaining about the changes at all.

The way it was done and how quickly it was done and how there was no notice about it for the ladies born in the mid 1950s is the issue.


As I said it was announced when Ken Clarke was chancellor getting on for 25 years ago - how much notice did they want?


Did Ken state exactly how it was going to be phased in 25yrs ago?
In the case of my WASPI wife they moved the goal post at least three times for her birth date 01-05-54.
I can’t remember the exact details but it went something like retirement age from 60 to 63 then 65 then 67 then final letter stating this will be it 65 and 6 mths. With very few years to go we certainly weren’t in any position to alter lifelong retirement plans to our advantage. We’ve got by on one pension so much so I haven't paid tax for 5 yrs. Don’t know what we’ll do with our new found wealth in November but We certainly won’t forget this age group was singled out for punishment due to government shortfalls and mismanagement. It must have cost us 40K
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