If everyone has paid in to the system and accumulated the amount of contributory years they should be entitled to the full pension. Surely that is a means test.I wouldn’t mind it, if it was more means tested
They have to though. Otherwise they lose the pensioner vote and not enough younger people vote to make up for it unfortunately.I won't be looking to Labour to follow suit.
I wouldn't dare gamble with that demographic, far too many of the ones I know are terrifyingly selfish. Very much pull the ladder up after themselves.The selfish pensioner vote maybe not the complete pensioner vote.
I guess the older you get the less liberal your views get in general and definitely the pensioner vote can be based financially rather than for the future I would guess. Generalisation I know but an important lobby all the same.I wouldn't dare gamble with that demographic, far too many of the ones I know are terrifyingly selfish. Very much pull the ladder up after themselves.
That's an eligibility test but it's not a means test. A means test assesses your resources against needs.If everyone has paid in to the system and accumulated the amount of contributory years they should be entitled to the full pension. Surely that is a means test.
Would cost a fortune to means test millions of people and then do it again every year.That's an eligibility test but it's not a means test. A means test assesses your resources against needs.
I am a pensioner; they will not lose my vote.They have to though. Otherwise they lose the pensioner vote and not enough younger people vote to make up for it unfortunately.
How would it? We already do this every year.Would cost a fortune to means test millions of people and then do it again every year.
Agreed. That's one of the reasons benefits like winter fuel payments, pensioner bus passes etc aren't means-tested.Would cost a fortune to means test millions of people and then do it again every year.
In what way are state pensions means tested?How would it? We already do this every year.
Depends on the 'means' we're testing. We do it for income, up to a point, via HMRC. We also do wealth assessments for social care but that would be very expensive to carry out on a broader scale.How would it? We already do this every year.
Not sure what you mean by pulling the ladder up after themselves with the triple lock? If we don’t increase the pension by this each year the pension will be smaller for each year it is not implemented. ( this is why the doctors are asking for 35% pay increase to take their pay back to where it should be in part.) therefor people who are 20 plus years of state pension age will receive a state pension much worse.I wouldn't dare gamble with that demographic, far too many of the ones I know are terrifyingly selfish. Very much pull the ladder up after themselves.
Income is assessed for tax purposes, including pension. That is not means testing. Means testing is assessing if you are entitled to a pension payment in the first place, not taxing it.Depends on the 'means' we're testing. We do it for income, up to a point, via HMRC. We also do wealth assessments for social care but that would be very expensive to carry out on a broader scale.
The pull up the ladder remark was just used to describe the general character of some, and I stress some, of the people in that demographic in terms of their selfishness.Not sure what you mean by pulling the ladder up after themselves with the triple lock? If we don’t increase the pension by this each year the pension will be smaller for each year it is not implemented. ( this is why the doctors are asking for 35% pay increase to take their pay back to where it should be in part.) therefor people who are 20 plus years of state pension age will receive a state pension much worse.
It’s a separate debate for the mean’s testing as I believe this should be implemented but would need to look at the long term impact on this as potentially someone could work to 55, blow their private pension by 67 and still be eligible for the state pension so might not give the desired effect.