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Winter fuel tax for expats here.


Jonzjob
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[quote user="andyh4"]

 

If anyone genuinely believes this is about the UK saving money so that the next generation can benefit, I suggest you look at the total savings and see how many students with a say 60k debt this would cover.

[/quote]

Nope, I don't believe it will help future generations, either. But then I don't believe - and my lack of belief has once again been reinforced - that there can be more than a handful of pensioners around who give a monkey's about what will happen to the next generation, as long as they (the pensioners) can get every last cent they believe is due to them. Mind you, they belong to the generation that elected Thatcher, and their heyday was the "greed is good" era.

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[quote user="andyh4"]

[quote user="Russethouse"]When we have a situation that means that if you emigrate to Canada or Australia your pension s pegged at the rate in force on the day you leave then I really do think it should be possible to say that WFA is for UK residence only..... I know the argument " I paid in so I should get it" but so did people who moved to Australia and Canada in many cases.....[/quote]

 

No RH, the argument is that as a member of the EU, the UK has signed up to certain directives which ensure that its citizens living in other parts of the EU have to be treated exactly the same as a citizen in the same circumstances remaining in the UK.

 

Incidentally this is the same directive that ensures that Idun continues to receive a French pension (minus cotisations) and does not get a "Vous avez decidez a foudre le camp".  (sorry cannot put in the accents).

 

And before I am labelled a whingeing greedy pensioner  - I am not in receipt of a pension from the UK and unless there is an enormous change in the rules will never be eligible for WFA.

 

If anyone genuinely believes this is about the UK saving money so that the next generation can benefit, I suggest you look at the total savings and see how many students with a say 60k debt this would cover.

 

This is nothing more than pandering to the media to catch votes.

[/quote] I know the principal, however I don't think there is anything wrong in facing up to the fact that there is a 'cost' to some decisions and if the cost is losing certain benefits if a person chooses to move abroad then so be it......it was never designed to be a portable benefit and it w ill probably end with it having to be means tested. As for being selfish, well as has been said already my two children are still at home so we are certainly doing our bit to contribute to the next generation. And yes, I do worry about what the future has in store, but me being worse off won't help them. In fact on a personal level it would make it worse....
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[quote user="andyh4"]

If anyone genuinely believes this is about the UK saving money so that the next generation can benefit, I suggest you look at the total savings and see how many students with a say 60k debt this would cover.

[/quote]

I could not agree more with that comment.

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[quote user="idun"] know that our income could go down radically if we went back to the 1.64, we'd still get X amount of €'s every month and would have to live with it and not compare.

[/quote]

I think you have more chance of finding rocking horse manure outside your front door than the rate going back to 1.64. You would be lucky if it gets back to 1.20.

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 I wouldn't be lucky if it got back to 1.20. The higher that figure gets, the worse off we are.

And I do expect it to get worse for us, because exchange rates fluctuate and I've had a life time of them doing it and juggling our finances accordingly.

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[quote user="sweet 17"][quote user="Quillan"]

I think you have more chance of finding rocking horse manure outside your front door than the rate going back to 1.64. You would be lucky if it gets back to 1.20.

[/quote]

1.18 and heading upwards today.

[/quote]1.1768 just now according to the BBC
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[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="sweet 17"][quote user="Quillan"]

I think you have more chance of finding rocking horse manure outside your front door than the rate going back to 1.64. You would be lucky if it gets back to 1.20.

[/quote]

1.18 and heading upwards today.

[/quote]1.1768 just now according to the BBC[/quote]

Well if we're going to be pedantic at 18.35pm according to VFX it's 1.1820 [:P] [:P]

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So if I understand correctly, the WFA is available for over 60s still.  However the qualifying age for a woman to receive a pension is now above 60, so if WFA costs are really an issue, would it not be simpler and arguably more equitable to raise the qualifying age in line with the onset of qualification for the state pension for a woman?  This would, I risk to suggest, make far greater savings than the current lets bash the ex-pats strategy - and would not risk much of the potential saving being swallowed up in court proceedings up to the EU courts of justice, which the current suggestion will surely lead to.

 

What is currently proposed smacks strongly of retaliation at having lost the last judgement - as well as pandering to the media to win votes.

 

Ask yourself which would win votes - delaying the onset a benefit for all or bashing a few perceived to be rich as lords ex-pats living the high life in the winter sun.

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Yes, why not? I mean, these people have already lost the right to retire at 60, or indeed 65. Why not take yet another small thing away from them so that the already-retired expats don't miss out on yet another handout that they've damned well paid in for and should therefore get. Naturally, the 60-65's in the UK who are eligible won't have worked nearly as hard/long/blah blah as those who retired at 50 and left the country ASAP...

In terms of "winning votes", I don't know if you recall the backlash from the UK based members of the public to the hard-fought campaign on French healthcare, but it was largely "Well, if these people MUST go and live abroad, why should they expect the UK to look after them?" Yes, indeed, ask yourself which would win more votes...I reckon it's a no-brainer.

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Talking of that campaign I believe it was based on the idea that people who have been living in France for 5 years should have the same rights to join the CMU as French nationals.

I don't hear the those  voices pleading urgently to pay the same social contributions that French retired nationals do (About 7.5% of gross income), that is to have the responsibilities that goes with those rights.

In fact British pensioners pay nothing towards the part of health care reimbursed by the state although they receive the same care as a French person.

That tab is picked up by the British taxpayer.

I wonder if that penny has dropped in the minds of those looking to make cuts in the Budget?

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[quote user="andyh4"]

Well thank goodness for some common sense Colin.

I have to admit to being unsure but the official government site still uses 60 as the reference age - hence my assumption that there had been no change.

 

[/quote]

The change is, I suspect,being phased in. I know someone who turned 60 in the past year who has received the paperwork allowing them to apply.

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[quote user="woolybanana"]Hqng on Judith, why are you paying CSG on your UK pension. My understanding is that you dont have to.[/quote]

Wooly - an "it" slipped in  ... yes we pay CSG, but as far as I know, not on the pension part, but the new tax demand came last week, and makes it  not a bit clear about what is actually include in CSG etc etc.

And, since I was referring to figure I actually get the exchange rate never came into my argument.

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Just heard from a pal back on UK. Apparently they are changing the goalposts and he has been told he won't get it until he's 65 now.

Also the petition mentioned at beginning of this thread has now reached over 6,100 and apparently 10,000 signatures needed to prompt gov response, so getting there slowly but surely:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52121

 

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  • 1 year later...
According to the Gov.uk site You can still claim Winter Fuel Payment if you receive a State Pension and you live in another EEA country or Switzerland.

It looks like we may get it again this year although they were talking about changing the goalposts for 2014/15 payment. Does anyone know what is happening?

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Oh good - forgotten about that! It'll help pay for the Impots, lawyer, Mrs G's profliagate spending, etc, etc.

Its the last year, I think. We're now officially warmer ............ no, basking in Mediterranean heat all Winter through.

I think Spyder that its "Moving the goalposts", but heh .......
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[quote user="Gardian"]......... no, basking in Mediterranean heat all Winter through.

I think Spyder that its "Moving the goalposts", but heh .......[/quote]

Oh I don't know about that - It was as warm as Kingston, Jamaica here in 16 yesterday!

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