Clegg says better off pensioners must give up benefits....

[Gromit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/

[ummmm]

I sort of agree with him. How rich do they have to be though?

[rockyracoon]

That's what I wonder, how rich is rich. My mum has a modest private pension but will not be much better off than someone getting pension top ups but she'll still have to pay full council tax, taking away some of the extra. I bet under Clegg, she'll loose out.

[youngmafbog]

Same old same old, work hard, be thrifty and we'll say thank you and grab it off you. spend the lot on fags, booze women and fast motors and when you have nothing left here you are have some of theirs. Foreigner with a zillion kids, of course come here have a £2m house (no one here can afford Clegs mansion tax now anyway) and have a bucket load of dosh for your brats. What's that India, no brass left after the space program for your poor? No problem have some of our thrify taxpayers cash, we'll just belled them for more. Oh, and lets have another hundred Quangos to work out how to spend this extra revenue.

And now they wonder why no one saves. Idiots the lot of them, Cameron and Boy George included.

And no, I'm no lefty. I was a life long card carrying Tory. But no more, they are unlikely to ever get my vote ever again.

[emmie]

what does he know the privileged twerp

[Old_Geezer]

If the rich want to forgo they can through choice to not claim, but the cost of applying & checking entitlement in order to deny those who have paid into the system benefits available to others, can be counterproductive both for those denied and those who are forced to endure the check in order to be labelled "needy". Seems easier to me, for society to accept some things are an entitlement, and not part of some safety net.

[emmie]

if you have contributed via taxes, NI, worked all your life, and have a little nest egg does that make you well off, no, it's what we all had been encouraged to do. Be self sufficient, now they want to punish people for it. Private pensions have been ransacked, so now they want to take the little that may be left, for heavens sake what planet are these people on.

[Brimoan]

How will they define well off?.
If somebody has £100,000 savings when they are 99 they may be classed as well off as they are most likely to have a short time to live.
At 60 they are not so well off.

[emmie]

if i had 100 grand i think i would find a better place to live than in Britain right now. They absolutely do not see what is wrong with their statements on punishing the rich, at what criteria are you rich.

[lady-janine]

surely if people have paid their taxes they are entitled to these benefits more than those who have never contributed. and have iention of contributing. how will they decide who is better off. this will cost even more money than gained.what sort of planet do these nimcompoops live on?

[emmie]

LJ, exactly ^

[youngmafbog]

Exactly what I am considering doing Em. Still have a few years to retirement but when I get there I would like to be able to put my feet up having worked 12 hrs a day 6-7 days a week for the past 25 years.

I dont think anyone would mind paying extra if everything had been done to cut costs. But it hasn't. Quangos still exist, we still have a blated civil service, we still pay billions to Europe (and get little back) we still pay a fortune for aid to other countries and we fund foreigners coming into the country (Even if they want to murder us all).

If Clegg thinks this will bring back his voters I strongly belive he is very deluded.

[emmie]

he is deluded, punishing the so called middle classes will not win you votes, it will get you kicked up the backside and out of office.

[invisiblelady]

Have to say I totally agree with everything youngmafbog has said.

[Brimoan]

Hi youngmafbog

You do not want to put your feet up. You want to go out running at 5am like me. I am a pensioner.

[lady-janine]

hear, hear, young. i don't qualify as rich by a big margin but have always paid taxes, etc., and am angry to think my hard won savings are to be given away to undeserving causes. sometimes wish i had been more profligate and had no savings and not bothered work so hard and not bothered to be independent.

[Brimoan]

Why don't we cancel Christmas?.
That will save money.

[Brimoan]

Why not stop paying pensions / allowances to people who have not worked or paid taxes?.
That would save money.

[ummmm]

They are entitled to it, no one can argue that.

My gramps are quite wealthy. He has an income (minus his war pension and normal pension) of £3k a month...he doesn't need his pension.

But...but...now he's paying £1,200 a week for their care...where do we draw the line??

[Brimoan]

Ummmm.

I am poor.
I only get £3,000 a month pension before tax.

[woofgang]

There's a cartoon but no article?