Let's Get Political!

[Audrey]

Who, or what would you cut instead then? Easy to say there are choices, harder to say what they are.

But, surely, nobody would expect Labour to choose pensioners to bear the brunt.

I don’t think that even the Tories would have done that.

Hope everyone is braced for further cuts in services plus tax increases in October.

[Legends-Lounge]

But, surely, nobody would expect Labour to choose pensioners to bear the brunt.

I don’t think that even the Tories would have done that.

Hope everyone is braced for further cuts in services plus tax increases in October.

5 years of un opposed dictatorship. What could possibly go wrong?

[4D]

Should they axe child benefit too? 

[Bogus Dave]

Economy’s fucked. Maybe the wealthiest demographic, a demographic which has generally voted for parties and politics which have fucked this economy, should pay their share to try and re-balance things?

[Nemo]

But, surely, nobody would expect Labour to choose pensioners to bear the brunt.

I don’t think that even the Tories would have done that.

Hope everyone is braced for further cuts in services plus tax increases in October.

Well, the defence from Labour would be that the poorest pensioners are being protected as it will still be paid to those on pension credit. At the top end, some pensioners are very well off: now of course there are also plenty in between the very poorest and the very richest on whom this will disproportionately fall (and some eligible pensioners don't claim pension credit). But at the same time, the triple lock has protected pensioners from the worst of inflation over the last 12-18 months which has fallen almost entirely on working people for whom no such protections exist.

You're absolutely right that further cuts and tax increases are coming - the country has a fundamental problem that it's spending more money than it's taking in. Any party in charge would have to cut services or investment, raise taxes or a combination of both - there's basically no way round that bar further borrowing. The only decisions really for any party in government at the moment is who bears the brunt.

[Audrey]

Exactly. But that’s my point. Who would have thought Labour would choose pensioners. Don’t forget, millions of pensioners have now been dragged into paying income tax because of the freeze of personal allowances - another kick in the bollocks.

If they want to swerve ‘rich’ pensioners from getting the fuel allowance, then means test them.

[Jimmy Quinn]

Can’t the government cut back on the 13 billion it spends on foreign aid🤔

[Audrey]

We still give money to India, FFS. And they’ve got their own space programme!

And we’re forking out £4bn to house asylum seekers. How is that ever going to end?

[fuzzy]

For a country that needs to raise money to pay for vital services, too many politicians are bottling it and pledging tax cuts.

What is wrong with a penny in the pound increase in income tax for those that are comfortable.

I'm not rich but an extra 1% on my tax isn't going to make me poor.

How about another bracket between the 20% and 40%  so that those on £35k a year for example, pay that extra 1% on their higher earnings?

If we want good public services, they have to be paid for somehow.

[Legends-Lounge]

There are many factors to the pensioner argument vis a vis their incomes and where is comes from. Nemos point about the triple lock 12-18 months protecting against the worst of the recent inflationary spike. Really? Even if it were stretched to 2-3 years 5,6,7,8% of fuck all is still, fuck all. Before the financial crash, conveniently blamed on the banking industry meant that those with savings and who relied on the interest to help subsidise their state pensions and any residual company pensions saw that income vanish for approximately 15 years and inflationary pension increases were again less than fuck all.

As Audrey says the freeze on personal allowances exacerbates the situation. I agree with Nemo regarding means testing but that creates red tape and can be gotten around to a degree. I am astounded that Labour have gone for pensioners.

Just goes to show Labour are the real ‘nasty’ party and things are about to get even nastier. Still perversely it gives me at least 5 years, likely 10 years to inwardly gloat because as sure as eggs are eggs they’ll fuck it up eventually. The problem is how deep is the shit likely to be then?

[Nemo]

What is wrong with a penny in the pound increase in income tax for those that are comfortable.

I'm not rich but an extra 1% on my tax isn't going to make me poor.

How about another bracket between the 20% and 40%  so that those on £35k a year for example, pay that extra 1% on their higher earnings?

If we want good public services, they have to be paid for somehow.

So I can chime in from experience on this - I live in Scotland, where there is an extra 2p in the pound on the higher rates of tax (42% instead of 40%, 47% instead of 45%) and 1% less on the first £3k or so at basic rate (19% instead of 20%).

(Detail: https://www.gov.uk/scottish-income-tax/2023-to-2024-tax-year)

I wouldn't say I don't notice it, but I haven't fled to Monaco either. In return, we get a few bits of public services that England doesn't (free prescriptions being the obvious one).

Not sure how it would go down in England/Wales - it would take a brave politician to put up income tax, which is why when there have been tax rises they tend to be sneakier ones (i.e. freezing the thresholds for income tax, which is essentially putting tax up without having to admit it).

[Bedford Red]

Exactly. But that’s my point. Who would have thought Labour would choose pensioners. Don’t forget, millions of pensioners have now been dragged into paying income tax because of the freeze of personal allowances - another kick in the bollocks.

If they want to swerve ‘rich’ pensioners from getting the fuel allowance, then means test them.

Working in benefits, I can almost guarantee if they tried means testing it, it would end up costing more than it would save (20 years experience tells me that).

[Nemo]

Which will be why they've done it on receipt of pension credit - much easier to administer, and helps a bit with making sure the most needy still get it, even if it won't be perfect.

[Legends-Lounge]

I’m really looking forward to retirement in 3 1/2 years time. Screwed over for an extra two years work with no pension and added tax & NI just to rub it in must equate to the thick end of £38k Yes, I am aware that the Tories implemented this but let’s be honest, Labour would have done the same. Hence why I didn’t vote at the GE. Thieving cunts all of them.

[ron dodgers]

Conservatives were the most left wing in their history, triple lock, max 86k care fees etc etc, as they wanted to keep there loyal voters.
Now wait for labour to screw all the tax avoiding companies, mostly the foreign owned vital infrastructure companies.
Thames Water - China and the Peoples Republic of Ontario Teachers,
Railways - Belgium, Germany, France, Sark
Electric   - France, France and Fucking France
Hopefully we can discourage Luxembourg from being a bunch of cunts
You never know