Why does anyone aged 60 need free public transport? This is a demographic that has generally paid off its mortgage, on higher band salaries at their workplaces and has the most disposable income. What a waste of public funds. Should at least be means tested.
Means testing carries a cost though, probably more than they'd save on free bus passes. On the other hand why not means test all pensioner benefits? TV licence, railcards, winter fuel. More of a return on that. I'm speaking as a pensioner who gets all these things but I could comfortably do without them as could many others.
As far as I know, you need to be blind or over 75 and on benefit to get anything off your TV licence, you have to pay for your Railcard to get a 1/3 off and they've just had our winter fuel allowance away. Bastards! so we aren't getting much.
But many retired, non-working pensioners don't need the benefits, some who are still working might be doing so because they're skint and need the assistance.
Means testing seems to be people's answer to lots of things, bus passes, state pension, NHS. Why though just because I haven't wasted all my money and saved why should I be punished
Means testing is fine, but eventually it gets to the point that ppl don't see why they should pay anything if they're not getting anything for their tax... For example, health care, education, public pension etc and it will eventually get to the point where many low paid workers would be better off doing **** all all their lives and getting the state benefits that come from having/doing nothing. It's better to reward via top ups.. up to a certain amount... So if you never work, you get X amount per week, but if you work 50 years, you get X+ 50 year bonus etc. My wife (ex) worked as an Arabic and Farsi freelance translator for years and many of her clients said it just wasn't worth working, as they'd lose housing benefit, right to public housing, child support, 8 hours a day with family etc sad but true and not entirely their fault, but the way the system is set up.. the long term reward for a life working is the same for not. The US is more entrepreneurial and offers far higher rewards for working regarding 401k and differing tax rates in states.
Lass at works car has just given up the ghost and she's talking about what to replace it with. Talking to her about it and she lets slip they the car sits on the the drive for weeks between uses. Mainly just used to get to hospital appointments. Appointments she could easily get to by other means. Her fella has a car and they also have a converted van. They're part time 'van lifers'. I think I managed to convince her that they probably don't need a third vehicle and the money spent on it could be better used elsewhere.
Bus pass, cheap rail tickets, tv licence, discounts on tickets for all sorts of things, winter fuel (maybe!), pensioner specials in pubs and restaurants. It all adds up.
Balls to means testing, universal benefits, if one gets it all should. To answer the question , yes, even billionaires. The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.
Pensioner specials in pubs and restaurants aren’t benefits. They are a marketing ploy. How about means testing free breakfasts? Families with over £50,000 coming in will get those.
£50k with a family isn’t a lot, in most areas of the country at least half of that would just be going on your rent or mortgage.
£50k is just over £3k a month take home, assuming no student loan payments in which case it’s even less. To buy the average house today (about £270k) the mortgage with a 10% deposit would be £1.3k, rent would be higher. Now consider most family homes cost more than that and it’s even more.
A family have significantly higher outgoings than a single pensioner. But I do agree, £12k is a ridiculously low threshold for pensioners.
Tela's share price has halved since it's Dec 17th high, it's still double the price it was when it last crashed in 2023, but they have a bigger capacity now and sales are falling globally.
