Pension is not a benefit it’s a right
Irrespective of what this right-wing Tory government may or may not do concerning Britain’s state pension, this does not excuse the fact that Neoliberal governments over the past 40 years have woefully ignored Britain’s elderly people’s full state pension rights.
The word “pensioner” has become synonymous with poverty in Britain today thanks to the very low state pension in this country.
Britain’s pensioners having worked hard in the past, paying their taxes and NI contributions, have been placed on the political scrapheap for 40 odd years.
During this cost-of-living crisis, our elderly grandparents cannot withdraw their labour, to at least attempt to force the government to improve their state pensions, to a liveable amount.
In longevity terms our grandparents are the poorest people in the country, they should be paid a decent liveable amount.
Many pensioners find having to apply for state handouts demeaning, and they are right to feel this way.
There is absolutely no reason for this Government to keep the state pension so low.
A huge increase could easily be afforded.
There is £5billion in the National Insurance surplus, this £5billion was added to the balance of the of the National Insurance Fund, taking the fund to £42billionn on March 31, 2021, and there is £1.8billion left unclaimed in means tested Pensions Credit.
We need a petition to reach enough signatures to force a cross-party debate in Parliament, and a vote on the level of state pension.
The DWP now refer to the state pensions as benefit, when it’s not a benefit, the state pension has been paid for over decades of NI contributions.
To at least try to have a cross-party Debate in Parliament, a petition has been placed on the government’s web site that reads as follows:
“The British State pension is far too low. We want the Government to increase the basic state pension to £19,760 a year (£380 a week) and extend this to anyone aged 60 or over. This should lift thousands out of poverty and give our elderly folk more spending power and help grow the economy.
The Government should also restore the state pension age back to 60 for men and women, because people should not have to wait until their mid to late 60s to claim the state pension, as many people have worked from a young age, and their health deteriorates long before they are able to claim the state pension.”
If anybody wishes to sign my petition, they can email me at the following address, and I will send them the petition link michaelthompson533@btinternet.com
Michael Thompson
by email
Picture: Pixabay / Frantisek_Krejci
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I quite agree also I would like to add my parent died young my son died young they had paid their NI contributions this should go back to the NOK not the government this was paid all their working life why should the government benefit?
It’s our money!
It is a benefit. It is a contributory benefit. State pension is only paid if you’ve paid sufficient contributions. You pay now, you benefit later. What is so difficult about the English language that you don’t understand?
State Pension benefit is not social security, not unemployment or disability benefit. It’s a benefit you receive after paying in a required number of years.
Spend more effort on getting it increased and less on quibbling about wording.
P.S. 500,000 overseas British pensioners get no uprating (triple lock) due to government postcode discrimination. What do you intend to do about that?
Pension’s have been paid into they are not a benefit and shouldn’t be treated as a benefit at all
Why do we have one of the lowest pensions when we are supposed to be one of the richest countries?
Rather than penalise pensioners why don’t they chase tax evaders!