Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Pretty much.

The state pension also needs to be looked at.

Potentially means tested.

If you have a private pension or savings that provide you with an income of say, £35,000 a year ( per person, not joint) then you don't need a state pension.

If , in the future, your savings dip below the threshold then you can apply for your state pension.

---------- Post added at 13:54 ---------- Previous post was at 13:53 ----------

Well I think his point is, as well as reforming the NHS that pensions need to be looked at too.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Pretty obvious but I will state it again

Means testing the State pension will save this country a fortune

No other single benefit I can think of pays £125 per week Higher rate ESA with add ons in £112 a week why should OAPs who may have other income get more than anyone else? yes they worked for it but what they paid in NI is long since spent and is now paid for by the tax payer

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

But this number doesn't mean anything without context. I.E How much should it cost to provide healthcare to a population of 65 million?

France and Germany both pay more than us.

Almost certainly but I think these would be a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of providing healthcare, especially to a aging population. Large organisations will generate wasteful spending and the NHS should cut down on as much of this as possible but we still need to address the fact that it's always going to be expensive.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Thank god some are finally seeing the wood for the trees

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Old people are costing us a fortune.

it's ok saying that they/you/me have paid into it through our working lives. but it has to looked at. means testing is the obvious.

but I've said before that it's all a bit of a joke anyway. one person I know who paid into a small private pension ended up having whatever that was worth deducted from his state pension.
so what was the point of paying into a private one when you're no better off than the other person who didn't. and was not paying say about £10 per week for years.

he doesn't get the all important pension credit thing either because of it. which is the key to all things free for the old.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

I daresay that will happen in the long run but without a viable alternative then it won't happen any time soon .The introduction of compulsory private pensions has been a step forward but until we get more people into work that pays enough to get people off benefits altogether it will never happen

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

The trouble is that people are demanding all sorts of things on the NHS now which once upon a time would never have been envisaged and they'll all argue that they have a genuine 'need'. The line has to be drawn somewhere and wherever such a line exists, there'll be folks who fall the wrong side.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Germany spends £300 billion on Healthcare,almost triple the UK's amount... From personal experience I can say that the German Healthcare system is much better than the NHS BUT it's much more expensive for the Individual.

Considering the NHS is paid for out of general taxation and in Germany employer and employee each pay up to 15% of gross wages (depending on insurer) I think there needs to be a discussion on how to secure the future of the NHS and how to finance it in a sustainable way....

Generally speaking it's clear to me that our government spending is way out of control and something drastic needs to be,or rather should be,done. People want the government to control their lives yet p and moan about taxes all Day long...

People seem to want the security without paying for it.... IMO we should cut our welfare bills rather drastically,and I mean both private and Corporate.Our benefits system is out of control and we're taxing people and businesses to death for it.

I feel we should have a drastically reduced public sector and government is there to take care of the necessities to run the country,not regulate people's and business Life to the point of suffocation.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

and most of it is going on the state pension. As I have said ESA and JSA could be covered by not giving 11 billion in aid and we would still have an extra 2 billion left over

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

In the words of Mark Twain, there are Lies, Damn Lies and statistics. In my opinion this fits this report.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Well,there are more benefits than just ESA and JSA...

our benefits system has turned into this huge wealth distribution machine mostly because of perceived injustice in how income and wealth is distributed.

State pensions are indeed the biggest piece of the pie and people need to take more responsibility for their pensions.Unfortunatly Left-Wing,Socialist policies have destroyed the family unit and families don't look after each other as they used to,meaning more people living on their own needing more help from the state... Which is good for the Left wing,statist parties helping them secure the votes from these very people. :rolleyes:

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

I pay into 2 personal pensions and i also have my military pension. Additionally i have payed into the NI system all my working life which will fund my state pension. I don't see why the stat pension should be reduced just so those who have never worked and have no intention of ever working can have there benefits increased. May be the state pension should be based on what someone has paid in over the years and if you have paid naff all you should get naff all.

I also agree that we should not be giving aid to other country's when we are constantly reducing the money we pay to those in this country who need help, charity begins at home .

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Well that would be fine I think. A NHS tax. I think people would go for that if you were honest about it and the money was ring fenced to go to the NHS.

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

No it will not. That money is spent mate gone done and dusted the State pension comes out of the welfare budget.

My view on means testing the State Pension is no personal it is realistic. In an ideal world your NI payments should have been invested your pension secured however all the money has been spent

Re: UK to be bankrupt by 2014
 

Then suddenly people will find out they haven't quite contributed as much as they thought. Easier to afford the pensions of the war generation who didn't live as long and were fewer in the number than the boomers who are more numerous and live longer.

Besides we don't know the circumstances of everyone who hasn't paid in a lot. What do you do about women that left work to raise their children or, for that matter, women who could argue that previous inequalities in the workplace stifled their ability to earn? People have had spells of illness that halted contributions and people whose career paths dried up later in life due to shifts in technology/demand/whatever?