THE BEGINNINGS
A couple of years ago, I came across the 38 Degrees big petition website, with over 1 million members.Whereas membership of political parties is in terminal decline, the membership of petition websites is growing.
This is why the gagging law coming into force in September, that severely curtails petitions and charitable campaigns has been enacted by government who do not want to listen to the people.
Between 1975 and 1993 there was a law that guaranteed pensions.
The Tories revoked that law in 1993.
Labour was in power in 2 governments, back to back, but did not bring back that law to guarantee pensions.
Dame Anne Begg, senior Labour by being the Chairwoman of the Select Committee of Works and Pensions in the House of Commons (parliament of government) confirmed to me that Labour did not think funding pensions important, so is exactly a carbon copy of the Tories.
HOW I BEGAN
My particular interest was the loss of my survival funds, that were fully half my life savings at 12 per cent of my wages throughout my working life for National Insurance contributions, that was lost when women's retirement age was raised from 60 to 66 back in 2008 by Labour.From January 2014 I began losing up to £6,300 per year state pension, joining the 30,000 women born 1953 from last year and the half a million this year born 1954.
As disabled and chronic sick (multiple) never gained any benefit, even after two years of trying. Still dealing with the gibberish correspondence from DWP and their gibberish that could have been problems with my tax affairs for my works pension with the taxman, when I am thousands of pounds far below the basic tax allowance.
RISE IN RETIREMENT AGE ANTI-BUSINESS IN A RECESSION
The rise of retirement age never made any economic sense.
As rising the retirement age meant both public sector and private employers were paying all the costs of staff, when austerity and the recession meant there was less money.
SIGNED PETITION ON 38 DEGREES
So I signed the petition on 38 Degrees to revoke the Pension Bill.
Reverse the Pension Bill
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/revert-to-the-governments-promise-regarding-no-increase-in-the-state-pension-age-until-2016-2012
You might like to sign that petition and encourage your family, friends and colleagues to sign please.
But then I saw that if I did not get my state pension at 60 before 2016, the Flat Rate Pension would take most of my state pension pay-out away by the time I retired at 66.
WHY I MOVED ON TO MY OWN PETITION?
MY PETITION ON 38 DEGREES
Bring back immediately state pension for women at 60 / Men/Women against Tax Allowance loss at 65
But you might also like to sign my petition, because the Flat Rate Pension is not more pension but less or even none for a great many people.
GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA PENSIONER BASHING
As I looked about me in the media and major international and nation finance and retirement websites, I found that pensioner bashing was being incited by government, and so pensions from all sources were being threatened.See my blog article:
http://theswansnewparty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/so-called-well-off-pensioners-more-tax.html
THE FLAT RATE (SINGLE TIER) PENSION 2016 - EVEN WORSE THAN THE PENSION BILL
The rise in retirement age gave the politicians the opportunity to pass the Flat Rate (Single Tier) Pension coming into force in 2016, that is far, far worse than the Pension Bill.
For even if the petition to revoke the Pension Bill came to pass this year or next, the Flat Rate Pension in 2016 would still take away pension money, especially from women.
LESS STATE PENSION NOT MORE FOR MAJORITY OF PEOPLE FROM 2016
The Flat Rate Pension rises the contribution years required from 30 years to 35 years, when it took so long for women to get that help as women tend to have more breaks in service due to childcare.The Flat Rate Pension also needs a full history of paying into SERPS.
As a council pensioner (early retired like so many women as part of the Austerity public sector job cuts) I am contracted out of SERPs.
When I retired I could get my state pension at 60, but in the space of a few months in 2008 this was lost.
The retirement age raised to 64 then to 66 under Labour, and continues under the Tories (I don't mention Lib Dems as they are merely an appendage of the Tories).
CURRENT PENSIONERS OF ALL AGES ARE HIT BY THE FLAT RATE PENSION BILL FROM 2016
Many many times I hear pensioners say that neither of these laws effect them, as they are already receiving their state pension.
This could not be further from the truth.
Because the Flat Rate Pension even effects pensioners 80 years of age and over.
EVEN THE NEW CLAIMANTS GETTING THE FLAT RATE PENSION FROM 2016 LOSE IN OTHER WAYS
Not even 30 per cent of new claimants will get the Flat Rate Pension, and other changes will nullify that gain.
Politicians have said again and again the idea they want to tax the state pension at source and get rid of Winter Fuel Allowance.
MAJORITY NEW CLAIMANT PENSIONERS WILL NOT GET RISE FROM FLAT RATE PENSION 2016
CURRENT PENSIONERS WILL NOT GET RISE EITHER FROM FLAT RATE PENSION 2016
Fully 70 per cent will not get the £144 flat rate and may indeed get less than the current state pension of around £102-£110, which the EU through the Council of Europe says is below international treaty law of the Social Contract.
The government ignored that treaty obligation and so neither benefit nor state pension will rise from £71 per week benefit or £102 state pension, to the rate of £138 per week.
Current pensioners will not get the rise of the Flat Rate Pension and Welsh pensioners will actually get a cut in their state pension.
BUT MY PETITION INCLUDED ALL THOSE WHO WILL NEVER GET A STATE PENSION FROM THE FLAT RATE PENSION LAW FROM 2016
Women are especially despised by the overwhelming male politicians in power in government.
Tax and pension changes impact women far more than men since New Labour and now Tories got going on welfare and pension reform, that is merely the end of the welfare state and pensions. See my blog: http://theswansnewparty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/all-women-hated-by-all-male-politicians.html
The Flat Rate Pension gives a nightmare scenario for women by:
- Wives from 2016 will no longer gain a 60 per cent state pension when have insufficient own NI credit history, from their husband's NI contributions
- Wives from 2016 will no longer be able to inherit their husband's state pension
This means women within the 1950s Baby Boomer generation (those women born from 1953 - 1965 are effected by these changes and onwards in life and their children and grandchildren into the future) because:
- Too poor to save into a private pension or put savings away
- In jobs with little or no NI credit history or works pension,
so these women will have no income in old age at all.
No benefit. No state pension. Nothing.
Because beyond the Flat Rate Pension is the endeavour by government to allow companies not to allow wives / partners to inherit their husband's works pension.
MY PETITION THEN MOVES ON TO OTHER LOSSES TO PENSIONERS SHORT OF A PENSION
The working poor realised when looking at the Flat Rate Pension, another fact they had not realised.The working poor in part time jobs less than 14 hours per week / earning £109 per week, had not being paying National Insurance, nor had their employer. So they had zero NI credit history.
Some say millions, others 80,000 will never gain any state pension for life.
This even if they had several such part-time jobs, as National Insurance credit is on each job separately, unlike the taxman who gathers wages from all jobs together.
So this is within my petition as well.
LOSS OF HIGHER AGE RELATED TAX ALLOWANCE AT 65
The loss to household income from 2013 of those who were 65 last year of the £3000 tax allowance at 65 above the basic tax allowance, also impacted current pensioners, suffering food and fuel poverty.This is also within my petition to bring back within a Budget this year or next.
YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SIGN BOTH PETITIONS ON 38 DEGREES PLEASE
Reverse the Pension Bill
And My petition:
Bring back immediately state pension for women at 60 / Men / women against Tax Allowance loss at 65
This petition includes:
- Current pensioners of all ages
- Working poor (half of women aged 60-66 are within working poor)
- Working poor all ages
- Women aged 60 from last year
- Men and women losing higher age related tax allowance from last year, 2013
- Housewives no NI credit history of their own
- Disabled / Chronic sick losing benefit or never gaining it, who have turned 60 last year and this and onwards
- Unemployed women at age 60-66 losing or sanctioned off benefit. Even someone at 45 hits ageism in job recruitment.
- Minimum wage is not a living wage, so wife's state pension at 60 is needed to help keep out of food and fuel poverty and also because there are a great many single / widows / divorced women between 60-66 in society in the UK.
WHAT WOULD THE SWANS DO DIFFERENTLY?
- Full State Pension at 60 (back-dated to 2013 when loss began for women) of £15,000 for all citizens, irrespective of NI credit history- Work towards state pension at 60 for men within first parliament of The Swans from 2015
- Basic Tax Allowance all ages £14,000 from 2015
- Tax Allowance at 60 for men and women of £15,500
- Winter Fuel Allowance £500 from 2015
- Revoke Welfare Reform Act, Pension Bill 2010-2014, Flat Rate Pension (Single Tier) Pension 2016.
- Bring in law guaranteeing pensions.
The Swans new party Org UK
www.theswansnewparty.org.uk
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