Pensions, what pensions?

[happy daze john in oz]

A good mate of mine here worked in UK for a few years before coming here, also his wife did a bit over there.

Now at the right age they wish to claim a part UK pension, the sort that many ex pats receive.

The wife began to make enquiries about how to request this.

After much talk with those who should know in Newcastle she has concluded that the UK pension is to be scrapped!

Is this true or has she been mislead by someone who does not fully understand?

[j.sabourn]

The UK pension is still there John. I asked my brother who still lives there as was worried about him. He says it is just that it is being slowly brought in that the retiring age is being slowly extended. If your friends have paid NHI subscriptions they will be allowed some pension. When they apply for their Oz pension if already haven't done, Centre Link will tell them they have to apply before they receive any from the Australian Government. The place at Benton, Newcastle on Tyne is about is about 4 miles from where I lived. However if remember correctly some correspondence I received not long back came from somewhere else, could have been from Europe somewhere. So might get paid in Euros. Cheers JS

[Peter F Chard]

I applied at age 65 to the UK for a graduated pension from the years I worked there, which was granted and was topped up to the normal pension paid in NZ. The UK portion is inflation proofed annually but the NZ portion is not so eventually my entire pension will come from the UK because the NZ authority only grants a rise from time to time which is vaguely equivalent to the average inflation within NZ, but not very often. The beauty of the system here is that you can still work and claim your pension without penalty. Regards Peter in NZ.

[j.sabourn]

#3 Up until now (touch wood) have managed to live on pension and at same time pay tax on same without too much worry. However if the banker here starts fiddling with figures and chastising those who have moderate savings, he is going to upset the apple cart for many. He is obviously trying for an early election, after which I suspect we will see the real measure of the man. He was not put in by the people and this must rankle with him and like all monied people who think they have the goods will have to prove to himself that he has what it takes. If he makes a pigs ear of it, I don't want to be the first who suffers as a lot of pensioners may do, unless of course the press is wrong as they mostly are in any case, you will see the gloves come after this next election, is my feelings in my water, and I have just started taking water tablets, so there is plenty of it. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

Ref. to above looking at some of his chosen few who deserted the last PM, you can see the worried look on some of their faces, and it doesn't take too much imagination to see them if they are fortuanate enough of retaining their seats, of putting their hands up and saying me Sir, pick me sir, in their hopes of not disappearing into the background at the following front bench re- shuffle, just like a bunch of spoiled school kids which most of them are in any case. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Thanks for that fellas will pass on. Looks as if UK is doing same as here, increasing the age at which you can obtain it going to 70 here over time.

Here in Oz UK pension but it remains at the rate at which you first get it. Then the missing link deduct 50cents for every dollar we get from UK. But not so bad as we still get about 89% of local pension plus our super payments. Any earnings over a set amount also reduces the pension amount by 50 cents pert dollar. Unlike NZ which has a very different approach to it all.