Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

In Scotland they can be used all day everyday and everywhere in the country.

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

This is no more ludicrous than paying child benefit for the children of citizens from other EU countries who are working in Britain, although the children themselves may not be resident there. Not that they are doing anything wrong, because the system allows it.

Or paying state benefits to more than one wife and family of men in polygamous marriages, whilst bigamy is illegal in Britain.

My OH has been enabled to claim the WFA for the first time by the recent European Court ruling, and will certainly be claiming it. Having worked and paid taxes and NI in the UK for 40 years, then if a universal benefit it available to all UK pensioners then everyone eligible should certainly claim it.

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

But only the Scottish ones, and theirs would be restricted in England. Different areas, different rules as I've said.

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

I get my London freedom pass in November. It's fantastic and covers the underground, overground and buses at any time. National rail within zones 1-6 are free after 9.30.
I do not think it is fair that it is available before 9.30 though, it should only be available for off peak travel.

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

It is because we are now part of the E.U. and many parts of the E.U. have a colder climate than leafy Surrey.

The E.U. bureaucrats are now in charge of the U.K. and they have ruled that U.K. expats will receive the said allowance.

Therefore Call me Dave and the other clowns in Westminster have to do what Europe tells them.;)

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

This is very welcome news, especially as it can be claimed at 60 (should be 61 but Boris bless his heart, has put in the 60+ Concessionary Travel Scheme). Well for now that is, who knows if qe and rescuing banks will affect this in the future like the other cuts...

Cheers, Johnny!

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

Every year this winter fuel question comes up:D
Last year got quite heated excuse the pun:lol:

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

Just to be clear, if you are fiscally resident in Spain you cannot choose where your state pension is taxed, it is taxable in Spain. However, if this is your only income then the allowances you receive ( in either country) mean you won't pay any tax in either country.

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

if you are fiscally resident in Spain you have to make a tax declaration in Spain - your state pension can be taxed in the UK & then the tax you have paid will be balanced against whatever you might or might not owe in Spain

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

Well why not after all if you have paid all your taxes NI etc and you are living in a EU member state why should you be penalised?

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

Fair enough :) Again it is just another one of those "entitlements" that everyone wants even if they do not need it! Ask the younger people in UK who will be funding this how they feel? Especially those who have had the child credit cut because they earn over the threshold? Knowing that when they get to retirement age there may not be anything for them? Paying taxes is two fold, one to manage the country, and keep it safe, and fund the NHS and the Old Age Pension (which should just be a supliment not the main pension) second as an insurance for people against loss of employment, financial disasters etc. and for the truly needy in their old age. Do the EU members (Spain for example) have to give heating allowances to their citizens living in UK, or does the UK do that too out of all the taxes they collect?

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

isnt that "the question"??

when that nice man Jock Salmond gets to rule his own country what will happen when he finds that the payment per head from London (which is lower than the payment for anyone in England or Wales) will cease to come into his coffers every month. Then he will suddenly find that all the subsidised freebies he is giving his people will suddenly cease as he will have no money. Worse he will not automatically be granted membership of the EU and will fail the fiscal tests of the Eurozone.

Then all his home loving eejuts strutting around in their kilts will suddenly find their sporans are empty and start travelling South into England.:eek:
Where the Army will be able to practice their Afghanistan anti-terrorist tactics as they try to come over Hadrian's Wall.
:thumbsup:

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

But the UK state pension is not taxed at source, so the allowances will generally cover it. This means that its other income that might be taxable, and you're right that any tax paid will be offset, in terms of not paying twice. However, a couple of observations

1. There are recent reports that the Hacienda are insisting that you pay the full amount of tax , and claim back what you have paid in the UK, which you can do, with certain exceptions.

2. I think choose is the wrong word, because it implies that once you have made the choice you don't have to pay tax in Spain, which as we know is now causing people problems.

Re: Winter fuel allowance
 

what a load of unwarrented old tosh :thumbdown:
suggest you contact Sue and tell her you want to hand in your membership of BE. I am sure she will accept :fingerscrossed:

When I was a younger person in the UK I was paying in to keep the elderly living around the world. I was also paying for schoold children to be (poorly) educated even though at the time I didn't have any children.

I have made a note to send you a PM when it gets really cold here, currently a balmy 14c, no sun visible for 2.5 days. But last winter we had weeks of nights at -10c, something quite unusual except in the upper reaches of Scotland.
So you tell me again why when I was paying taxes and ni why it was being given to Poles who were receiving Child Benefit for children where the UK had no record of their birth and no way of checking for sure they actually existed.

Get a life and go and annoy some other forum, not the nice people of BE

kind regards

Re: Winter fuel allowance