It's dawning on people at last

[poledark]

Argyll, that 7 weeks included 4 weeks of pills, a recheck to see if they had worked, and then a couple more weeks of more pills to get rid of the H. Pylori bug that caused all the trouble.

 

Anyone know a good cheap dentist??

 

Den

[Jim Roper]

Anyone know a good cheap dentist??

 

http://www.madfrankiefraser.co.uk/frankiefraser.htm

 

Where is Peter Waller when we really need him?

Edited February 10, 2006 by Jim Roper

[The Flying Tench]

Gordon Brown has raided pension funds to the extent that many occupational pension schemes will not be paying their future pensioners nearly as much as expected.

 

I'm not too informed on this. I realise pension funds have problems, but how is that due to Gordon Brown?

[Jim Roper]

I'm not too informed on this. I realise pension funds have problems, but how is that due to Gordon Brown?

 

Something to do with Taxation?

Or taking exemptions away or something.

[Vagabond]

I'm not too informed on this. I realise pension funds have problems, but how is that due to Gordon Brown?

 

Pension funds have traditionally been largely exempt from taxes on income and capital gains, reclaiming from the Treasury the income tax already deducted by companies when they pay dividends.

 

Over many years, this has encouraged people to invest in private pensions, and for companies to offer pension schemes to employees.

 

The tax level on dividends has usually been around 25% and the amount reclaimable by the pension companies was limited to 20% So four-fifths of the dividend tax was claimed back by the pension companies and went into the pension fund.

 

Brown has reduced this claw-back to the extent that FIVE BILLION POUNDS PER ANNUM are now sucked out of pension funds. Think about that - FIVE THOUSAND MILLION -

 

Obviously that has had a profound effect on the amount of pension the funds can offer.

 

Thus for many people now in their 50s/early 60s who chose to save for their retirement via a pension fund, the rules have been changed to their detriment at the eleventh hour

 

BTW........and if you have a lump sum sitting in a bank account and hope to buy an annuity with it when you retire, BEWARE - Brown is about to raid "dormant bank accounts" so make sure you move some money in and out of the account.

 

Tenchie, you might like to comment on the morals of saying, "no-one is using that account, so they don't need it, so I'll have some of it" The private thoughts of every dishonest bank clerk who has ever practiced embezzlement.

 

....and Den, are you happy about the extra amount of Council Tax you have to pay because the level of government financial support to councils has been reduced?

[Lid]

I work for a company with one of the best pension schemes around, and we finally have been hit. We recently were informed that our personal contributions have to increase in an attempt to maintain the level of pension we were told we would get when we signed up for it.

[poledark]

Dave, never happy about paying any form of tax

 

My local council is Tory, so of course they have to blame Labour for the reduction in support, but that support came from tax in the first place. So for me it is swings and roundabouts.

 

I could go on about why should I pay for street lights when there are none, road sweepers when there are none, never see a policeman (hear them hurtling past), but I do feel secure and food is cheap.

 

Started feeling the pinch with fuel prices a while ago, you may blame the Iraq war, personally I think it would have been worse if Sadam and the Iranians held sway and used their power and influence to push the "Hated Westerners" into an all out conflict.

 

Den (not to unhappy, but not blind )

 

For the record, I am actually several pounds (about 35) a month worse off now than when I retired, so I am not wearing rose tinted glasses....but......

[argyll]

Dave, never happy about paying any form of tax

 

My local council is Tory, so of course they have to blame Labour for the reduction in support, but that support came from tax in the first place. So for me it is swings and roundabouts.

 

I could go on about why should I pay for street lights when there are none, road sweepers when there are none, never see a policeman (hear them hurtling past), but I do feel secure and food is cheap.

 

Started feeling the pinch with fuel prices a while ago, you may blame the Iraq war, personally I think it would have been worse if Sadam and the Iranians held sway and used their power and influence to push the "Hated Westerners" into an all out conflict.

 

Den (not to unhappy, but not blind )

 

For the record, I am actually several pounds (about 35) a month worse off now than when I retired, so I am not wearing rose tinted glasses....but......

 

 

I hope your eyes don't get any worse Den. Under labour soon, those rose tinted glasses will cost a fortune to replace

[The Flying Tench]

Brown has reduced this claw-back to the extent that FIVE BILLION POUNDS PER ANNUM are now sucked out of pension funds. Think about that - FIVE THOUSAND MILLION - Obviously that has had a profound effect on the amount of pension the funds can offer.

 

BTW........and if you have a lump sum sitting in a bank account and hope to buy an annuity with it when you retire, BEWARE - Brown is about to raid "dormant bank accounts" so make sure you move some money in and out of the account.

 

Tenchie, you might like to comment on the morals of saying, "no-one is using that account, so they don't need it, so I'll have some of it"

 

Thanks for this info. I used to be an accountant, so it shows I'm getting out of touch not to know this stuff. I usually hear that the problem is that people are living longer - but 5 billion is huge as you say.

 

As for the dormant bank accounts, I can't comment on the morality as i don't understand it yet. But it sounds worrying! I'd be interested if you have a link on this.

[chevin]

- a devalued currency

 

But didn't that "Nice Mr Wilson" say that a devalued pound would make no difference to the pound in your pocket? I remember how re-assuring that statement was.