KentVillan Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Credit Suisse now in dire straits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Dutch Politics, new party takes loads of seats and holds the power to stop the Government passing anything further. The Farmer Party Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 16, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted March 16, 2023 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said: Dutch Politics, new party takes loads of seats and holds the power to stop the Government passing anything further. The Farmer Party Hmm. I know nothing about them but the opening line of their Wikipedia entry describes them as having a strong Conservative outlook and populist appeal. Doesn’t sound like a good thing at all. Edited March 16, 2023 by sidcow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 4 hours ago, sidcow said: Hmm. I know nothing about them but the opening line of their Wikipedia entry describes them as having a strong Conservative outlook and populist appeal. Doesn’t sound like a good thing at all. They are effectively going to stop the coalition from functioning as a Government as they got more than enough seats to achieve their goal. The politics and elections are a bit of a joke. Too many parties, it's honestly a joke. The big thing in Holland is the Climate and the policies surrounding it. Nitrogen is the big problem for the farmers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted March 16, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted March 16, 2023 17 hours ago, KentVillan said: Credit Suisse now in dire straits Disappointing lack of Knopfler-related puns in response to this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted March 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted March 16, 2023 Punny for nothing etc ? 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theunderstudy Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 13 minutes ago, choffer said: Disappointing lack of Knopfler-related puns in response to this. They wanted to move the business to South Africa but the Rand's too strong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Mother's Day card sent. 4 months to use 5 remaining QE2 first class stamps. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Davkaus Posted March 16, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted March 16, 2023 So the French are about to strike again. Their retirement age is being put up from 62 to 64. Ours is 68. I was reading a bit about what the French state pension pays out, they get between 35-50% of their average annual earnings (up to a maximum of 40k per year). Ours maxes out at £9,627. (about half of full time minimum wage). Some will say "Why are they striking when they have it so good", when we should be thinking "look how good we could have had it if we fought for it". 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 2 minutes ago, Davkaus said: So the French are about to strike again. Their retirement age is being put up from 62 to 64. Ours is 68. I was reading a bit about what the French state pension pays out, they get between 35-50% of their average annual earnings (up to a maximum of 40k per year). Ours maxes out at £9,627. (about half of full time minimum wage). Some will say "Why are they striking when they have it so good", when we should be thinking "look how good we could have had it if we fought for it". That’s not entirely fair, there are good things about our pensions. If you can put £2 million in to a pension here you now get a £250,000 tax break. Finally a decent break for the rich. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 On 15/03/2023 at 19:21, KentVillan said: Credit Suisse now in dire straits Money for Nothing and your cheques for free 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 16, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted March 16, 2023 On 15/03/2023 at 19:21, KentVillan said: Credit Suisse now in dire straits I'm sure they'll be rescued by their brothers in arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 56 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: That’s not entirely fair, there are good things about our pensions. If you can put £2 million in to a pension here you now get a £250,000 tax break. Finally a decent break for the rich. Couldn't believe those struggling, overworked doctors needing to retire at 55 so they didn't have to pay 65% tax on anything over a million in there pension pots. Poor guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 To be fair, yes £2m is a shitload of money and not wanting to play world’s smallest violin here… But I think a lot of people will be surprised at the income you can get from what sounds like a gigantic pension pot. £1m will buy you a £35k annuity at 55, or about £50k if you wait until 68. Yes nothing to sniff at, especially if you’ve paid off a mortgage, but I imagine a lot of people think it means you’re living a luxury retirement rather than just a comfortable one. Also, you do pay income tax on the pension income. I’m not sure it’s the biggest crime in the world letting people build up big pension pots if they still get taxed on it when they draw the income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 24 minutes ago, foreveryoung said: Couldn't believe those struggling, overworked doctors needing to retire at 55 so they didn't have to pay 65% tax on anything over a million in there pension pots. Poor guys. I think it’s more to do with struggling non-doctors not being able to get medical advice because the doctors all retired. but then it’s the Tories… so yeah, another gift for the wealthy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 16, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted March 16, 2023 1 hour ago, Genie said: I think it’s more to do with struggling non-doctors not being able to get medical advice because the doctors all retired. but then it’s the Tories… so yeah, another gift for the wealthy. Saying that it's to get more Doctors to go back to work is a great badge to put on it to pretend it's something else. But it's about as transparent as our cheaper Brexit pint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted March 16, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted March 16, 2023 1 hour ago, KentVillan said: To be fair, yes £2m is a shitload of money and not wanting to play world’s smallest violin here… But I think a lot of people will be surprised at the income you can get from what sounds like a gigantic pension pot. £1m will buy you a £35k annuity at 55, or about £50k if you wait until 68. Yes nothing to sniff at, especially if you’ve paid off a mortgage, but I imagine a lot of people think it means you’re living a luxury retirement rather than just a comfortable one. Also, you do pay income tax on the pension income. I’m not sure it’s the biggest crime in the world letting people build up big pension pots if they still get taxed on it when they draw the income. How about the 68 year old cleaner who has to worked until 68 and then gets 10k a year state pension, where's the sympathy for those at the bottom of the wage structure, those who can't afford a private pension of any decent benefit to them? I agree that doctors and health care professionals needed a change to keep them in work but this will be used by the rich to benefit the rich, it should have directed at the doctors pensions. A £1m annuity pays more than 35k, ever since truss destroyed the government's financial reputation and the interest they have to pay to lend money more than doubled. On amother note you could draw down the £1m For 17 years at 60,000 a year , if they retire at 68 it's should last until the average age of death in the UK, mind you that way they don't get to leave their offspring the £1m pension pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 10 hours ago, KentVillan said: To be fair, yes £2m is a shitload of money and not wanting to play world’s smallest violin here… But I think a lot of people will be surprised at the income you can get from what sounds like a gigantic pension pot. £1m will buy you a £35k annuity at 55, or about £50k if you wait until 68. Yes nothing to sniff at, especially if you’ve paid off a mortgage, but I imagine a lot of people think it means you’re living a luxury retirement rather than just a comfortable one. Also, you do pay income tax on the pension income. I’m not sure it’s the biggest crime in the world letting people build up big pension pots if they still get taxed on it when they draw the income. I see the calcs on £1 million can look ‘reasonable’, but it’s not £1 million, that was the old rule, it’s now open ended with a tax incentive for the wealthy. 10 hours ago, Genie said: I think it’s more to do with struggling non-doctors not being able to get medical advice because the doctors all retired. but then it’s the Tories… so yeah, another gift for the wealthy. Yep, could have made it specific to the NHS which might even have encouraged doctors to get to a point in private healthcare and then switch to the tax advantaged NHS. But no, as you say, its tories so lets just make it a way of making rich people richer and offering civil servants in border control a 2% pay offer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 13 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: I see the calcs on £1 million can look ‘reasonable’, but it’s not £1 million, that was the old rule, it’s now open ended with a tax incentive for the wealthy. Yep, could have made it specific to the NHS which might even have encouraged doctors to get to a point in private healthcare and then switch to the tax advantaged NHS. But no, as you say, its tories so lets just make it a way of making rich people richer and offering civil servants in border control a 2% pay offer. The problem is the pension allowance does create perverse incentives which are bad for the economy (doctors being one example, but they aren’t the only high earning professionals who do valuable work). Regardless of whether it’s doctors or software engineers or entrepreneurs or whatever, it doesn’t make sense to incentivise early retirement for people who would otherwise carry on working. The really scandalous thing with pensions is their treatment in inheritance tax - they’re completely protected from IHT, so that £1m or £2m pot just gets transferred in full to next of kin (ok yes they pay income tax on what they draw, but it’s still a ridiculously tax efficient way of inheriting versus property etc). I personally think it’s that entrenched inter generational wealth that makes society unfair vs one person earning a high salary & pension by being successful in their own career. It’s the high earners’ offspring who cause all the problems! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tegis Posted March 17, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted March 17, 2023 Quote 20 hr The title was changed to General Chat What the hell was it called prior? It was General Chat wasn't it? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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