THE Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, is to introduce proposals to do away with the complicated state pension system and replace it with a single-tiered system to be worth about £155 a week by its introduction in 2015.
This system will not apply to existing pensioners. Why? Existing pensioners are those who, because of a more stable labour market, have worked for most of their working life for one company.
I worked for 44 years and paid all my National Insurance contributions to qualify for a full state pension which, I might add, was a lot more contributions than is required now to qualify for a full state pension.
Surely by disqualifying existing pensioners from the new scheme, there will still be complicated state pension system with more than one tier, a far cry from Mr Duncan Smith’s claims.
The Coalition Government has already lost the student votes because of Nick Clegg’s betrayal over tuition fees; with proposals like this about pensions, they may well lose the “grey vote” as well.
AP Cox, Heath Close, Holgate, York.
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