General Chat

Although the article mentions salaries I expect the figure are for contracts. They will have to pay the expenses that an employer normally pays for their staff..

I think they do warrant that salary.

The labourer is worthy of his or her hire. I can't remember criticising leader of industry, I feel the same way about them. As long as they pay their taxes.

Still doesn't warrant a salary 4 times that of the PM....!

We are keen enough to condemn so called 'fat cats' in industry whose justification for high salaries is also that they also generate large amount of income - this is no different.

Their programme make their wages back a hundred times. Sold all over the world at a huge profit.

We're being asked to subsidise news and public service stuff.

Just reading today that Great British Bake Off stars Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are reportedly getting £100,000 pay rises. The boost will see their salaries increase by 20% to £600,000 per year.

So that's why pensioners over 75 are being asked to cough up money.....!

Correct, Sylvia, although not necessarily at the beginning and end.

I've also edited my post slightly. In my original post the words 'As from next year...' did no appear in their correct position :-S

This has now been amended :-D

oh ......

........ so you also have doughnut advertising??????


that's when an ad appears at the beginning and end of the time slot, with the "hole" filled by other ads :-D

It's good to see from RR's link that Australia occupies no 20 on the list :-(

The Australian Pension is means tested, and also taxed. Before I could even be considered for the Oz pension, I had to start receiving both my (part) UK pension, as well as the remnants of a UK local government occupational pension.

In Oz pensioners receive subsidised prescriptions; $6.20 instead of $37.00 per item. Most are bulk billed by GPs but not by Specialists.

We also receive help with the water and general rates (50%) and part electricity costs.

As from Next year (2017), due to the financial state of Oz, those subsidies will be capped and the goal posts for pension eligibility will be altered downwards

We receive, via the State Seniors Card, free bus and train travel. Also, in WA country areas, in acknowledgement that bus and train services are non-existent an allowance is made by the State Government of $516 per year for either petrol or taxi fares. Only one allowance is made per household with a pensioner ie even if both residents are pensioners only one allowance is received.

The general population does not pay a TV Licence Fee and it's a shame that the adverts are interrupted by segments of TV shows.

As if that wasn't bad enough some adverts are repeated two or three times in a single slot :-|

Sylvia, who's complaining? Not me.
Rollo, do you live in France? I would love to live there, and regularly go there on holiday, but I can't even get my wife to move out of London, let alone the country.

Mersey, you are naughty 'cos I know that you're just a young 'un. :-D

Note

From this old dear
To the old codger

Please excuse me but I've only just finished yesterday's Daily Mail so I have some catching up to do.

I don't know how I found the time to work, truly. ;-)

Begging letters being sent to the old & infirm. Didn't someone say they would but a stop to all these goings-on?

Brian there would then be an uproar because houses with two pensioners over 75 git and extra £300 and those with only one only got £150, so couples were making £150 :-D

Why not just add £150 a year to the UK pension and drop the free licences?

That way rich pensioners would pay tax on it and thereby effectively pay part of their licence fee and non-taxpayers would end up no better or worse off than at present.

You are not an old dear Mersey :-D :-D

Ann :-D :-D :-D

I read mine online does that count :-D :-D ;-)

**Ann** I read mine lunchtime
Love
Another old Dear

:-D :-D :-D

Re pensions ...............

The attitude here towards pensions is somewhere between Britain and the US.

In other words, on the one hand, society needs to take care of the elderly and the poor. On the other, it is the individual's responsibility to take care of themselves.

Hence, the elderly person who has only the basic Federal Old Age Pension would get a maximum about £250 a month. That is paid whether or not they have worked. They could then apply every year for the Guaranteed Income Supplement, a means-tested addition to the OAP, that could add about another £100.

Everyone who has worked has to contribute to the Canada Pension Plan (or the Quebec Pension Plan in Quebec) and then gets a pension based on how much they have contributed. The current minimum is about £275/month and the maximum about £400/month

Thus a person who has worked full time since age 18 to (currently) 65 could have a pension of approximately £650.

The only reductions in costs that we get are concession bus fares, 10-15% reduction on train fares, and an extra deduction (Seniors Allowance) on the house taxes that we pay to the local municipality every year.

As an example, this year our House Tax will be about £2000, and Seniors Allowance will be about £200, leaving us to paye about £1800

We get NO allowances for heat, light, phone, etc etc ........ and most parts of Canada are colder than any part of the UK for 4-6 months of the year.

The Federal Government actively pushes buying Canada Savings Bonds, investing in RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plans) and paying into private pension plans during your active life to provide for retirement. In turn, most large unions will ensure that contracts with employers have private pension and health plans are included where the employer will contribute at least half of the monthly premiums.

There are thousands and thousands of Canadians who only have the basic pensions, either because they did not work, worked in non-unionised jobs, or otherwise could not contribute to private plans.



It is actually impossible to compare pensions between countries as there are so many variables ........... how much does housing cost here vs there, how much are the taxes here vs there, how much does it cost to heat/cool a house, how much does food cost, etc etc etc

:-D :-D :-D

I am just reading my Daily Mail.

Love
The Old Dear :-D :-D :-D

Brenda, I watch a lot on my iPad, that's why I think the BBC ought to ask itself why the Government delegated this to the Corporation.

I have friends in France who watch a lot of BBC programmes - with no licence fee to pay - I have watched with them.

In addition, if one watches ITV programmes on the iPad, one can fast forward the adverts thus avoiding interruptions.

I forgot to ask, does anyone know if the so-called silver celebrities (such as Terry Wogan etc) who are going to ask, on behalf of the BBC, for return of part of the licence fees are going to be paid a fee for so doing?