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Perhaps we should have a higher state pension and cut back on benefits. Nobody would be worse off, but those who have provided for themselves and do not qualify for benefits would get a bit more back.
Oh dear Traveller, I have been talking about this on here for ages. If everyone had the same state pension - a basic living pension - of say, £12,500 from this April - we should take people out of all means tested benefits with the exception of housing benefit. As that will only be sorted out by building more houses I'm afraid that needs to be put aside for the moment. All those on the basic living pension would then
not receive a personal tax allowance (although you might want to introduce a lower level of tax up to that amount). The savings in admin alone should help pay for this plus the claw-back in tax allowance and the fact that people higher up the tax scale would have the £12,500 counted in so would tip into the higher rate taxation a little earlier. From a council tax point of view more people would be paying, the council would have a reduction in admin and paying your council tax tends to make you more involved in what your council it doing.
However, I doubt they would ever change those already receiving a pension onto a new one. Although they might "offer" it I doubt they could just go ahead and do it.