OK - I admit bias here as I get the discount this year but...

To generalise that pension holders are better off is simply not true.

Yes there are those that are currently retiring that will have the benefit of Defined Benefit pensions and others who worked in Government Services who can claim gold plated pensions early but as below the average pensioner has an income of only £18k a year (including State Pension) and not the £30K stated which destroys most of your argument - the figure is set lower as "earnings" are lower.

User Posted Link

Pensions are not given out by some magical creature and relate to long term savings either deducted from or paid by an employer into an investment fund to ensure that old and decrepit workers do not hang around beyond their sell by date. - By its very nature a pension will be lower than the earnings achieved before retirement (unless very well invested) so even if an individual was on £100K a year their pension will normally be less than that and they need to trim their expenses accordingly.

There has been a lot of BS printed recently about someone needing £40-£50K a year as pension income for a "comfortable" retirement but that defies logic too - if you are at work and living on an income of £30K a year there is no way that you suddenly need an additional £10K a year to live on when you stop working but as they say there are "lies, damned lies and statistics"

Posted By: Ruttles, Feb 18, 13:09:16