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How Nice. Just checked my bank account. DWP have paid my winter fuel allowance in today.
I feel a few trips out to the Sun coming on. 
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JB
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Until last year, people living abroad were only entitled to the winter fuel allowance if they emigrated when they were over the age of 60.
However, a ruling by the European Court of Justice last year means Britain could be forced to pay the benefit to all 440,000 ex-pat pensioners, at a potential cost of more than £100million.
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JB
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And because of this ruling it would appear the entitlement to people living abroad will soon finish.
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El Alamillo:- However, a ruling by the European Court of Justice last year means Britain could be forced to pay the benefit to all 440,000 ex-pat pensioners, at a potential cost of more than £100million.
Not strictly true.
The CJEU decision – the Lucy Stewart case – concerned entitlement to Incapacity Benefit by a young woman with Downs Syndrome, who at the age of ten moved with her parents to live in Spain.
It had nothing directly to do with WFP, however, as the result of that finding, the DWP concluded that WFP should be paid to us living abroad.
Based on that argument, that is, that the law did not change only the interpretation of it, I am in communication with DWP hoping to pursued them that we, who previous to the Stewart finding were not paid the allowance, should get the WFA for the back years too.
However, as there was no change in the law, it is possible they could, on other legal advice, change that decission again.
P.S. I called the DWP a couple of weeks ago and they said those who received the WFA last year do not need to claim again as they will automatically get the payment this year.
This message was last edited by johnzx on 20/11/2013.
This message was last edited by johnzx on 20/11/2013.
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Probabaly wrong on this but i thought that the UK government had changed the rules, to, something like if the coldest months in your area of Spain are 3 degree's warmer the the UK's coldest months you dont get it.
Like i say not to sure if this correct.
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El amillo-you could always donate your WFP to charity!
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My WFA paid into my account this morning... just in time to pay my Oct / Nov leccy bill... received 230€... bill is for 238€. We didnt have an autumn this year just a rapid and very noticeable switch from Summer to Winter. Siiting here with an oil-filled radiator ticking way on its thermostat ... bedroom heating on from around 7pm to take the chill off. Been using leccy blanket for the the last three weeks.
My message to those politicians who want to withdraw our WFA... it's warmer on the South Coast of England than here in the Granada Campo during the winter... so if you are going to stop ours, why not those who live in the UK south of a line from the Thames to the Severn....
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http://www.facebook.com/ruido.blanco.773
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Baz, the temperature ruling will take effect from 2015.
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WFA
Whilst we all are moaning about the fact that we will probably lose the WFA in 2015 it is interesting to look at the mindset of the politicians who set it up.
When it was being discussed the government of the day thought that they should increase the meagre state pension as they had a little extra 'cash' available. So the burned the midnight oil and said that if we increase the basic pension by this £200, next year we will have to increase it again by RPI or 2.5% whichever is greater and so on indefinitely. This caused a lot of head scratching and then some bright spark said I know lets give the pensioners a set amount each year without there ever being any increase because of inflation. They then said that there are a few intelligent people out there so lets give them a small sop to stop them bitching. So they decided to make it TAX FREE. This then appeased the better off i.e. politicians as everyone would get the £200 but the richer over 60's (MP's) would not lose 40% tax so they gained an extra £80 in their pockets. So the WFA was born.
Understand this the WFA has absolutely nothing to do with giving the poor over 60's money for their fuel. It is like saying that the road fund licence should only be spent on roads! If it was then we would not get the cash but we would have some form of voucher which we would give to our energy supplier to offset our winter fuel bills. It is simply an additional amount to supplement our meagre state pensions. We have all paid into the system so why does it matter where you live as to whether you receive it or not. On the governments thinking surely those in colder climes should get more and those in the 'warmer' south of England should get less.
Another question is why does the WFA come in at age 60 when we can not retire until 67 or whenever? Surely it would be much simpler just to 'add on' the WFA to those in receipt of their state pensions. This would mean that the working 60+ year olds who 'do not need it' would not receive it and it would only go to the people who are not working and trying to survive on their pensions.
As virtually all of us outside the U.K. who, at the moment, get this very generous £200 are on state pensions we have to 'suffer' the fluctuations of currency exchange. Over the year this will actually vary more than the £200 WFA. Why aren't we 'up in arms' over this loss/gain every time we export our money?
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Stephen
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Steone, totally agree and state similar in that WFA has zilch to do with its name otherwise it would never have been given to the highest and lowest in the land tax free. But merely contrived plan as the state pension was being increased by a pittance. This and the previous gift of the £10 Christmas bonus were instigated merely as "vote" catchers. There is a special fuel allowance benefit that can be claimed by those in UK.
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Steone: It is like saying that the road fund licence .............................
Oops ! Did you mean the Vehicle Excise Licence? (which has not been used for road upkeep since 1937).
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Have no need for WFA now as I have just received a private message...via this site...to say an American relative has left me $1,000,000 in his will !!!! Unfortunately they forgot to mention that to collect it they will probably require me to send then $2,000,000 first. Sorry wasn't born yesterday . But you have to laugh.
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Hi. Just decided to donate my WFA to Ryanair and Mr O’Leary after hearing that their profits are down for this year. It covered 3 1/2 cut price return flights out to Spain for early 2014.
This message was last edited by El alamillo on 22/11/2013.
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JB
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Just had a re-think.
About this time of the year, older taxpayers will again be receiving another 'Winter Fuel’ payment. This is indeed a very exciting programme, and I'll explain it by using a Q & A format:
Q. What is a 'Winter Fuel’ payment?
A. It is money that the government will send to taxpayers
Q. Where will the government get this money?
Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is for you to use the money to purchase gas and electricity...or a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy
Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?
Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the U.K. Economy by spending your 'Winter Fuel’ cheque wisely:
* If you spend the money at Asda or Tesco, the money will go to Gibraltar, Ireland & Luxemburg
*If you spend it on Amazon your money will go Lichtenstein
*If you spend it on ebay your money will go Ireland
* If you spend it on petrol your money will go to the Arabs
* If you purchase a computer it will go to India, Taiwan or China
* If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go toKenya, Spain, or Morocco
* If you spend it in your corner “Asian mini-mart” no tax will be paid, it will be used in drug deals and eventually will be conveyed to Pakistan in a large suitcase.
* If you spend it on “cheap” cigs it will end up in Rumania or Bulgaria
* If you give it to Oxfam 20% only will go abroad and 80% will remain in the hands of the administrators, who will spend it on fact finding missions to Cayman Islands, Thailand & Mauritius.
* If you buy an efficient car it will go to Japan or Korea
* If you buy a luxury car it will go to India or Germany
* If you pay off your credit cards or buy shares, it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore
Instead, keep the money in the UK by:
1. Spending it at car boot sales
3. Spending it on call girls
4. Buying cider, beer or scotch
5. Getting yourself a Tattoo
(These are the only UK businesses still operating in the U.K. )
Go to a night club with a tattooed call girl that you met at a car boot sale and drink beer day and night ! It’s the patriotic thing to do.
No need to thank me...just glad I could be of help.
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JB
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The WFP is good for those who NEED it -surprised it's not subject to means testing.It's not intended to be a bit of extra pocket money for wealthy ex pats.
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You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
Pension Credit
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Pension Credit.
Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and have any of the following:
- a disability or pensioner premium
- a child who is disabled
- Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- a child under 5 living with you
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get income-related ESA and have any of the following:
- the support or work-related component of ESA
- a severe or enhanced disability premium
- a pensioner premium
- a child who is disabled
- Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- a child under 5 living with you
Universal Credit
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Universal Credit, you’re not employed or self employed and one of the following apply:
- you get a limited capability for work element (with or without a work-related activity element)
- you get the disabled child element in your claim
- you have a child under 5 living with you
You’ll also be eligible if you have a disabled child element in your claim, whether you are employed or not.
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John, you can tell people this until you are blue in the face that like Heath in 1972 ,with his introduction of the £10 " Christmas bonus" (worth then almost £100 today ) and copied by Brown in 1997 under the guise of the aptly named WFA, was merely a vote catcher as state pensions had fallen well behind inflation. Otherwise neither would have been given, Carte Blanche, and tax free to those of pensionable age. Meanwhile those who cannot be bothered to check out the facts will continue to " discuss" infinitum. Personally think both should be recorded under ..any other income..on tax forms then at least Government would get some money back from those definitely not in need of it plus it is an easy opt out not to pay anyone who is also obligated to be a tax resident of another country. This message was last edited by floella on 23/11/2013.
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Floella
....................... think both should be recorded under .. any other income ..on tax forms then at least Government would get some money back from those definitely not in need it ..... BUT who are the ones actually paying for it in their taxes ! Better still no one should get it.
I think that all so called 'benefits' should be called what they are Charitable Payments, paid for by those who pay tax.
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Camposol,
You said...the WFP is good for those who NEED it -surprised it's not subject to means testing.It's not intended to be a bit of extra pocket money for wealthy ex pats.
IMHO virtually everyone people NEEDS IT. Money is useful for paying the bills, which forever seem to be increasing. Some folks need may be less than others, but where do you draw the line?
Virtually all public sector and utility bills include a "social costs" element these days and it seems a bit pointless to work hard and pay taxes for benefits that don't materialise due to the goal posts being moved.
Also all this tinkering with the tax and benefit system just creates the need for more civil servants - another expense we can do without. The amount involved is not vaguely worth means testing - it should be either kept as it is, or scrapped.
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Don't argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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Don't forget the rubbish government has cut down the amount they hand out, £250.00 is now £200.00, but worse then that for the older folks it was £400.00 now it's £300.00, and the older folks are the ones who need it the most, so they chop the most of.
The same rubbish government can okay fuel payments in excess of £3000.00 for ministers second homes though
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