By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 21 Aug 2013 • 13:56
British expatriates whose state pension has never increased want Britain suspended from the commonwealth.
Over a million British pensioners have retired abroad, many of whom receive the same amount of state pension as those residing in Britain. However others have had their pension frozen at their date of retirement and receive as little as
But others had their pension frozen at the date of retirement, meaning they receive as little as €8 a week.
Those living in Spain and up to fifty other countries including France and the United States receive the same state pension as their British counterparts amounting to around €130 a week.
But for countries outside of the listed fifty including Canada, New Zealand and Pakistan their pension is capped to that of the day they retired.
According to sources some 550,000 British expatriates have retired in countries where UK state pensions do not increase with inflation, many of who are unaware that upon leaving the UK, in spite of paying equal contributions, they will receive far smaller payout than others.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
This is a scandal that has been allowed too long to continue as Britain has used an old outdated law behind the skirts of which its hides a mean miserly approach to treating its citizens who wish, as people do now to migrate around the world to retire often to join their families or return home having worked in Britain, to their original homelands, thus saving Britain ãbillions in otherwise having to support them bask in the UK with increasing national health costs as they age, winter power subsidies, free bus passes, free pensioner prescriptions!
The British pensions Minister while in opposition decried this policy and yet supports it now he is in power. These expatriate Britons with frozen pensions save the British Government and taxpayer way more than unfreezing their pensions would cost. The very elderly are the most impacted, somer receiving pensions of under ã10 a week when they would receive ã110 if just they lived in another country, like the United States. This affects British residents of Andorra, Monaco etc., also.
So tell us all how many countries in the EU discriminate against their citizens who choose to live outside of the EU not counting the UK ? Do I hear silence ?Why do the UK government have to uprate a;; pensioners resident in the EU ?Oh but the European Court of Human Rights condoned this treatment did’nt they by denying any wrong doing ?If they were the recipients of a frozen pension they would see things differently I’m sure.Discrimination like this is ok as long as it is done by the government but not by a private pension provider. it would appear. And this is justice – European style I suppose unless you know different ?
It`s not just expats pensions that need updating what about the of women expats that paid a married reduced stamp,because they were bringing up several children as well as working,unable at the time to afford the full stamp. I am one of those women who at one time only recieved 40pence a week pension. It was not until my husband passed away that I could claim off his pension. I still live in Spain and am currently in receipt of 88 sterling which is a real struggle to manage. Now the gov ernment are talking about stopping our winter fuel payment. Contrary to a lot of peoples thinking, in Spain from October to March it is very cold,the houses here are not insulated. I live in an old Finca where the walls are thick,sometimes during winter it`s warmer outside than in the house. How is it possible for immigrants who have never paid into the system to arrive in U.K. and get more money than the U.K`countryman who have paid into the system all their lives.I do not get a payment i.e.pension credit to enable me tolive or help with my outgoings. It`s about time the government started looking after their own pensioners who worked and paid all their lives to get a living pensionwhen they retired. My husband never lived long enough to recieve his pension. I am not a against helping anyonewho needs it,but believe expats living on the breadline need help too.
Comments are closed.
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.