Wizard wrote:I voted something else, that something else would be a cut in the level of State pension and an immediate introduction of means testing with only those that need the State pension continuing to receive it.
What about a case where someone worked for (say) 15 years and then had to stop due to illness or being laid off. Now suppose that person made sacrifices to continue to buy NICs for another 15 to 20 years in order to qualify for the maximum state pension amount.
Do you propose that that person then lose 100% of that pension because of means testing? Including the proportion of it that he paid for out of his own pocket in the reasonable belief that the government would honour its commitments?
The problem with your idea is that treats the state pension as just another welfare handout, when in reality it is completely different because it is earned via contributions. In other words it is more like an insurance contract than a welfare handout. Pension credit, on the other hand, boosts the pension of those who have not bought the stamps, and that is rightly means tested.