Vince Cable, paid £134k a year, won’t hand over his winter fuel allowance

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Vince Cable, paid £134k a year, won’t hand over his winter fuel allowance

January 1st, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

By
Tim Shipman

Last updated at 9:48 AM on 21st December 2011

Business Secretary Vince Cable will not be giving up his fuel allowance

Vince Cable refused to give up his
winter fuel payment last night despite calls for wealthy pensioners to
give the £200 handout to the less well off.

The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, 68, earns £134,565 a year but says he will not pay back the state handout.

He also said he would oppose means
testing of the benefit which puts him in conflict with party leader Nick
Clegg who has called for pensioner benefits such as free bus passes and
TV licences to be dropped for the better off.

Mr Cable made his admission in an
online chat with the Gransnet website. Asked if he had paid back his
winter fuel allowance, he replied: ‘I haven’t given it back. But I do a
lot for charities anyway.’

He added: ‘People like me don’t need
it, but we have to be careful about rushing into more means testing. The
system is already complicated enough.’

Thousands of better off pensioners
have already donated their winter payments to a scheme being run by the
Community Foundation Network and Saga. They include public figures such
as Sir David Jason and Sir Terry Wogan.

The cash is paid directly to
help the poorest OAPs who are struggling with soaring fuel prices in a
year when winter fuel payments have been slashed.

The handout for the over-80s has been cut from £400 to £300 and for the under-80s from £250 to £200.

Mr Cable said he won't be sending any conservative MPs cards but looked forward to 'getting back to business' with them in the New Year

Mr Cable said he won’t be sending any conservative MPs cards but looked forward to ‘getting back to business’ with them in the New Year

Saga general secretary Ros Altmann
said: ‘Obviously, no one is obliged to give their winter fuel payment
back but I do think it’s quite disappointing. It would be nice if
politicians would lead by example.’

The Business Secretary’s comments
follow a plea from welfare reform minister Lord Freud for wealthy
pensioners to donate their winter fuel allowance to charity.

Lord Freud confirmed during an
exchange in the House of Lords that he is one of the half a million
higher-rate taxpayers entitled to the payments.

Mr Cable also used his interview with Gransnet to attack his Tory coalition partners.

He revealed that not one Tory MP has made it on to his Christmas card list and suggested he had only ever imagined the possibility of a deal with the Conservatives in his ‘nightmares’.

Mr Cable said: ‘I’m sending no Christmas cards to Tory MPs, but I look forward to getting back to business working with them in the New Year.’

Asked if he had ever imagined in his ‘wildest dreams’ that he would end up in coalition with the Conservatives, he said: ‘No, except as a nightmare!

But the best way of dealing with nightmares isn’t to hide under the sheets but to get up and deal directly with the things we feared.’

To donate your winter fuel allowance
go to www.localgiving.com/saga or send a cheque, made payable to the
Surviving Winter Appeal, to Surviving Winter Appeal, Community
Foundation Network, 12 Angel Gate, 320-326 City Road, London EC1V 2PT.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

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Anyone of pensionable age who has PAID their taxes is entitled to these allowances! Some people are just better at managing money than others so just because they have more money in their bank they should NOT be penalised. I was employed all my working life, as was my husband (he was in the Army for 28yrs too), but we planned for our retirement. Good thing we did because the state pension is rubbish!

– Lady of the House, Anywhere n Everywhere, 22/12/2011 09:12

What Clegg actually said was “We should be asking millionaire pensioners to perhaps make a little sacrifice on their free TV licence or their free bus passes”. Vince Cable is not, I believe, a millioniare and this does not put him in conflict with his party leader. Those of the “me-me-me” generation who want to show what they really think of their parents should perhaps remember that in May 2010 over 75% of over 65s actually voted. Compare this with 44% of 18-24 year olds.

– Mark P , London, 22/12/2011 08:39

You could say the same about thousands of well off pensioners so why pick on Vince Cable?

– Steve , Oxford, 22/12/2011 07:58

It doesn’t need to be means tested, it just needs to be automatically paid to those in receipt of the pension credit. Cuts out beurocracy and form filling, saves money.
Cable hs revealed himself a small minded twerp with comments about his christmas card list. I have friends of different political persuasion, but I’m still capable of maintaining a relationship. He clearly suffers deep prejudice.

– me, here, 22/12/2011 07:31

I was under the impression that benefits over and above the state pension were there for the NEEDY….obviously not, they are there for the GREEDY!

– MS, England, 22/12/2011 07:27

First start by only paying heating allowance to those who reside in the UK.
Bus passes should only be valid in county of issue (not nationally) , restricted to off peak use with a fixed 50p charge for each trip.
As for TV license scrap it alltogether and privatise the BBC.
Means testing is a very unfair system, if you contributed towards it you should get it, many with bus pass use their cars and many can not walk far enough to use the busses if they have walking disabilities.

– Contax, Brigg, UK, 22/12/2011 00:07

Totally agree with Harvey Henry regarding extending it to include other vulnerable groups. The problem with means testing is the unrealistic cut off points. But I certainly think a higher rate tax payer doesn’t need it.

– Chrissue, Yorkshire, 21/12/2011 23:02

He’s probably right to do it as insurance for his debatable future

– FJ Thorley, Stoke-on-Trent. England., 21/12/2011 21:33

Says it all about Cable perhaps hes saving for his nursing home charges when they put him out to Grass? A Typical Lib Dem Hypocrite hiding behind Tory Policies!

– silverspurs, hove uk, 21/12/2011 21:31

Time to put income and, particularly, UK residency limits on a benefit that was brought in to cut hyperthermia among the poor elderly. Surprised Osborne has not done this already.

– Me, here2., UK, 21/12/2011 19:56

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