EMIGRATION of British State Pensioners

To go to the beginning and to the  INDEX click here

The statistics on the world wide distribution of British State Pensioners has been published for  
MAY 2012 (on March 1st 2013).
See the original tabulation here -click
Certain information has been selected and tabulated below.  This publication follows various other postings of a similar nature on this site. See notably http://pensionersdebout.blogspot.fr/2011/11/british-pensioners-leave-britain-yet.html
The Index to this site lists others equally relevant.

The above table selects certain countries and the migration of British pensioners is listed and sorted according to the figures in the right hand column.  This column gives the PERCENTAGE change in migration in the LAST YEAR 2011-2012
The countries which hold the largest NUMBER are in order
Australia , Canada, USA, Ireland, then Spain and France.
In the last year five countries have seen a decrease - Four of those have frozen pensions.
Two significant countries with frozen pensions have seen increases - India and New Zealand.
The Netherlands and Switzerland have seen the highest %  change in the last year.
Spain, France and Ireland have experienced the greatest increase in actual numbers over the decade.
Pakistan and Jamaica show a remarkable % drop over the decade, but the number in Pakistan is relatively low.
The factors which influence this migration are quite varied.  Financial, Family, and Cultural and Social conditions must play a part but differ from country to country and from individual to individual.
About 9.4 % of all State Pensioners now live beyond the UK.  If all the countries of the World are included there were in May 2012 -about 1,202,620 State Pensioners resident abroad.
These pensioners are mostly subject to decisions of the British Government (if not the resident citizens! of Britain.)
Those in Europe will have a ghastly shock if Britain pulled out of the European Union. All 450,000 of them, including the smaller countries.
Those in the further Commonwealth have long suffered the problems of frozen pensions and probably that is why the numbers in some of these countries is declining.
All should have a democratic voice in the decisions of Parliament which affect them.
To do so they should be aware of the petition given below and sign up!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43238

Expatriates Frozen.

 Frozen in Canada.   A Story of Our British Country Folk.     How you can help.

Many years ago I stood near the bridge which separates the USA from Canada and I admired the magnificence of the Niagara  Falls.  No doubt today there are British pensioners  living on both sides of that Bridge, but they would be foolish indeed to live in Canada, because their State Retirement pension would be frozen at the level at which they emigrated.  But, perhaps one such elderly couple is there because their daughter had moved there years before. She and her family have a large Canadian house and she feels more able than her brother still living in Woking, England, to care for her parents.
Their son and his family in England, have a small modern house scarcely 18 feet wide on a Wimpey estate and with their own children to care for, there is not the space for his parents.   The parents are concerned for his welfare and the education of  their grandchildren and all the social welfare system of the UK.

So!   What has this story to do with you?  Two elements - firstly  the  situation of  the representation to Parliament of the elderly couple who will have powerful links for the rest of their lives with the social systems of Britain, and secondly the gross unfairness of their frozen pensions just because they need to live in Canada, rather than the USA, or stayed in Britain.

In both matters they are  unfairly treated by the Government of their homeland.  After 15 years they have no representation in England,  although they remain deeply concerned about the welfare of their son and his family, and they remain dependent for their State pensions on Britain, and the husband's police pension and its taxation, for he served in the police force in Guildford.
So in 2011 these grandparents are concerned - you bet! of course they are!
So they add their names to two petitions.  One on their frozen vote and the other on their frozen pension.  If they had the vote they may influence the pension!

http://votes-for-expat-brits.com.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/16387

They are British Citizens.  In spite of all the knocks which their own British Government direct at them, they remain proud to be British.  They come from families of humble origins*, but with guts and courage have survived the vicissitudes of the past 80 years and their children have tried in spirit to follow in their footsteps. 

*their parents supported Labour!

Australia.   I read of a retired engineer there aged 81, whose Old Age Pension is only £18 a week, because it is frozen.  Those expatriates who live in Australia have signed in their hundreds both of the petitions. This week the number of British Pensioners outside the EU (particularly in Australia) who have signed the petition on the frozen vote exceeds those pensioners in Europe who have signed the same petition. 

So what does all this mean to you?     In the cause of British solidarity, just as the Australians (one hopes that the Canadians will follow suit) have voted to thaw both the frozen vote and the frozen pensions, so all Britons everywhere should support both causes. 
Please sign up on both petitions.   And copy this on to other British pensioners, expatriates and indeed those remaining in our homeland.

Other Information.  You may wish to write to a British MP - You can find a list and thus their email addresses via the following link
http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
It is believed that the LibDems are against extending the 15 year vote, but are for unfreezing pensions. They are a major influence in the Coalition Government.
The Conservatives seem to be for unfreezing the vote but possibly against unfreezing the pensions.  There is no indication of Labour leanings, but they can surely be influenced?  Leaders are - LibDems - Nick Clegg;  Labour - Ed Miliband; Conservatives - David Cameron.

Brian Cave - organiser

Unfair Financial Burden for retired Britons in France

To go to the INDEX and start - click here

Other 'posts' on this blog deal with the substance of this.
Consider an elderly couple who retired to France before 1998. We will call them Mr and Mrs. Briton.  He is now over 80  and was a teacher.

1. His teacher's pension is (in euros) 24,000 euros, which is entirely taxed in Britain. This tax is 2627 euros (equivalent of £2285.5).  This sum would be zero if this income (as a sole income) were taxed in France. see note a/.

2. Because they retired to France before the institution of the Winter Fuel Payment they do not receive it.  This amounts to £300 at present for the over 80s = 344 euros

3. They need to find 1500 euros minimum for top-up health insurance. EU law decreees that the UK is the Competent State to carry the costs of their health care. But it does not happen.

How much do they lose out taking on board EU law?

The total they appear miss out on and/or have to find is 2627+344+1500 = 4471 euros. But note later- we need to take in their other pension - The State Retirement Pension, which is their only other income. Although taxable in France it is too little to attract more tax.

If EU law on health costs as it appears to be written was observed  they would have no health costs. see note b/.

IF all their income were taxed in France then one has to include their joint State retirement pension (11640 euros) in the calculations of taxable income in France. The French Tax bill would be  1812 euros.  This is 815 euros less than their existing UK tax bill.  The amount they lose out on then has to be recalculated as   815+344+1500 = 2659 euros

So, if all were really fair for this elderly British couple they would have an extra 2659 euros a year to enjoy life.

When they retired the exchange rate between £ and France was very favourable and these financial matters were not particularly important. Since then the £ has collapsed and they are watching the centimes.

Notes .. a. link to posting  .  'Taxation- in-France-& -UK'  ........................
          b. see EU Regulation 883/2004 Article 24. Link 'Health Costs Legal Position'