Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court
Main Page: Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court (Crossbench - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court's debates with the HM Treasury
Winter Fuel Payment
Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court (CB)
My Lords, as the Minister knows, I did not welcome this decision. Turning to principles, does he agree that cliff edges in the tax and benefits system are undesirable? Can he explain whether, when a pensioner’s income moves from £34,999 to £35,000, support will be tapered away, or whether £1 in extra income will result in a £300 loss of winter fuel allowance?
Lord Livermore (Lab)
I am grateful to the noble Lord for his question. He knows much more about the tax and benefits system than I do, I suspect, having spent many more years working on it than me. The answer to his question is that it is the latter: it is up to and including £35,000, so it will be at £35,001 where that happens. At that point, they will lose the winter fuel payment in its entirety.