This one has been on the cards for years, but it is nevertheless very welcome, the nonsense of building up double (and more payments) helped create the welfare trap that discouragees people from working.
Joan Burton 'to end double welfare pay' - National News - Independent.ie

Now let's have some means testing of welfare and the perks enjoyed by OAPs.

The next 6 months will make or break this government and i think they will fall over the budget , labour are doing a lot of in fighting.

OAP's are getting away with murder. Not literally.
Charge them €50 a year for their travel pass.
€10 for doctor visits.
€2 for medication across the board.

These are still great value comparing what the rest of the pop. pays and yet would save millions.

Shame on labour. Hopefully this will be the final straw for them. Let's all hope they get destroyed by their own infighting.

Originally Posted by ruserious

OAP's are getting away with murder. Not literally.
Charge them €50 a year for their travel pass.
€10 for doctor visits.
€2 for medication across the board.

These are still great value comparing what the rest of the pop. pays and yet would save millions.

My dad and mam are OAP's and are barely getting by. Dad worked all his life paying tax when it was 60% but hey yeah let's pay the bondholders back and the fat cat political leaders/civil servents mega bucks and he can go swing.

Originally Posted by ruserious

OAP's are getting away with murder. Not literally.
Charge them €50 a year for their travel pass.
€10 for doctor visits.
€2 for medication across the board.

These are still great value comparing what the rest of the pop. pays and yet would save millions.

That would be a good start. A €50 charge for travel pass for one person or something like €75 for a companion pass would be a good start. EVERYONE on "free travel" should be making a contribution to this facility and €50 a year is quite fair.

I'd also get rid of the free TV licence and replace it with a nominal charge of something like €25 a year.

Originally Posted by Crazy horse 6

My dad and mam are OAP's and are barely getting by. Dad worked all his life paying tax when it was 60% but hey yeah let's pay the bondholders back and the fat cat political leaders/civil servents mega bucks and he can go swing.

The decision to pay the bondholder back was wrong and the broken promises on "burden sharing" made by FG even more frustrating, but "we are where we are". That money is gone. We now need to balance the books and not depend on borrowing to pay for day to day expenditure. OAP perks are one element. I agree that there should be a salary cap in the public service, but every little bit helps and this long overdue step buy Burton should be celebrated.

Originally Posted by Keith-M

This one has been on the cards for years, but it is nevertheless very welcome, the nonsense of building up double (and more payments) helped create the welfare trap that discouragees people from working.

Originally Posted by Irish Independent

"Those most at risk of being cut are the 21,000 people on a half-rate carer's allowance of around €102 per week."

Yes, it's those people on the carer's allowance that are holding the country back. They should get back to work, yadda, yadda...

There's a good case for a single welfare payment, but it's typical Keith-M to present it this in tabloid terms as cracking down on those who choose not to work.

Originally Posted by ruserious

OAP's are getting away with murder. Not literally.
Charge them €50 a year for their travel pass.
€10 for doctor visits.
€2 for medication across the board.

These are still great value comparing what the rest of the pop. pays and yet would save millions.

I'd be a lot harder and means tests it, but yeah that's a step in the right direction.

The OAP's are the one group that have largely got away from pain this recession and although there are many OAP's who are struggling, there's also many who are very wealthy and enjoy all the same perks (or nearly all the same perks) as the poor ones. It's a crazy situation and a result of FF buying votes over the years and this government at least so far not being willing to take them on because they all vote and there's a an awful lot of them, which is actually another problem in itself.

Originally Posted by Crazy horse 6

My dad and mam are OAP's and are barely getting by. Dad worked all his life paying tax when it was 60% but hey yeah let's pay the bondholders back and the fat cat political leaders/civil servents mega bucks and he can go swing.

I was still in school when the blanket guarantee was made. Is it fair I'll be paying this off for the rest of my working life?