Excuse me?
Every single one of these people receiving a part aged pension will continue to do so – it will just not be in the form of cash into their bank accounts.
Under Abbott’s sleight-of-hand the announced changes will lose them the small fortnightly cash transfers some currently receive, but they will all retain the highly financially lucrative seniors health card – a benefit worth thousands of dollars a year to the average retiree.
If you want proof of this just look at the paltry savings the Abbott Government is supposedly garnering from the this measure – a total of est. $177.7 million each year over the next four years.
An estimated 91,000 of those independent retirees (some of them millionaires) who structured their post-retirement assets, tax-free superannuation lump sums and income streams to allow themselves a regular federal government welfare payment and/or benefit, will lose their Centrelink cash transfer, but retain the right to bulk-billed medical services, heavily subsidised pharmaceuticals, subsidised public transport travel, telephone account concessions and, energy supplements etc via retention of the seniors health card.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Treasurer Joe Hockey, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and the rest of their far-fight rabble must think Australian voters are fools if they expect them to swallow this politically convenient stop-gap measure aimed at neatly sidestepping the need for superannuation tax status reform.
4 comments:
A health Card worth "thousands of dollars a year" - now that is absurd, for healthy retirees I'd suggest it might be worth $100 max.
Anonymous [12:37],
The Seniors Health Card can also be used for concessional rail travel on Great Southern Rail services, such as The Indian Pacific, The Ghan, and The Overland, and in some instances, extra health, household, transport, education, and recreation concessions that are offered by state or territory and local governments and private businesses.
A Seniors Health Card holder can also apply for the a concession on electricity charges in some states.
Perhaps it'd be nice if you referenced where you got your info clarencegirl - http://www.superguide.com.au/how-super-works/are-you-eligible-for-a-commonwealth-seniors-health-card
In NSW you get very little for your Seniors Health Card, absolutely nothing more than what you get for your NSW Seniors Card.
Who on earth will "save thousands" by getting discounted tickets on a few long distance rail tickets, classic example of having to spend to save and the so-called saving isn't much.
You get NO electricity discounts, phone discounts, rates discounts etc etc.
As I said before, your claim that it's worth "thousands of dollars a year" is just a classic exaggeration, then again never let the truth get in the way of a good story eh?"
Actually Anonymous, I took my information from government websites (including state websites) and Centrelink at http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/commonwealth-seniors-health-card under Concessions and Discounts for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
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