Your full name
And Address
(You can also add your phone and/or e-address if you
wish)
To the Editor
Your Local or a National Newspaper
XX February
20
Dear Sir
The Commonwealth Games will be
starting soon and we will be hearing much about “fairness” and
“sportsmanship”. People should be aware that whilst this is the public
face of the Games and the Commonwealth the reality is that such notions
are not always adopted by Commonwealth Governments even Britain.
I ask your readers to remember
that for many years now people have been trying to change the UK rule that
causes the British State Retirement Pension to be frozen at the level of
the first payment received by UK pensioners who have left Britain and
settled in a Commonwealth countries including Australia. If they had moved
to the USA or Europe or the Philippines and even Latvia amongst others
they would get the same increases as are paid in the UK.
Half of the 800,000 ex-pat British
Retirement pensioners are affected in this way.
Unlike the Australian aged pension
the British pension is paid for out of a National Insurance Fund. This has
been accumulated over the past half century by everyone paying the same
level of mandatory contributions. It is in effect a compulsory
superannuation scheme. If you worked in Britain for at least 9years even
if part of that time was spent in full time education when you were over
16 you will probably be able to gain access to a part pension at 65.
I am one of the people affected
and I estimate I lose about $….. per annum. *delete if you wish
(alternatively you could say something like “I still get the same pension
I was entitled to in 19**, it has never been increased)
(see note below)
The British Government has
consistently fought all efforts through the courts to rectify this
situation even though the fund has a massive surplus of several billion
pounds. No-one ever tries to defend this discrimination not even the
courts who take the view that it is the British Parliament that made the
rules and it must be Parliament who change it them.
People should enjoy the
Commonwealth Games but please bear in mind that whilst “good sport” and
“fair play” may be the order of the day for those two weeks
“discrimination” and “unfairness” are the reality that many senior people
who worked in Britain face when they move to Nations in the Commonwealth.
Yours sincerely
(If there are two of you add both your signatures) |