Should the Winter Fuel Allowance be means tested?
As part of the plan to help fund the Social Care crisis, Teresa May is proposing to have the Winter Fuel allowance means tested.
The Winter Fuel Payment is a key pensioner benefit which gives people up to £300 a year tax-free to help pay heating bills. The Conservatives say this is the largest benefit paid to pensioners and will now be targeted at those who are least well-off.
More than 12million pensioners claimed the payment of between £100 and £300 last year – but it will no longer be available to all if the Tories win the general election
Currently, the Winter Fuel Allowance is given to all pensioners regardless of how wealthy they are.
Means testing the Winter Fuel Allowance could lead to hundreds of millions of pounds worth of savings, and the money would be used to help fund Social Care.
What are your views? Do you think means testing the Winter Fuel Allowance makes economic sense? Is this a fair way to help fund the Social Care crisis?
