My 60-plus freedom pass saves me £15,000 to spend on booze and fags. So why do I think it was bonkers to let me have one?

Like a great many men of my age (though admittedly by no means all), I am financially better off at 60 than I’ve ever been before. My income has never been higher and, with a chunk of the mortgage paid off and only one of our four sons still fully dependent on me, my outgoings have never been lower. Yet this is the extraordinary moment at which my former colleague Boris Johnson has chosen to press on me a free bus and rail pass that will save me £1,913.60 a year on my daily commute — or £3,189.30 of my earnings before tax, which I pay at the higher rate of 40 per cent.
I should stress that this is not a special favour to me, as an old buddy, but a perk on offer to every resident of a London borough who turns 60 — and that’s roughly 10,000 more of us each month. For those who travel longer distances to work, and pay tax at the top rate of 45 per cent, it can be worth hundreds more.

I should also acknowledge that 60+ London Oyster cards are not actually free, except to those of us lucky enough to have them. They are paid for, through higher fares and taxes, by millions of our fellow Londoners — many of them saddled with vast mortgages, struggling to bring up children and generally in a far worse position than I to afford rapidly rising travel costs....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2553532/TOM-UTLEY-My-60-plus-freedom-pass-saves-15-000-spend-booze-fags-So-I-think-bonkers-let-one.html

An interesting perspective but I can portray this another way Tess.

Let me rewrite it using some of my own experience. I and 57 years old and frankly never had it so good. I have spent tens of thousands putting my son through University and at the same time paid tens of thousands in taxes to the govt. My wife has paid many tens of thousands per annum in income tax and has done so for years and will do so for years to come. We've never had it so good because along the way we have always tried to save something for the future. That meant doing without something as we went through life it's a trade off.

We pay Council Tax on two homes though for each we get our bins emptied once every two weeks instead of weekly like we used to. We get no discount on either. Indeed on our second home we don't even get our road or street lighting looked after as it is an unadopted private road. We have asked for and got sweet FA back from the govt for all the years we have been paying high rate tax for decades.

In 3 years time I'll get a buss pass big deal! I shant be using it so it will cost the taxpayer sweet FA

Clarkson wrote:An interesting perspective but I can portray this another way Tess.

Let me rewrite it using some of my own experience. I and 57 years old and frankly never had it so good. I have spent tens of thousands putting my son through University and at the same time paid tens of thousands in taxes to the govt. My wife has paid many tens of thousands per annum in income tax and has done so for years and will do so for years to come. We've never had it so good because along the way we have always tried to save something for the future. That meant doing without something as we went through life it's a trade off.

We pay Council Tax on two homes though for each we get our bins emptied once every two weeks instead of weekly like we used to. We get no discount on either. Indeed on our second home we don't even get our road or street lighting looked after as it is an unadopted private road. We have asked for and got sweet FA back from the govt for all the years we have been paying high rate tax for decades.

In 3 years time I'll get a buss pass big deal! I shant be using it so it will cost the taxpayer sweet FA

But why should 60 year olds get free transport in London? I thought bus passes were only for the retired.

Tess. wrote:

Clarkson wrote:An interesting perspective but I can portray this another way Tess.

Let me rewrite it using some of my own experience. I and 57 years old and frankly never had it so good. I have spent tens of thousands putting my son through University and at the same time paid tens of thousands in taxes to the govt. My wife has paid many tens of thousands per annum in income tax and has done so for years and will do so for years to come. We've never had it so good because along the way we have always tried to save something for the future. That meant doing without something as we went through life it's a trade off.

We pay Council Tax on two homes though for each we get our bins emptied once every two weeks instead of weekly like we used to. We get no discount on either. Indeed on our second home we don't even get our road or street lighting looked after as it is an unadopted private road. We have asked for and got sweet FA back from the govt for all the years we have been paying high rate tax for decades.

In 3 years time I'll get a buss pass big deal! I shant be using it so it will cost the taxpayer sweet FA

But why should 60 year olds get free transport in London?  I thought bus passes were only for the retired.

I looked into this after I saw your post this morning Tess.  I won't be eligible for a free bus pass until I get my state pension which is when I am 67.  Unless it's increased again

Ditto for me BTW now I think about it I have no idea why a sixty year old is getting it. I could be a Daily Mail made up story they are prone to exaggerate.

Thee left say the Mail is RW, I say it is cynical period. It attacks every party.

Clarkson wrote:An interesting perspective but I can portray this another way Tess.

Let me rewrite it using some of my own experience. I and 57 years old and frankly never had it so good. I have spent tens of thousands putting my son through University and at the same time paid tens of thousands in taxes to the govt. My wife has paid many tens of thousands per annum in income tax and has done so for years and will do so for years to come. We've never had it so good because along the way we have always tried to save something for the future. That meant doing without something as we went through life it's a trade off.

We pay Council Tax on two homes though for each we get our bins emptied once every two weeks instead of weekly like we used to. We get no discount on either. Indeed on our second home we don't even get our road or street lighting looked after as it is an unadopted private road. We have asked for and got sweet FA back from the govt for all the years we have been paying high rate tax for decades.

In 3 years time I'll get a buss pass big deal! I shant be using it so it will cost the taxpayer sweet FA

It's all anonymous on here Drinky, but give us all a clue about your family income at it's peak.
Then consider whether you were lower income, middle or high.
You may not feel the need for a free bus pass but for once in your me, me, me selfish, loadsamoney rw life consider those less wealthy and fortunate, who cannot afford a car and depend on a free bus pass.

It aint bankers bonuses levels they are in the millions but we are comfortable. Frankly we are in the band that gets really squeezed if the truly rich gets spooked by Socialist tax raids.

I'm not sure I want to say partly because my wifes salary is her business but we are nearer the top of the middle if you get my meaning.

We've never had enough to feel truly rich but it is along time since I had to refrain from going out for a meal or something similar because I had to think about money. That said we didn't go out all the time even if we cold afford it because we are "Conservatives" we conserve we save.

However Andy it was not always so and it is only since my very early thirties when I began to earn sufficient to feel that way. I have always known the value of money and never been a loads of money waller. Indeed when I was younger my mates used to by me drinks all the time because I never had any money. In later life I repaid that kindness and still do.

You prefer to think of all Tories as Tim Nice but Dim or just nasty probably.

There are many working class Tories and they are a damn sight more energetic that you lefties mate. I count myself as working class I have had to work therefore I'm working class. I think I have told you the most ardent Tory I ever met was a dinner lady she was mustard mate.

It aint bankers bonuses levels they are in the millions but we are comfortable. Frankly we are in the band that gets really squeezed if the truly rich gets spooked by Socialist tax raids.

I'm not sure I want to say partly because my wifes salary is her business but we are nearer the top of the middle if you get my meaning.

We've never had enough to feel truly rich but it is along time since I had to refrain from going out for a meal or something similar because I had to think about money. That said we didn't go out all the time even if we cold afford it because we are "Conservatives" we conserve we save.

However Andy it was not always so and it is only since my very early thirties when I began to earn sufficient to feel that way. I have always known the value of money and never been a loads of money waller. Indeed when I was younger my mates used to by me drinks all the time because I never had any money. In later life I repaid that kindness and still do.

You prefer to think of all Tories as Tim Nice but Dim or just nasty probably.

There are many working class Tories and they are a damn sight more energetic that you lefties mate. I count myself as working class I have had to work therefore I'm working class. I think I have told you the most ardent Tory I ever met was a dinner lady she was mustard mate.