Sunak sent stern warning over selling 'pipe dream' Triple Lock Plus to win over pensioners

Rishi Sunak's pledge to raise the personal tax allowance for pensioners, dubbed the "Triple Lock Plus" pledge, is the latest salvo in the Conservative election campaign - but not all Express readers are impressed.

Currently, the personal allowance for income tax stands at £12,570 a year and this has remained frozen for several years. Under Sunak's plans, a pensioner's allowance would rise in line with eith either average earnings, inflation or by 2.5 per cent - whichever is higher - from next April.

This would see their taxes cut by around £100 next year when Sunak vows to introduce the pledge, rising to almost £300 by the end of the decade.

Sunak's Triple Lock Pledge is meant to appeal to voters of pension age, but not all Express readers in the comments section think it's such a good idea.

Reader Dave1456 welcomes the pledge: “Hopefully it's true and not a pipe dream. Paid tax all my life and soon to retire this year, why should we have pay tax again when we've finished work?”

Commenter Broony56 writes: “Pension shouldn’t be taxed at all, as many pensioners have paid their tax dues during the 40/50 years they have worked.”

The latest campaign pledge is not enough for some, like Michaeltaker - “The £900 a year triple lock increase may seem a lot to some, but my rent went up £1461 per year! Then there are all the other increases. I pay some tax because I have a small private pension. This extra tax allowance will make little difference to me.”

Petedcab says: “The problem with this is it only helps the better-off pensioners, the ones with pensions from their employers or private pensions or who have carried on working and pay tax."

"It does nothing for the less well off pensioners trying to exist on the state pension alone which is about half of the minimum living wage, which the government says is the minimum income you need to live reasonably comfortably in this country. Unless of course you're a pensioner and then you should be grateful for a pittance.”

Screamingmadwitch says: “Sunak… what pensioners need, particularly those stuck at the bottom end of the scale, is a decent Living Pension equal to a Living Wage.”

SAVENHS writes: “Most pensioners want their grandchildren to have a future. Most can see past this election bribe.”

Is a "Living Pension" a good idea? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.