HUNDREDS of struggling pensioners could receive a one-off voucher worth £100 to help with their energy bills this winter.

It follows the government’s decision to make winter fuel payments means-tested.

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The Older Adults Winter Support programme by Peterborough City Council is aimed to help around 1,000 of the most vulnerable pensioners in the area.

The scheme, which is funded by the Household Support Fund, will be accepting applications until March.

To be eligible, applicants must be aged 65 or over and live alone or with another person aged 65 or over.

They must have a household income of less than £320 per week, with savings of £10,000 or less – with proof provided.

And they must not be eligible for Pension Credit.

To apply for the scheme, which is run in partnership with Age UK, pensioners should contact the charity’s Cambridgeshire and Peterborough branch.

The charity will then assess each claim, and suggest alternative forms of winter support if applicable.

Labour councillor Alison Jones said: “With winter just around the corner, we wanted to do something to specifically help older people who may be struggling and feeling vulnerable right now.”

Many other councils around the country are using the Household Support Fund to give one-off payments to vulnerable pensioners.

For example, Norfolk County Council is giving out one-off payments of £120.

Charities are also giving out gadgets such as air-fryers and heated blankets to help those struggling with energy bills.

Labour’s decision to scrap winter fuel payments was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves earlier this year.

However, the support will still be available to those on certain benefits – including Pension Credit, income support, tax credits and Universal Credit.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that eligible households will receive payments from November through to December.

To apply for the Older Adults Winter Support, call 01733 564 185 or email pbws@ageukcap.org.uk.

What is the Winter Fuel Payment?

Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains all you need to know about the payment.

The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help cover the cost of heating through the colder months.

Most who are eligible receive the payment automatically.

Those who qualify are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.

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If you do meet the criteria but don’t automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.

You’ll qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment this winter if:

• you were born on or before September 23, 1958
• you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known as the “qualifying week”
• you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit

If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both the following apply:

• you live in Switzerland or a EEA country
• you have a “genuine and sufficient” link with the UK social security system, such as having lived or worked in the UK and having a family in the UK

But there are exclusions – you can’t get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain.

This is because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.

You will also not qualify if you:

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• are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
• need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you can not claim public funds
• were in prison for the whole “qualifying week”
• lived in a care home for the whole time between 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Payments are usually made between November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.

Amazon Prime’s New Gas Discount: Save Big at the Pump with Your Membership!

Amazon Prime just rolled out an exciting new perk: a 10-cent discount on gasoline! This latest addition is designed to bring even more value to Prime members while addressing a common concern—fuel costs. Here’s everything you need to know to take advantage of this fantastic offer.

Unlocking Your Gas Savings

As a Prime member, you can now save 10 cents per gallon at approximately 7,000 participating gas stations, including Amoco, AM/PM, and BP locations across the United States. To access this benefit, all you need to do is:

1. Have an Amazon Prime Membership: Membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 annually, which covers a plethora of perks like free same-day deliveries, access to Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, and discounts at Whole Foods and GrubHub+.

2. Set Up Your Earnify Account: Create a free Earnify account and link it to your Amazon account. To activate the gas discount, simply visit amazon.com/fuelsavings.

3. Use the Earnify App: This handy app allows you to find the nearest participating gas station. When you arrive, redeem your discount by entering your phone number or linked payment method at the pump.

More Value for Prime Members

According to Jamil Ghani, Vice President of Amazon Prime, the decision to introduce this gas discount stems from valuable feedback from Prime members. “Every time we ask what would make Prime even more valuable for them, it’s fuel savings,” he stated in an interview with USA TODAY. On average, Prime members could save around $70 annually with this new benefit—making it a highly attractive addition.

Looking Ahead: Electric Vehicle Charging Discounts

But the savings don’t stop there! Amazon plans to launch an electric vehicle charging discount at BP Pulse next year, showing their commitment to supporting members in an evolving automotive landscape.

Industry Insights

Neil Saunders, Managing Director of Retail at Globaldata, highlighted the significance of this discount. “Since gas is a necessity for most Americans, saving 10 cents per gallon is a notable advantage,” he noted. Even with recent drops in gas prices, fuel costs remain a concern for many consumers, making this offer particularly timely.

Joining Amazon Prime: A World of Benefits Awaits

If you’re not yet a member, joining Amazon Prime is easy. Simply visit the Amazon Prime website, click on “Try Prime” to start a 30-day free trial, and enjoy all the perks that come with membership, including:

• Free same-day and two-day delivery
• Access to Prime Video and Amazon Music
• Discounts at Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh
• Medical care and prescription drug access
• Exciting sports broadcasts like Thursday Night Football and NBA games

Students aged 18-24 can enjoy a six-month free trial, followed by a reduced rate of $7.49 per month or $69 per year. Those receiving government assistance like SNAP or Medicaid are also eligible for a discounted membership at $6.99 per month.

A Competitive Edge in a Crowded Market

With over 200 million members globally and a selection of over 300 million items eligible for free Prime shipping in the U.S., Amazon continues to set itself apart. This wide variety of products, combined with fast delivery times, has been crucial to Amazon’s success, particularly as competitors like Walmart, Target, and Costco enhance their delivery services.

As fuel costs remain a pressing issue for many, Amazon Prime’s new gas discount is a smart way to add value to an already robust membership. Don’t miss out on the chance to save at the pump while enjoying all the other benefits that come with being a Prime member!

Wealthtime has partnered with tech firm Wipro and software provider GBST on its platform technology upgrade.

The partnership will see the Wealthtime and Wealthtime Classic platforms brought together under one brand on a significantly enhanced platform.

Wipro and GBST will employ a joint co-delivery model to provide end-to-end platform services.

Wealthtime’s Operations and Technology & Change functions will transfer to Wipro’s newly established UK centre of excellence for business processing, based in the Southwest area.

Wealthtime, formerly called Novia, said the transfer will allow it to leverage Wipro’s advanced technology and substantial IT and AI experience to continually improve service standards and front-end applications.

Platform users will benefit from significant enhancements to the Adviser and Investor Zones, alongside a streamlined service provision. Through extensive automation, the platform will aim to reduce manual effort, enabling advisers to focus on higher-value work and generate more in-depth insights for their customers.

The deal also extends Wealthtime’s 15-year technology partnership with GBST, with the platform undertaking an accelerated enhancement in 2025. Further continuous updates will be implemented to the platform to future-proof Wealthtime’s technology for their customers.

Patrick Mill, CEO at Wealthtime, said: “This deal with Wipro will fundamentally transform our platform and service offering and deliver extensive benefits for advisers and their clients over the medium and long term.

“Our existing relationship with GBST will allow us to fast track our proposition development through accelerated platform enhancements, to deliver market-leading technology that underpins our future strategy.

“While Wipro’s proven operational expertise across multiple sectors, including financial services, will bring new insights to the largely insular platform space to create a best-in-class experience for our customers.”

Omkar Nisal, UKI managing director, Wipro Limited, said: “This project solidifies our continued investments in the UK Life and Pensions industry through our FCA-regulated business entity.

“Backed by our unmatched industry and transformation experience, we will enable Wealthtime’s improved speed-to-market, enhanced customer engagement and cognitive operations through our innovative and GenAI-powered technology services, along with GBST’s agile and digital Composer platform.”

Rob DeDominicis, chief executive officer, GBST, added: “This agreement marks an exciting evolution in our long-standing relationship with Wealthtime and provides further proof that our strategic partnership with Wipro offers a compelling alternative for wealth-management organisations reviewing their end-to-end administration needs.”

SHOPPERS looking for a bargain advent calendar can save hundreds of pounds by using a Martin Lewis tip.

Martin Lewis‘ MoneySavingExpert has urged shoppers to race to buy the M&S beauty Advent calendar which drops tomorrow (October 24).

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The Beauty Advent Calendar 2024. M&S Collection

In this week’s newsletter, the team said the bargain calendar packs £315 worth of beauty products but will be on sale for just £50.

It advised shoppers must “go quick” if they wished to buy the 2024 calendar, which has been eagerly-awaited by M&S lovers.

But there is a slight catch – in order to buy the £50 calendar you must spend a minimum of £35.

So, in total you actually need to spend £85 to get the £311 worth of goodies.

But this is still a great deal with a whopping £226 worth of items for free.

The team at MSE said: “It’s a good excuse if you need to top up on some extra clothing for winter, or replace all those socks with holes in.”

But it also added: “Don’t buy stuff you don’t need just to get the beauty calendar.”

If the timing is right for you, then the calendar can provide 25 goodies all sourced from renowned beauty brands.

For example, it has the 15ml Take the Day Off Balm from Clinique, which usually costs £4.98 based on the 30ml pots from Sephora.

There is also the Color Wow Colour Security shampoo and conditioner in 75ml bottles which usually costs £11 at Lookfantastic.

Or you can get the 8.5g Fan Fest Mascara from Benefit which typically sells for £21.60 at Lookfantastic.

And the calendar also has a L’Occitane 30ml Shea Hand Cream which usually costs £9 at John Lewis.

But remember, it’s only worth buying if you’re likely to use the products.

Here is the full list of what you can get:

• Floral Street Vanilla Orchid Eau Deu Parfum, 10ml – £24.65 at Floral Street, currently on sale
• Clinique Take the Day Off Balm, 15ml – £4.98 based on 30ml at Sephora
• Color Wow Colour Security Shampoo, 75ml – £11 at Lookfantastic
• Color Wow Colour Security Conditioner, 75ml – £11 at Lookfantastic
• Benefit Fan Fest Mascara, 8.5g – £21.60 at Lookfantastic, currently on sale
• REN EverCalm Cleansing Milk, 50ml – £8.50 at Lookfantastic, currently on sale
• Nails Inc Cranberry Me Merry, 10ml – £3 based on 15ml product
• Percy & Reed Tame That Mane Smoothing Blow Dry Cream, 100ml – £20 at John Lewis
• Formula Sleep Cream, 15ml – £9.50 at M&S
• L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream, 30ml – £9 at John Lewis
• Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, 40ml – £12.50 at Asos
• Fresh Elements Glow Day Cream, 15ml – £3.75 based on 50ml at M&S
• Aveda Botanical Repair Strengthening Masque, 15ml – £7.50 based on 25ml at John Lewis
• Nails Inc Nude In Noelle, 10ml – £3 based on 15ml product
• Pixi Eye Define Waterline Tightline Black, 0.35g – £12 at Next
• Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Shower Gel, 100ml – £7.33, based on 300ml at Ocado
• Margaret Dabbs Nail and Cuticle Serum, 15ml – £13 at Lookfantastic
• This Works Deep Sleep Overnight Whip, 200ml – £22.40 at Lookfantastic, currently on sale
• Discover Velvet Amber, 10ml – £10 at M&S
• Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Body Lotion, 200ml – £14.67 based on 300ml at John Lewis
• Dr. PAWPAW Ultimate Red Tinted Lip Balm, 10ml – £2.68 at Holland & Barrett
• Prai Ageless Throat & Decolletage Crème, 30ml – £24 based on 15ml at Boots
• Living Proof PhD 5-in-1 Styling Treatment, 60ml – £16 at Lookfantastic
• Emma Hardie Purifying Pink Clay Detox Mask, 15ml – £15 from Emma Hardie
• Bloom & Blossom Keep Dancing Foot & Leg Mist, 100ml – £24 at Blossom & Blossom

These products can be great at filling the gaps in your beauty routine which you’ve been meaning to spend money on for a fraction of the price.

But MSE also suggested dividing the gifts up and saving them to use as presents over Christmas or for birthdays next year.

This means even if you don’t need the calendar now you could still use the deal to save significant cash over time.

The newsletter also reminded customers to choose wisely when spending the £35 required to buy the £50 calendar.

MSE’s Olivia said: “Although M&S says it doesn’t participate in Black Friday, it’s likely it’ll still run offers in November, so it’s worth bearing this in mind when choosing what to buy for the required £35 minimum spend as some items could be cheaper next month.”

Last year you only had to spend £30 to buy the calendar, and its contents were worth £40 more.

However the 2024 calendar still offers a great selection of goodies and a huge opportunity for savvy shoppers to save.

The Sun also rated the M&S 2024 Christmas selection which features 450 new products.

We also revealed the exact date you can order a Christmas food-to-order slot with Ocado this year.

As always we recommend people shop around when buying for Christmas so not to get caught out by hiked-up seasonal prices.

You can use Trolley as a useful comparison site for comparing prices on specific products between supermarkets.

And keep in mind that Black Friday is just around the corner so something you’ve got your eye on may eventually decrease in price.

But also remember that not all Black Friday deals are completely face value, so keep a close eye on how prices change.

You can also subscribe to the MoneySavingExpert newsletter to receive weekly updates on all the products which are deals or duds.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

Trump’s Proposed Tax Plan: Income Tax Exemptions and Economic Impact

Former President Donald Trump has unveiled sweeping tax reform ideas that could potentially exempt 93.2 million Americans from paying income taxes. His proposal includes targeted income tax exemptions for specific groups, like workers who earn tips, receive Social Security benefits, or collect overtime pay. Trump has also floated the idea of expanding these tax breaks to professions such as firefighters, police officers, military personnel, and veterans.

This article explores the details of Trump’s proposed tax cuts, the economic implications of his tariff plans, and the skepticism surrounding the feasibility of his overall strategy.

Key Tax Exemptions Under Trump’s Proposal

Trump’s tax reform proposal includes several key exemptions designed to offer relief to specific groups of taxpayers:

1. Tips and Overtime Pay: Under Trump’s plan, workers earning tips or overtime could see significant tax relief. In 2023, an estimated 4 million tipped workers, including waitstaff and service employees, could benefit.
2. Social Security Benefits: Trump aims to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits, impacting over 68 million Americans who rely on these payments each month.
3. Public Service Workers: Trump also hinted at extending tax exemptions to police officers, firefighters, military personnel, and veterans. These groups total approximately 2.6 million individuals, including 18.6 million veterans as of 2023.

If implemented, these exemptions could reduce federal tax obligations for roughly 93.2 million people, a significant portion of the U.S. population. This represents about 38% of the 244 million Americans eligible to vote in 2024, and could play a major role in Trump’s pitch to voters.

Can Tariffs Replace Income Taxes?

In addition to tax cuts, Trump proposes funding the lost tax revenue by imposing a universal 20% tariff on all imports, with a 60% tariff on Chinese imports. His argument is that these tariffs would generate enough revenue to offset the loss from reduced income taxes.

However, tax experts are skeptical about this claim. Garrett Watson, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, states that “the math doesn’t work out.” According to the Tax Foundation, tariffs would raise about $3.8 trillion over the next decade, far less than the $33 trillion expected from income taxes in the same period. Evercore analysts echoed this concern, noting that tariffs will not replace the massive revenue loss from income tax cuts.

Additionally, tariffs function like a sales tax, increasing the cost of goods for consumers, particularly impacting low-income households, who already spend a higher percentage of their income on essentials. This “invisible tax” may offset any relief provided by income tax exemptions, especially for lower-income individuals.

Impact on Federal Revenue

The combined impact of Trump’s tax exemptions and tariff plan could significantly reduce federal revenue. The Tax Foundation estimates that these proposals, including exemptions on tips, Social Security benefits, and overtime pay, would decrease federal revenue by approximately $2 trillion over the next decade. Factoring in Trump’s other tax cuts and tariff proposals, the total revenue loss is projected to reach $3 trillion from 2025 to 2034.

These potential revenue shortfalls raise concerns about the sustainability of such a plan. Analysts argue that cutting such a significant portion of federal income while relying on tariffs to fill the gap could lead to increased national debt or reductions in public services.

Political Feasibility of Trump’s Tax Plan

While Trump’s proposed tax overhaul has captured the attention of voters, its implementation is far from guaranteed. His 2017 tax cuts, which provided significant reductions for businesses and high-income earners, are set to expire in 2025 unless extended by Congress. Trump has vowed to make those tax cuts permanent.

However, any substantial tax reform will require approval from the House of Representatives, where all tax bills originate. Currently, Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, but control of the chamber could shift after the 2024 election. If Trump wins the presidency but does not secure a Republican majority in the House, passing his tax overhaul would face significant challenges.

Trump’s proposed tax reforms, including targeted exemptions for millions of Americans, present an ambitious vision for overhauling the income tax system. While these ideas may appeal to certain voters, the economic feasibility of replacing income tax revenue with tariffs is widely questioned. With federal revenue potentially falling short by trillions of dollars, and political hurdles in Congress, the future of Trump’s tax plan remains uncertain.

As the 2024 election approaches, taxpayers and voters will need to weigh the benefits and risks of this tax strategy, considering both its potential relief and long-term economic consequences.