Pension boost to balance out tax
GLADSTONE pensioners need not worry.
Federal politician Jenny Macklin has assured concerned senior citizens they won't be left financially damaged because of the carbon tax.
Ms Macklin, the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, yesterday told The Observer pensioners would receive a boost to their fortnightly payments next March.
The announcement comes on top of payments made to pensioners through the Household Assistance Package.
An extra $338 a year will be delivered to singles and $510 a year for couples will be rolled out in 2013.
"I know that local pensioners can find it pretty tough to keep up," Ms Macklin said.
"As part of the Household Assistance Package, we're taking extra care to make sure pensioners have the
support they need to keep up with the cost of living."
In June this year pensioners received a lump sum of $250 for singles and $380 for couples combined to compensate for additional cost of living expenses caused by the carbon tax.
More than $4 million has been injected into the bank accounts of 18,000 people across the Flynn electorate.
The announcement comes just days after the Australian Pensioner and Superannuants League secretary Ray Ferguson made a presentation at the Gladstone Senior Citizens Centre about the carbon tax.
Mr Ferguson said the benefits were better than nothing.
"I'm not sure whether the payments will be sufficient once the carbon tax takes hold," he said.
