No, the UK government isn't offering 'cash bonuses' to families who euthanise elderly relatives

A social media post claims that the British government is offering "cash bonuses" to families who euthanise their elderly relatives.

Posts on Facebook and X appear to show a screenshot of an article with a headline saying as such, complete with a picture of an elderly man shutting himself inside a purple pod.

The X post also links the article, which attributes the claim to what it calls a "disturbing report" from UK news outlet The Telegraph.

The captions of the social media posts say the same thing, alleging that experts have warned that terminally ill pensioners could end their lives earlier to spare loved ones six-figure tax bills. However, this is all misleading.

The article that the posts refer to was published by The People’s Voice, which is a notorious, US-based fake news website.

Its articles have been repeatedly debunked by fact-checkers over the years, often when the site went by its former names NewsPunch or Your News Wire.

The EU also previously criticised the site for spreading Russian propaganda.

Regardless of The People’s Voice’s reputation, the claims about "cash bonuses" for euthanising the elderly have no factual basis.

The Telegraph article that allegedly reported on the matter doesn’t refer to "cash bonuses" at all.

Instead, it points out that, under current UK rules, pensions are inherited free of income tax if the person dies before 75 years old. 

If England and Wales’ assisted dying bill becomes law, it could leave the elderly with a tough choice between prolonging their life or saving their family thousands of pounds, according to The Telegraph.

Even that claim is over-simplified: at the end of November, UK MPs voted in favour of a historic bill that could legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in