Another "tax" on it's way for England

[expat]

The Government should be encouraging people to become self sufficient. It should allow people to opt out of NI and invest their money how ever they see fit. Of course the flip side of this is that you will have to pay when you want to use the doctors.

Then again, encouraging people to look after themselves means that there will be less people paying NI and this Government needs all the coin it can bludgeon out of us!

Mailman

That's a simple one: do those who have money pay for themselves and for those who do not have money, or can they just pay for themselves and to hell with the rest? The answer so far in our society is no choice, the first option only, the only discussion is how much and how.

If you like the other choice, I fear you will have to look elsewhere. Where, I wonder?

[Mailman]

The Government should be encouraging people to become self sufficient. It should allow people to opt out of NI and invest their money how ever they see fit. Of course the flip side of this is that you will have to pay when you want to use the doctors.

Then again, encouraging people to look after themselves means that there will be less people paying NI and this Government needs all the coin it can bludgeon out of us!

Mailman

[Cyberman]

I'm all for old folks having to sell tier home to fund social care. Where does it say that you should get a place in an OAP home and still get to keep your £300,000 house to hand over to the kids when you snuff it.

If there are no incentives to build up wealth then you will end up with a society of scroungers. I am already planning to run down and spend my wealth before the advent of any social care needs for myself. Thus, I have absolutely no further incentive to carry on working at this point, which surely is bad for an economy that relies on people paying taxes.

[The Lone Gunman]

I'm all for old folks having to sell tier home to fund social care. Where does it say that you should get a place in an OAP home and still get to keep your £300,000 house to hand over to the kids when you snuff it.

Why should someone who has clearly worked all their life and saved and invested have to pay for the same treatment and care that is being given free to someone who has spent their entire life on benefits?

[Sockpuppet]

I'm all for old folks having to sell tier home to fund social care. Where does it say that you should get a place in an OAP home and still get to keep your £300,000 house to hand over to the kids when you snuff it.

[minestrone]

In Scotland the provision of free personal care has proved popular, but very expensive and it is thought unlikely that ministers in England will adopt a similar policy.

I don't think it has worked out that well in practice. Local authorities are being really stretched to do this but are given no more funding, they seem to try and dodge it much of the time.

[darmstadt]

Its pretty much like that in Germany already. I have to look after my son until he leaves home or is 25 (something like that) yet he is responsible for me when I retire at 65 or so. I know someone here who ended up having to remortgage their house to look after their aged

[expat]

May I thank everyone (so far) for not coming up with the chestnut that English taxpayers are paying for Scottish benefits?

Now, the solution for those of us who live in England is the same as works in Scotland: elect a government that will choose to spend its money on that. Unfortunately that government would probably be a Labour one, and there doesn't seem to be such a party in England any more. While the idea of social spending is still alive in Scotland, the formerly Labour party in England has become New Labour, more intent on sucking up to money men and middle England in order to stay in power. Having done that, they spend their (our) money on maintaining Britain as a power on the world stage so that they can strut upon it (only an hour or two, as Macbeth reminds us, and then be heard no more).

In Scotland there are people who believe that long-term care, prescriptions, and higher education are worthwhile functions of government, and there are (therefore) governments that exercise these functions on behalf of the people.

How ironic that Scotland's emigré politicos organised the NL machine in England that prefers to tax more than ever but spend the money raised on anything but good causes.

[DimPrawn]

NI pays for everyone's care now, it is not a savings scheme for your own health.

It is a con trick to make you believe that you are saving for your own care needs.

I know this. But now the middle classes in England only, have to pay yet another tax to fund their own personal care, meaning everything you pay pays for everyone else except yourself!

And they wonder why people can't be bothered to work....

[NotAllThere]

NI doesn't even pay for everyone's care now. NI is a tax. The money collected goes into the same general pot as VAT, PAYE, fuel tax, insurance tax, stamp duty, and all the other taxes in the UK economy.

[shaunbhoy]

Well as long as it is fair!!

[Shimano105]

NI pays for everyone's care now, it is not a savings scheme for your own health.

It is a con trick to make you believe that you are saving for your own care needs.

[GreenerGrass]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8148116.stm

Older people in England could be asked to take out insurance to pay for long-term care in their old age.

In Scotland the provision of free personal care has proved popular, but very expensive and it is thought unlikely that ministers in England will adopt a similar policy.



So you pay your taxes and NI and now you must take out an insurance for your care? Except for the low paid and unemployed who'll get theirs free.


Pay, pay and pay again.

As you imply, surely if you need long term care you just liquidate all your assets, give the kids an early inheritance and get means-tested. Why would you need insurance apart from middle class guilt/shame at the above approach? You won't need much money if you're chair/bed bound anyway.

[BrilloPad]

Article on BBC news this morning : a lady asked to contribute 25% of her pension to her mother's care home fees!

[DimPrawn]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8148116.stm

Older people in England could be asked to take out insurance to pay for long-term care in their old age.

In Scotland the provision of free personal care has proved popular, but very expensive and it is thought unlikely that ministers in England will adopt a similar policy.



So you pay your taxes and NI and now you must take out an insurance for your care? Except for the low paid and unemployed who'll get theirs free.


Pay, pay and pay again.