free bus passes for all
It’s happening all over again and in such a short space of time that I really do need to question my traditional blue-collar stance. What’s worse it’s concerning a pillar stone of the right, a very true-blue tory budget. I’ve even found my self contemplating the fact that ol’ Georgie-boy may even, deep-down, have the correct instinct on tax by proposing some sanity to child, housing and unemployment benefit. Uh oh. Thankfully his decision to scrap the 50p rate of income tax, irrespective of the actual amount collected, snaps me out of my tory delusion! Oh, and completely avoiding those who actually caused the damn situation in the first place ensures they’ll never enjoy the company of my vote.
The Chancellor’s three billion levy on the grey vote has understandably precipitated considerable outrage. Well it certainly did within the nation’s press where vocabulary of the most vitriolic manner was employed – Disgruntled from Tunbridge Wells was outraged, disgusted and violated! My own personal favourite headline had to be ‘Gran Auto Theft seen in the ever-high-brow daily Metro.
At issue is the coalition’s decision to first freeze, and then scrap, the personal allowances for the baby-boomer generation. So, let’s all put on our objective thinking-cap and question exactly why those people in retirement are awarded better income tax breaks than those who are actually working? First, let’s have some context: today’s young adults are the first generation who en-masse will be worse off than their ol’ dears; the disposable income of the 60s+ is higher than that of the 20s; additional benefits from the welfare state for the blue-rinse brigade now include fuel payments, free bus passes, TV licences, free prescriptions along with the aforementioned enhanced personal tax allowances. And let’s not even start looking at property and who’s benefited from the last 40 years’ boom.
Many pensioners do remain in poverty and for a large proportion retirement is not a comfortable or enviable existence; retirement represents a short, miserable time where waiting to peg-it is the major preoccupation. It is entirely right and proper that as a rich society we find a way to improve the lot of the elderly with improved state pension and free healthcare. But, and it’s a BIG but, these people will not be impacted by any of those budget changes and you’re delusional if you think they will be. These pensioners do not have a juicy final salary pension, choice of car and a twice-a-year jaunt to enjoy winter sun and summer cool.
The grey vote is enjoying a tremendous return on their earlier tax investment whereas our youngsters will have to shoulder the burden of repaying the vast debt built – and building – up in recent years. It has been estimated by the National Institute of Economic & Social Research that a 20 year old will have to pay almost £160,000 more in taxes to fund the shortfall in public finances, whilst a pensioner is in the black to the tune of £223,000. I’m afraid to say that ol’ dears with £20k a year aren’t struggling to stay above the poverty line in my book. No, my sympathy is reserved for the poor misguided smoking souls who now have to shell out £7.50 for their life-ending cancer-sticks, the Greggs’ regulars with their pastie and tandoori chicken slice diet and the gym bunnies’ yummy protein shakes, which now are all VAT payable. The silver surfers, our walking dead, the fat and the toned, who says the Chancellor is prejudiced!
