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September 9
It’s not fair.
You’re right, it’s not fair.
Why should the working age public pay even more taxes to indulge layabout pensioners?
But let’s go back a few years.
What did those pre-pensioners do to deserve the current day opprobrium?
For one, they suffered extreme hardship: low wages, by today’s standards. A thousand a year (yes, a year) was considered good going.
No chance of building up a nice fat pension pot for retirement as many do today.
Not to mention that the taxpayer funded the then and now, generous gold plated pension politicians hope to receive in due course – a perk that many will lose come the next GE.
Do today’s people realise their parents were taxed to the hilt to help rebuild the country’s economic woes after the ravages of WW2? Did they complain? Yes. Particularly when the then Chancellor said “We’ll tax the rich until the pips squeak!” And he did; tax bands soared to 70, 80, 90 percent! But those parents of yesterday knew, reluctantly, that they must fund the coffers so that they could enable their children to have, for example, medical attention from the day they were born and for the rest of their lives. Their taxes were vital for the newly created NHS, irrespective of which Government took the credit.
They also funded the National Insurance scheme via the PAYE tax system. They paid the premium for a pension in old age. What happened?
What else? They enabled all children to have some degree of education. And some to have an even superior schooling – so essential for future development in the workplace. No charge to the individual in those days, today’s layabouts picked up the bill. They thought it was worth it for the future of their country and their kids. Many of those kids in turn accepted the disruption caused by National Service, but again accepted that time-honoured condition to protect the integrity of their country. How things have changed.
You’re right! It’s not fair. Ask any pensioner on basic state pension.
Derek M Staples
A layabout 89 year old retiree.
