Increasing tax on the elderly – the Mirrlees way

Posted on

The Mirrlees review is proposing a merger of the incomex and National Insurance systems.It is a common proposal from right-wing sources.

But was there a single mention made of the injustice that would be created as a consequence, particularly for the elderly,who are currently entirely exempt from National Insurance charges but who would, under the Mirrlees proposal be taxed at a rate that would, by implication, include the equivalent of a  National Insurance charge?

No,there was no such mention.

And who arethe single biggest group who constitute those in poverty in this country? Why, the elderly,of course.

This was so typical of those presenting the Mirrlees review who seemed to mention the needs of capital whenever they could, and the particular needs of driving those from age 55 to 70 back into the workforce (without ever mentioning where the jobs might come from) but whose indifference to those suffering real poverty seemed absolute.

Of course, the issue may be mentioned deep in the text of the review. I can, I suppose, retain that optimism. But why then wasn't the issue addressed head on in the presentation? Basically said they would be winners and losers.It's odd that the losers seem to be the poor. Why is that, I wonder?


Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:

You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.

And if you would like to support this blog you can, here: