AS our local MP(s) broke the Conservative manifesto promise on the national insurance announcement, we might ask, is it fair?

NO.

All the new money comes from so-called ‘National Insurance’, which is just another form of tax, but much less fair than Income Tax.

The low paid will have to cough up a larger share of their income, while the more you earn, the smaller share you have to pay. 

The Lib Dems have long pressed for the money to come from Income Tax, where everyone pays a fair share.

So who stands to gain most from the new policy? Pensioner millionaires. They will pay nothing as they don’t pay National Insurance and they will be allowed to keep a much higher share of their assets if they need personal care.

Who loses most? The low paid, who will pay more in tax, including a lot of staff who work in care homes. There are at least 100,000 job vacancies and this ‘plan’ will do nothing to fill the gap. 

Will pensioners gain? Only the richest. The vast majority of pensioners who don’t have very large savings will still lose most of them before the new ‘cap’ kicks in if they need long-term care.

What about younger people in need of care? This change will make little or no difference, as they will still depend on funding from councils, who have been forced by years of Tory cuts to reduce the levels of care they can provide.

It is also likely to lead to fewer jobs and unemployment in the sector and the wider economy because the lower paid will be taxed more and employers will have to pay more National Insurance (contributions). 

WANT TO WRITE? Click here to submit your letter

Will this lead to a stable and reformed social care system? No. We need a system which is based on consensus, public consent and all-party agreement. We don’t need upheaval in this vital area every time Government changes.

Boris Johnson ignored several requests from Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey for all-party talks. Instead he imposed a totally unfair change to benefit the very rich, without even revealing it to his own MPs. 

Lib Dems have always been upfront with voters about the need to pay for fair funding and the need for support for unpaid carers who have been completely forgotten once again. 

In contrast, Boris Johnson got elected on a promise of solving the problem with no tax rises.

He knew this was impossible even if Covid had not intervened - that he did so was cynical betrayal, his stock-in trade.

PHIL STONE
North Curry