[Politics] Are baby boomers taxed enough?

[chickens]

So by excluding the likes of Morrisons being broken up you‘re already making exceptions to the rules.
And do you really really believe that well briefed civil servants would be as entrepreneurial as people who set up businesses and grow them successfully?

I think that in the same way society is harmed by some having too little, society is equally harmed by some having too much.

 

[A mex eyecan]

I think that in the same way society is harmed by some having too little, society is equally harmed by some having too much.

I don’t disagree with your thoughts. However the solution is just not that simple. You just can’t ever get true equality, not even in OP’s ideal paradise of North Korea.

Let’s just imagine we were brave enough to calculate every £ that there was in the world, cash, investments property et al. Then let’s share it equally penny for penny to everyone on the planet. You know truly equally. OP would no doubt welcome this, everyone would have the same chances (perhaps). Everyone pay equal tax.

Not quite sure what would be advocated to even out the types of houses we all lived in, I mean who gets the studio flat, who gets the 3 bed semi or who get the nice pad in Chelsea?

And also what about pay scales? does the CO earn the same as the clerk? does the clerk earn the same as the scientist? Does the scientist earn the same as the cleaner?

Then let’s look back in say 20,25 years or whatever and compare who’s got what. Who pissed it all alway, who just got on with things did their best and had an enjoyable time. Who amassed a new fortune, either by luck, judgement or whatever. What would we do then? Penalise the successful again to subsidise the profligate?

 

[portlock seagull]

How much, in your view, should a young person need to earn to live a decent enough life?

£30k? £40k? £100k?

What are their options if they are in a £40k job working a 45 hour week and all their money is going on rent? Get a 2nd job? Even then, how long would it take them to save £50k for a deposit on a shitty basement flat? How old will they be, 30, 40? How can they ever expect to move on to a house and make a family.

Eat less avocados and cancel their Netflix subscription?

You lot really need to accept the young generation have hopeless lives. There's nothing they can do - they're powerless. The only solution is a radical redistribution of wealth.

What a croc of proverbial. By that reckoning nobody aged 30 or less has any money, total nonsense of course. I spend a lot of time helping elderly, the very people you’re slating. Lots living in absolute and relative poverty.

If you truly believe what you write, then I’m afraid you’re imprisoned by your own mind. Take some work to get out, but it’s possible. Some great advice already on this thread. But action is better than words every time. Start today. And Good luck!

 

[Crawley Dingo]

Racism, class and religion were used to, but why are there so many people trying to start gender and age ‘wars’ these days?

Boomers are being blamed for ripping up the intergenerational social contract. Gender is feminisms last stand, what I mean is Women have all their rights etc so man bashing is the only place left for it to go.

 

[portlock seagull]

So we shouldn't have young people living in the South of England?

Yes. But only rich ones. Rest should be waiting on Boomers in the Hotel Marigold.

 

[chickens]

I don’t disagree with your thoughts. However the solution is just not that simple.

Solutions never are, but we have to start somewhere or the problem continues completely unaddressed.

I would argue that we’ve made a start on the very worst of poverty in this country, albeit regressing slightly under current government, but we know it’s a problem and it’s undesirable. I would argue that governments of all stripes seem curiously blind to the problems caused by our failure to address the other extreme of society.

I need to be clear that I’m not arguing for an unachievable utopian equality, I’m also aware that I’m commenting on a football forum, not presenting an electorate ready policy concept to a party realistically trying to form the next government.

Limits could be set sector by sector, have conditions attached that allow them to be increased or decreased according to whether the organisation displays desirable or undesirable behaviours, or whatever was needed to make something workable, but I stand by my belief that totally limitless private wealth is a terrible idea to allow or encourage in any truly democratic form of society. The two are incompatible.

I want the smart and hardworking to thrive, but in the same way there’s a floor for poverty, there should be a ceiling for wealth.

 

[birthofanorange]

I think that it's great that the OP is still willing to earn money for the wealthy, by continuing to contribute so many polls and posts (again) to NSC.
@Bozza must be basking in the hot tub, with a lovely Cuban cigar on the go, delighted to have his cash-cow back on board.

 

[portlock seagull]

If you say you’re a boomer these days you will get thrown in prison.

And who’s going to pay for that eh? Generation Z?!

Honestly, the level of knee jerk reaction-ism on this thread is enough to get you into government…

 

[BN9 BHA]

Meanwhile my neighbour on one side lives in a 4 bedder alone age 70, on the other in a 4 bedder alone age 80. Both never have anyone to stay.

 

[loz]

If you say you’re a boomer these days you will get thrown in prison.

What ! Actually thrown in jail , when did that come in ?

 

[Bakero]

What ! Actually thrown in jail , when did that come in ?

I blame Basil Brush.

 

[Weststander]

You appear to be living in cloud cuckoo land - Most 'boomers' as you refer to them are very normal people with not much but they get by. Of course, there are plenty that are doing well living comfortably and enjoying the fruits of their labour, I am certain that some are not deserved of that but this isn't confinded to that age group.

My mother (a boomer) worked her socks off until she was 60 something, living in a little terraced house, running a little car, going on the occasional holiday to such exotic paradises as Tenerife, then she retired, got dementia and died.

My father in law lives on his own having lost his wife who worked as a cleaner a few years ago in another little terrace, still does odd jobs at 78 to get a bit of pocket money and gets by with his 18 year old car though I'm not sure how!

It may sound like a sob story but it's just normal, absolutely normal life for millions of people. I don't know if you live in some sort of middle class bubble but you really really have to understand that ageism is not the answer to your woes.

 

[Weststander]

It's nobodys fault... it's just the way things have panned out.

Boomers were lucky to be born when they were - but that ship has sailed. Low or average earning young people will never experience such wealth, or anything close... or anything at all - unless they are 'lucky' enough to receive a huge inheritance, as macabre as that reality is.

It's a big problem. Possibly the biggest problem, up there with climate change. It's a ticking timb bomb.

Obviously we should take these things incredibly seriously. "Don't spend your days bemoaning" - what do you suggest to do instead? You boomers are so deluded and selfish. Just because you're doing alright...

Millions of Brits born between 1945 and 1965 are poor, struggling to keep warm in winter and pay food bills. The R5 phone in today up to 11am received many calls from that demographic fearing another winter of poverty in a freezing cold home. Outside the public sector, the average guy or woman is not sitting on a life changing final salary pension.

Your generalisations are ill informed and lazy.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

I don’t disagree with your thoughts. However the solution is just not that simple. You just can’t ever get true equality, not even in OP’s ideal paradise of North Korea.

Let’s just imagine we were brave enough to calculate every £ that there was in the world, cash, investments property et al. Then let’s share it equally penny for penny to everyone on the planet. You know truly equally. OP would no doubt welcome this, everyone would have the same chances (perhaps). Everyone pay equal tax.

Not quite sure what would be advocated to even out the types of houses we all lived in, I mean who gets the studio flat, who gets the 3 bed semi or who get the nice pad in Chelsea?

And also what about pay scales? does the CO earn the same as the clerk? does the clerk earn the same as the scientist? Does the scientist earn the same as the cleaner?

Then let’s look back in say 20,25 years or whatever and compare who’s got what. Who pissed it all alway, who just got on with things did their best and had an enjoyable time. Who amassed a new fortune, either by luck, judgement or whatever. What would we do then? Penalise the successful again to subsidise the profligate?

And what incentive would there be for people to be successful?

 

[A mex eyecan]

And what incentive would there be for people to be successful?

exactly. So perhaps this ‘utopia’ is so flawed it just become a race to the bottom? That would just end with even less money and earning to tax that financial society collapses, nothing to fund schools, health, etc etc.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Well, if we do have any savings, or our own house for that matter, they’ll all get spunked on medical care - so there’s a bit of a silver lining for those who think that a lifetime’s hard work in a shit job shouldn’t be rewarded with a few years out of the rat race.

 

[GT49er]

Technically, by a few months I believe, not quite a baby boomer - but nontheless, 'we' pay the same taxes as you. So f*** off.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Millions of Brits born between 1945 and 1965 are poor, struggling to keep warm in winter and pay food bills. The R5 phone in today up to 11am received many calls from that demographic fearing another winter of poverty in a freezing cold home. Outside the public sector, the average guy or woman is not sitting on a life changing final salary pension.

Your generalisations are ill informed and lazy.

Therein lies the issue really. You rightly state that there are pensioners in poverty. I remember some of the heartbreaking stories of pensioners on buses to keep warm in the fuel crisis and the like. On the flip side, there are also pensioners on index linked final salary pensions that nobody aged 20 will ever get.

From a state pension point of view, they are treated the same or possibly even worse given their contributions over the years. Politically, pensions will not be means tested in the short term (and I can hear the I paid my taxes for 30 years responses already) but there is a logical argument they should be. For example, did Richard Branson really need his winter fuel allowance? From a personal point of view, I'm planning on receiving zero state pension when i retire - which is a way off yet - as the maths don't stack up. Whether they like or not, a political party will need to address the issue at some point. You simply can't get to a point where there are more people in retirement than in work - which is where we are heading - and expect the economics to sort themselves out.

 

[Weststander]

Therein lies the issue really. You rightly state that there are pensioners in poverty. I remember some of the heartbreaking stories of pensioners on buses to keep warm in the fuel crisis and the like. On the flip side, there are also pensioners on index linked final salary pensions that nobody aged 20 will ever get.

From a state pension point of view, they are treated the same or possibly even worse given their contributions over the years. Politically, pensions will not be means tested in the short term (and I can hear the I paid my taxes for 30 years responses already) but there is a logical argument they should be. For example, did Richard Branson really need his winter fuel allowance? From a personal point of view, I'm planning on receiving zero state pension when i retire - which is a way off yet - as the maths don't stack up. Whether they like or not, a political party will need to address the issue at some point. You simply can't get to a point where there are more people in retirement than in work - which is where we are heading - and expect the economics to sort themselves out.

One major revision to that. Public sector workers of all gen’s have and will continue to receive those amazing index linked state pensions. 6 million members, employee contributions averaging just 8%. Not an attack on them, Mrs.W will benefit. My sister in law retired age 57, she receives £26k a year pension.

On the state pension I think it will always be okay. That’s 12.5m active votes, any government attacking it would be committing suicide. But the age will creep ever higher.

 

[clapham_gull]

That's not really fair though, is it.

Surely the young people who work hard deserve the opportunities that boomers regard as normal - such as home ownership, or decent pensions - rather than just those lucky enough to have parents who are well off.

I always find it interesting how people like you quite readily drop in the modern Conservative / Trumpian Jackanory of it isn't the Government's fault it's just other people.