Letters - Tuesday, September 7, 2021

In the current debate about how to pay for increased needs of health and social care services, some say, pensioners should not be expected to contribute. I’m a pensioner and I disagree.

We oldies have most to gain ourselves from well funded health and social care. I am a comfortably off in my 80s. I pay income tax at the normal rate on my income.

I would happily pay more tax than I do at present in order to meet extra costs of these services which are mainly used by the elderly.

I see no reason to expect younger people to bear all these extra costs. Lower Income pensioners who do not pay income tax would not be expected to pay more in tax, of course.

There is another possible source of income for the Government. This is the tax relief which pensioners currently enjoy – approximately £40bn per annum( according to HMRC in 2019). The bulk of these tax concessions are enjoyed by those who pay tax at the higher rate.

I suggest that approximately £10bn could be made available from these sources. The resulting spending would mean more people employed and paying taxes, which would raise income for HMG.

Robert Holland

Via email

* If the rumours are true, then I say well done Boris Johnson for being bold and having the courage to raise National Insurance to pay for social care.

It may be breaking an election pledge for which there will be no end of complaints from Labour, but we cannot allow the status quo to continue.

The issue was created by Labour, overlooked by David Cameron, bungled by Theresa May and is finally being fixed by Boris Johnson.

Now all Boris has to do is scrap any plans for a £20 benefit cut for some of the same very people who are already part of these social and healthcare ticking time bombs.

Geoffrey Brooking

Via email

RESPONSE

Wrong to say NHS is being abolished

John Prance (Your Say, September 4) is completely and utterly wrong to claim the Health and Care Act means the NHS is being abolished.

This is blatant misinformation and synonymous with the constant scaremongering about the NHS by the Labour Party relating the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

It does not mean services will be run by American corporations. There is absolutely nothing in this bill which abolishes the NHS or stops it being a free at the point of use service.

As a health professional I am tired of the NHS being treated as a political football and the constant scaremongering about something that isn’t even happening.

Christian Cox

Blackpool

AGRICULTURE

Brexit isn’t working for British farmers

The Government has agreed a free trade agreement with Australia and is in the process of obtaining a similar agreement with New Zealand resulting in cheap agricultural imports into the UK threatening to undermine UK farming.

The deals also reduce quotas on imported agricultural goods again threatening UK markets with cheap food, yet another threat for the future of UK farming. Also of concern is that the Trade and Agriculture Commission set up to advise Government on the impact of trade deals on UK agriculture is non existent.

The EU was our largest and nearest trading partner but since Brexit, food exports to the EU have decreased by at least 45 per cent, beef exports down by 92 per cent, pork exports by 87 per cent and lamb and mutton by 45 per cent. Borderless trading with the EU has been replaced with increased costs and bureaucracy forcing many smaller food producers out of business or to transfer manufacture from the UK to the EU.

We’ve heard that Ian Botham is ‘batting for Britain’ but is he ‘batting’ for UK farmers or merely for Boris Johnson’s government.

Pauline Allon

Address supplied

LOOKING BACK

Bus was on Prom in Morecambe

Regarding the photo of an open top bus on Blackpool Prom in the 1960’s (Your Say, September 4) I think you will find it is a AEC Regent of Morecambe and Heysham Corporation on Morecambe Prom. Note the destination on the front of the bus. Also I don’t think Blackpool ever operated AEC Regents. This particular bus, KTF 587, is now in a transport museum in Ireland

Wilf Greaves

Bispham

* Thank you to other readers who have been in touch with us to point this out

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