There is a widespread view that we must pay more in National Insurance to cover shortfalls in social care and healthcare. All of this has been hung on the hook of COVID, as if it anaesthetises the arguments or any debate. I would like to question the notion that we must raise NI to raise £13 billion as there are many more routes to raise the required capital. In fact it would be easy for this Government to raise the capital without using the crude instrument of NI, which selectively targets those least able to pay the tax, whilst protecting old age pensioners, many of whom vote Tory. But fear not OAPs. Rishi is not paying for social care. Rather, he will be coming for your triple lock soon …
Option 1 – The Brexit Bounce
Robert Dyer coined the phrase “The Brexit Bounce”. Remember we were getting £350 million back from the EU EVERY WEEK. Do the math. That’s £18.2 BILLION every year into perpetuity. So, in one fell swoop, we can pay for social care with the Brexit Bounce, except the £350 million has not materialised.
Write to your MP and ask them where the Brexit Bonus for the NHS is. After all, we voted for it.
Option 2 – The COVID Corruption Fund
Dido Harding spent £37 BILLION on Test and Trace, much of which was either non-existent or faulty. Let’s be generous and suppose that only 20% of the project was fictional or faulty. That’s a cool £7.4 BILLION towards the social care uplift. Then there is the PPE fraud …
Write to your MP and ask them to sue the companies that made faulty or non-existent Test and Trace.
Option 3 – The Tory Spaffing Fund
Liz Truss took a lonely trip to Australia in the Government A321 Airbus at a cost of £500 000. Small beer I hear you say. But these trophy flights could help pay for the NI hike !! What’s wrong with Ryanair? Or BA if you wanted to be truly patriotic at a cost of around £4000 to Oz.
Rishi Sunak seems to have cancelled £4.3 BILLION of fraudulent COVID loans. That would be a nice contribution to the social care fund? Closing tax loopholes would make enough funds to fund good quality services not just care and allow for less taxation on those that can least afford it. With thanks to Gail Jones.
Then there are the small ticket items but yet every little helps as they say at Tesco. The No 10 wallpaper bill (£840 per roll), Priti Patel’s Eyelashes, Suitcases of wine, the Royal Yachts at a snip of £250 Million. Everything adds up.
What other spaffing options exist? Write to me in the comments and I will add your point with a credit to your input.
Write to your MP and ask them to review the use and need for the Government Airbus.
Option 4 – Brexit to the rescue
Brexit has cost £128 billion so far, or £727 per second. Although it would not be straightforward, stopping Brexit would give us access to all the social car,e by stopping Britain bleeding to death. Here’s a helpful chart to show what you can buy with £128 257 825 862 in case you have never thought of “how to spend it”.
Write to your MP and ask them question the spending on Brexit.
BREXIT IS COSTING THE EARTH. SAY NO TO USING NI AS A MEANS OF PAYING FOR SOCIAL CARE
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Quite right Greg
Allegedly, Truss had a delegation with her – some 14 or so in the party.
Even if they all travelled First Class, at an estimated £12K per person worst-case, trip cost for flights alone would be £168K – admittedly, not on the UK’s flag carrier, as British Airways uses a Oneworld Partner, Qatar Airways – but…
Admittedly, several of the party would have been relegated, by regulations re rank and class of travel, to Business or Premium Economy class), and there are rules about several Senior-ranking execs all travelling the same route on the same flight…)
Still, a long way shy of £500K!