Gutted about NI rise

[CarryOnNurse20]

I know we need it and we have so much money to pay off. But we have been scrimping and saving after a hard couple of years. Every penny is accounted for from pay day to pay day. I’m a nurse and my pay has been capped/below inflation my whole career. And now the NI rise means any savings etc we have made will now be gone. I’m gutted.

@midgemagneto

Not every young person is financially unstable or poor

Not every old person is wealthy with a big pension and expensive house

It's not unfair because it's favouring one generation, it's unfair because it's favouring the rich over the poor

This.

@Benjispruce5

Paying for your own care is one thing but something needs to be done about the cost of that care. A friend has a family member in a relatively low level care home paying £900 per week!! How the hell does it cost that much for one person?

rate £100 per night, all food, laundry and 24 hour nursing care. You would struggle to meet that in the home

To whoever commented about Corbyn's maths - Corbyn would have found the money by taxing high earners to the hilt and vastly improving national services.

Unbelievably, the majority of voters didn't want that and now here we are.

Having said that I'm still very pleased that Boris is at least doing something to tackle the social care issue (though agree it should be a tax on income, not NI). It's been kicked into the long grass by successive governments for far too long.

@the80sweregreat

I agree that the big companies should pay more taxes. Everyone says this, but it never happens. Why?

I agree but if we up the tax the cost will rise for goods and services. Marking a profit as a medium size company is hard, they also take the most risk.

I was struggling to understand why they put it on NI and not on Income Tax. Income Tax would have hit any pensioners above the threshold not just the ones still working, so appears a better solution (except that it targets some of their voters). I think they may have gone for NI because, unlike Income Tax, it is not devolved, so it applies to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too. There is also the added bonus of the Employers Contributions, so more revenue while the percentages appear fairly small. I would prefer NI to be absorbed into Income Tax for better transparency. To those saying it is proportionate according to income, the effect isn't proportionate. While the wealthy pay more in actual cash terms of course, it has less effect on them because it is not eating into money used for food, rent and utility bills, but rather into the optional extras that they are privileged to enjoy. I think it is very sad and unfair on those health, social care, supermarket workers and others who have worked so hard throughout.

I hope all the NHS and council workers follow the example of care workers and leave in droves

Why council workers? I know several people who work for a council - they have stable jobs, good incomes, great holiday allowances and have been working from home for the last 18 months. I'd rather be a council worker than an HGV driver any day.

I think they may have gone for NI because, unlike Income Tax, it is not devolved, so it applies to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too.

Interesting point.

It should be on income tax and wealth taxes e.g. capital gains.

It is an unfair way to pay for something we all know is needed.

People on low incomes are subsidising the wealthy.

We can afford our bit but I do not agree with how it is being done.

She's 75 years old and is still accumulating wealth (spends very little)

What's the problem? If she isn't spending she deserves to accumulate money.

@lllllllllll

To whoever commented about Corbyn's maths - Corbyn would have found the money by taxing high earners to the hilt and vastly improving national services.

Unbelievably, the majority of voters didn't want that and now here we are.

Having said that I'm still very pleased that Boris is at least doing something to tackle the social care issue (though agree it should be a tax on income, not NI). It's been kicked into the long grass by successive governments for far too long.

He has no plan for social care and it could take ten years before the money transfers from NHS to social care. This is all Johnson bollocks, again.

I think they probably went for NI because they could whack it on employers too - so getting away with a lower headline figure in terms of the % increase. Plus all the issues around no NI on non-earned income meaning that many Tory voters are unaffected.

@viques Exactly ! Can relate to so much of what you have said.
Also my parents lived in poverty for all of their lives, mum still does at 91. And real poverty as children.
We applied nationwide for teaching posts. - Literally everywhere. None of this "Oh we have a right to be able to live where we were brought up"
First teaching annual salary was £2000 for my husband whilst the cheapest house near to where he taught was £12,000

Could not get a teaching job at first but eventually did after 2.5 years
Even applied to be Father Christmas one year at the job centre but was turned down on gender and size !!!
Our mortgage interest rate was 15.5% in 1981.
Our mortgage could not be paid on just one salary.
Makeshift wedding,Honeymoon in Wales
Secondhand furniture from my inlaws
Paid through the nose for our teaching pensions and I won't get my state pension until I am 66. Husband has just got his at 66.
So yes, in a more comfortable financial position now but we have had our fair share of struggling as I am sure many pensioners have.
I too am tired of the continual digs being made at pensioners.
Agree that income tax would be a fairer system but we funded the care of the older generation and assumed that our care would be funded by the younger generation I suppose.

@Warsawa31

The winter fuel allowance and free bus passes should be cut for pensioners above a certain income bracket.

I'm tired of the "You work all your life and pay in blah blah blah" - there isn't a pot to pay into government spending is ongoing.

The savings made could be used to increase pension credit, and put back into social care.

I can guarantee when people of my generation retire (mid thirties) we will not be able to claim free bus passes etc - the population is ageing, we can't use state money to subsidise rich people just because they happen to be old.

@Warsawa31 yes the Tories stopped child benefit being a universal benefit and means tested it over a household level (which in a way is sensible as high earners don't have the same need for it) yet pensioners, some of whom are very affluent, get blanket allowances based on age only. Surely, they would be better targetted help to poorer pensioners.

Scraping a lot of what the more wealthier pensioners receive would be a good idea ( as they did with family allowances )
I speak as someone whose own dh is a pensioner.

@Knittingupastorm

This new tax rise changes that. All workers, even those over pension age will be paying NI.

@PlanDeRaccordement I could have misunderstood but I don’t think that’s right. They will (from April 2023) be paying just the 1.25% that makes up this new “levy”.

Interesting, my info could be old “Around one million pensioners are working, but aren’t currently paying NI, but this could change under the new rules.” www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/1487451/national-insurance-uk-tax-rise-contributions-price-hike

@lllllllllll

I hope all the NHS and council workers follow the example of care workers and leave in droves

Why council workers? I know several people who work for a council - they have stable jobs, good incomes, great holiday allowances and have been working from home for the last 18 months. I'd rather be a council worker than an HGV driver any day.

Because many of them are graduates with decades of work experience earning under 20k. Accountants earn 23k. Solicitors under 30k. But people do it because they want to do good.

Rude but also…I obviously will be very grateful and it’ll make life a lot easier and happier if we inherit money. However if I had the choice I’d rather have an affordable life month to month for the 60-70 years (hopefully) before I get inheritance. I’d rather taxes were fairer, I’d rather house prices and childcare were affordable. This is all a pipe dream obviously but what I mean is there must be a better way than some people inheriting money and others struggling forever.

I can guarantee when people of my generation retire (mid thirties) we will not be able to claim free bus passes etc

A lot of younger people never use buses. They own cars. A lot of these elderly people using bus passes have never even learned to drive, let alone own a car.

Not all old people are settling on cellars full of money.

@Onlinedilema

All care household be reclaimed by the state. It absolutely does not cost £1000 per week to provide the care most elderly people receive , it doesn't. Profit making private care homes should be banquished.

So just out of interest how much does it cost? Can you give a breakdown of it for us hard of thinking people. Please include, 24 hour decently paid staffing costs, food purchase, preparation and serving, 24 hour security, day time activities, heating, general building maintenance, internal decoration, wear and tear of furniture and other consumables, laundry and exemplary housekeeping, administrative costs, repayment of building loans and mortgages, upkeep, utilities, insurances ,. Are we talking about single rooms or are you expecting people to share, is that two to a room or four ? en-suite rooms or communal bathrooms?

Do share.

but what I mean is there must be a better way than some people inheriting money and others struggling forever

I never inherited any money. My parents never owned a house. However, I've worked hard all my life with considerable sacrifice to make sure I can help my children not to struggle as I had to. Can't see the problem - I could indulge myself rather than save, but it's my choice to save.....for my children.

@Namechangedforthreadbackafter
Wow all pensioners died in the last 18 months, goodness how on earth you made that leap.

Sorry, I'd forgotten there were people on here that were very literal. So, don't worry. Not ALL pensioners died. But of the people who did, pensioners were the overwhelming number. I think that makes them as a group highly affected.

@StoneofDestiny what if you can’t afford to do either?

It's shit.
I can find the money, it won't work out a huge amount for me... but it's still shit.

I can guarantee when people of my generation retire (mid thirties) we will not be able to claim free bus passes etc

I think it would be a shame. My mum can't drive anymore and she isn't confident money. If she had no bus pass, she'd be stuck at home and never go out. Which just makes her mental health even worse.

I guess a way around all this is to give the money to your children for their home deposits long before you end up in a care home yourself , or a trust fund? I'm sure a few will find ways around all this no doubt if they want their children to have their inheritance early.
I know a few people who have said their parents have done this already.