The Ageing Population
February 8th 2010 09:01
The Ageing Population.
Strange, isn’t it, how Governments emphasise the need for better health services, yet are complaining that the ageing population is going to cost zillions of dollars in the future as budgets are strained to support a non- working population which is constantly growing.
How about reducing the cost of living for everyone, so that they can afford to support themselves?
During my lifetime of some 76 years the cost of living has risen continually. I have not acquired much more in my lifetime that what my parents had in their lifetime, I just had to pay more and more for it. The purchasing power of my income dollar has been reduced every time I received a salary rise. Income tax and increased costs of the basics of living almost nullified my salary rise. But, I was a tradesman, a worker, just one of the multitude who paid their taxes and their bills and got on with their lives as best they could.
On the other end of the scale are the wealthy, the big businesses, the Govt and its endless supply of burocrats, minders and spin doctors. They don’t mind if the dollar buys less than it did, for they are guaranteed a living income, and a damn good one, when they eventually retire. Why, our politicians can leave Parliament and get their Parliamentary pension, then get another job with the Govt and get another pension on top of it. I doubt that is even close to a fair-go for the basic taxpayer. What we are going to do about levelling things out a bit I don’t know. Those who make the laws of the land are those who get the biggest slice of the cake( with cream and a cherry on top). Those who foot the bill for it all, generate the national income and make the businesses profitable, are those who will need support in their old age; the ageing population.
How about everyone whose personal income is more than treble the National average paying 5% to a specific old age pensioners fund. That would help a lot, especially if the 5% was paid before deductions were taken away from incomes. Not paid to a Super Fund where the directors can pay themselves a very high salary and use all the income, but to a govt agency which holds the cash for distribution when and where necessary.
With advancing years comes a lessening of the need to be physically active. We are old and simply can’t hack the pace any longer, so we look for sedentary pursuits to occupy our minds and our time. This means that our living expenses are less than when we were tearaway ratbags and had to be on the go all the time. We still need to be a part of society and when one looks at the average age of those who do volunteer work on a regular or part time basis you will find a lot of oldies. You would probably find more if the cost of being a volunteer had less impact on the volunteers cost of living. Oldies still need people.
But I digress. We are an aging population and that’s all there is to it, somehow our honourable politicians will have to find a way to support us when we need it.
A fairer distribution of the nations wealth amongst its population would be a good way to start. Tax as it stands is not fair at all. Those who have the income to pay the most actually pay the least. The taxation deduction system is way out of date and only those wealthy sods have enough uncommitted cash to take full advantage of the archaic system still in use.
Another way to help out would be to ensure that foreign investors pay their full share of taxation on the money they make from their investments in our country. They make money here, they pay tax here. We might lose an investor or two, but the money made from this country should be used for the benefit of those who live in this country. I think that is fair, don’t you?
Now, I’m one of the ageing population already and when it’s time for me to go I probably won’t have enough money for what is called a decent funeral. I don’t care if they wrap my body in a rag and leave it out in the bush somewhere, I shall feel nothing, for I will be dead, and funerals are for the living. However, I don’t think it would be a fair go if my better half was to receive a bill she could not afford just to keep in with the law of the land. I worked hard all my life and due to circumstances beyond my control, I saved nothing. I still believe that having served my time in the salt mines for the benefit of my country I should be assured of a peaceful old age and a respectable funeral.
Strange, isn’t it, how Governments emphasise the need for better health services, yet are complaining that the ageing population is going to cost zillions of dollars in the future as budgets are strained to support a non- working population which is constantly growing.
How about reducing the cost of living for everyone, so that they can afford to support themselves?
During my lifetime of some 76 years the cost of living has risen continually. I have not acquired much more in my lifetime that what my parents had in their lifetime, I just had to pay more and more for it. The purchasing power of my income dollar has been reduced every time I received a salary rise. Income tax and increased costs of the basics of living almost nullified my salary rise. But, I was a tradesman, a worker, just one of the multitude who paid their taxes and their bills and got on with their lives as best they could.
On the other end of the scale are the wealthy, the big businesses, the Govt and its endless supply of burocrats, minders and spin doctors. They don’t mind if the dollar buys less than it did, for they are guaranteed a living income, and a damn good one, when they eventually retire. Why, our politicians can leave Parliament and get their Parliamentary pension, then get another job with the Govt and get another pension on top of it. I doubt that is even close to a fair-go for the basic taxpayer. What we are going to do about levelling things out a bit I don’t know. Those who make the laws of the land are those who get the biggest slice of the cake( with cream and a cherry on top). Those who foot the bill for it all, generate the national income and make the businesses profitable, are those who will need support in their old age; the ageing population.
How about everyone whose personal income is more than treble the National average paying 5% to a specific old age pensioners fund. That would help a lot, especially if the 5% was paid before deductions were taken away from incomes. Not paid to a Super Fund where the directors can pay themselves a very high salary and use all the income, but to a govt agency which holds the cash for distribution when and where necessary.
With advancing years comes a lessening of the need to be physically active. We are old and simply can’t hack the pace any longer, so we look for sedentary pursuits to occupy our minds and our time. This means that our living expenses are less than when we were tearaway ratbags and had to be on the go all the time. We still need to be a part of society and when one looks at the average age of those who do volunteer work on a regular or part time basis you will find a lot of oldies. You would probably find more if the cost of being a volunteer had less impact on the volunteers cost of living. Oldies still need people.
But I digress. We are an aging population and that’s all there is to it, somehow our honourable politicians will have to find a way to support us when we need it.
A fairer distribution of the nations wealth amongst its population would be a good way to start. Tax as it stands is not fair at all. Those who have the income to pay the most actually pay the least. The taxation deduction system is way out of date and only those wealthy sods have enough uncommitted cash to take full advantage of the archaic system still in use.
Another way to help out would be to ensure that foreign investors pay their full share of taxation on the money they make from their investments in our country. They make money here, they pay tax here. We might lose an investor or two, but the money made from this country should be used for the benefit of those who live in this country. I think that is fair, don’t you?
Now, I’m one of the ageing population already and when it’s time for me to go I probably won’t have enough money for what is called a decent funeral. I don’t care if they wrap my body in a rag and leave it out in the bush somewhere, I shall feel nothing, for I will be dead, and funerals are for the living. However, I don’t think it would be a fair go if my better half was to receive a bill she could not afford just to keep in with the law of the land. I worked hard all my life and due to circumstances beyond my control, I saved nothing. I still believe that having served my time in the salt mines for the benefit of my country I should be assured of a peaceful old age and a respectable funeral.
| 22 |
| Vote |
Add Comments
Read More
Comments (1)
Comment by Robert Bruce
on Shake Like A Jelly
Australian Storyteller
Storyteller - prose and poetry
Bushwriter
Thanks to you both for your comments and may we all be free of major shakes.
Cheers
Bob