Older workers could face tax rises to pay for care under Conservative plans

Ministers are considering extra tax rises on older members of the public to pay for elderly care, it has emerged.



According to the Daily Telegraph, Philip Hammond is considering a targeted tax rise on older voters to pay for adult social care.

This comes as ministers privately raised the suggestions of a small rise in national insurance and ring-fencing the revenue to pay for extra care in the NHS.

However, the Chancellor is said to be looking at more taxes for the over-50s as part of a 10-year funding plan for the NHS and has the support of the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

One idea, which could raise £2bn for the NHS, would be to keep collecting national insurance from anyone still working over the age of 65.

Scrapping universal free prescriptions for over-65s is also up for debate.

Theresa May is expected to use her spring party conference speech to urge members of the importance of protecting the NHS, particularly if they want to win votes from Labour.

The Prime Minister will say: “Some people question our motives. They wonder whether we care enough about the NHS and schools.

“Whether we truly respect the people who work in them and understand that people rely on them.”

She will add: “We need to accept that our public services today do face real challenges, and we must be clear about the action we are taking to help them.

“And we also need to do something else – to win the argument that says it is only a strong economy that can provide the resources our public services need and it is only by continuing to reform our public services that we can achieve the improved results which we all want.”