Dementia Tax

Theresa May's decision to seize the homes and money of older people in need of care must rank as one of the most callous proposals of the century. As a 2010 Labour Parliamentary Candidate the policy that I was most proud to present was Gordon Brown's National Care Service, to be funded by a small levy on all deceased estates. It was fair and progressive, each contributing according to their means, and all benefiting through a substantial increase in care funding. The Tories condemned that as a Death Tax - and then spent 7 years undermining the NHS as well as cutting Local Government social care funding. Like Faust, pensioners have had their votes bought by the Tories for years, but Theresa May has come to collect their souls, their pensions, their cash, and their houses - big time. The total spend on adult care is about £18 Billion per annum, the total value of ALL deceased estates is about £70 Billion. A 5% levy would increase the amount of money desperately needed to deliver care for older people by 20%. Rather than spread the cost fairly the Tories have proposed an ill thought out scheme that means that those with greater health needs, and the most vulnerable, pay the most.