Another day, another controversial new announcement from a Conservative campaign keen to show that it has new ideas. Today, it is the so-called ‘Triple Lock Plus’, which will mean that, should the Tories get back in, pensioners’ tax-free allowance will automatically increase in line with the highest of wages, earnings, or 2.5 per cent. The state pension will never be taxed. They claim it would give pensioners a tax cut of almost £300 per year by the end of the next parliament.
Younger people expect a quid pro quo from the government, and from older people who have had it pretty good.
This follows the national service announcement, and both in conjunction have led to criticisms that the Conservatives are neglecting the young at the expense of a core vote of older people. Why, the question is being asked, should one group get a tax cut while the other are being made to do free labour?
It’s hard to argue with this conclusion when these two announcements are taken together.
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