Hi there
yet again the media trying to set up the young vs the old.
Younger workers are facing greater poverty as out unequal society hits the poorest hardest.
However the older section of society are also badly affected by poverty. Over 3.5 million 50 - 65 year olds out of employment ( but only 400,000 approx. accepted / registered on Job Seekers Allowance). Carers ( 50% of whom are 50-65- mainly women) suffer from inability to get flexible work, low or no carer benefits plus lack of National Insurance contributions) Result 1 million single women pensioners live in poverty
Yes there are more wealthy and comfortably off older working age and pensioners but there are a large number of older working age( 50 - 65+, active pensioners ( 65- 75+) and the frail elderly (mainly 80+) who do not have their own homes, do not have adequate state or employer pensions, do not have savings or private pensions and live on or below the breadline
we need more awareness of the benefits of intergenerational solidarity with young and old alike taking on ageism and confronting low wages, poor pensions, austerity and cuts in public services.
The problem is tax avoidance and an absence of fair universally applied tax on income and wealth
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Thursday, 25 September 2014
WHY WEALTH MUST PAY THE SAME TAXES AS INCOME
All the statistics point the same way - as highlighted by Capital and by such blogs as Michael Meachers- wealth - the ownership of capital, land, shares, property,money etc - is increasing its value every day but even more so in relation to income earned, but is hardly being taxed. This is a moral, social but particularly economic outrage and is leading to greater inequality across the UK and globally.
The richest top 100 in the world now own more than the bottom 25% of the world - if not more. In the UK earned income arising from the growth in wealth of the top 100 people in 2000 owned £150 billion - by 2011 the top 100 owned £450 billion and rising.
We the ordinary working people of all classes are taxed between 20- 40% the wealth owners pay nothing as it is hidden in tax havens or through tax avoidence or at the most they pay a small percentage of their increased wealth.
This disparity in taxation means that the very rich get richer with no benefit accruing to the majority
The result is that as the rich do not spend much of their wealth but hord it or speculate with it there is no economic dynamic for growth. Where ordinary people get more money they spend it which gives a boost to demand and thus to economic growth. Without fair taxation on wealth and income there is no long term sustaianble growth.
Who are these top 1%? the children of the rich from times past with unearned wealth, the aristocracies of the world, plus the new gangster capitalists from Russia and their satelite states, the oil billionaires and the dictators and military leaders bleeding their countries dry plus of course the gangsters beghind the world's drugs trade, people trafficking, monet laundering, financial malpractice and speculation - parasites all.
Where does a lot of this money go - through the greedy corrupt hands of British and international banks in the City of London - now the world's centre for money laundering - and through the tax havens- over 50% of which are under UK jurisdictiion . What is the current tax avioding money laundering wheeze? buying multi million pound properties in london - where you pay no tax if a foreign rsident, no purchase tax on the property, a pittance in rates - same as for a property worth £500k - while paying maybe max 4% when sold. and you dont even live there, but have met police - who you dont pay to maintain- protect your property from squatting - now illegal.
What can be done - well first - make everyone from abroad with an investment in the UK pay to own a property - make a mansion tax for properties over £5 million pay a windfall tax now on the increase in avlue since ownership minimum £500,000 each, with a proper rate of council tax charge on property - say 5% a year. Make all companies trading in the UK pay the 20% on profits generated here, make all transactions in financial speculation subject to the EU Robin Hood tax.
Introduce a full vigilence tax regime to get every single person generating money from their wealth pay the same as those who pay income tax, raise income tax to 60% for all those earning over £1 million per year but most of all pursue all tax avoiders for every penny avioded - no more Vodaphone deals letting them off billions.
What can we do - well UK Uncut is trying some good publicity and direct actions, boycott the tax avioders, vote for redistribtion, join the fair tax movement, and express your hatred and contempt of these parasitical and sociapathic scum when ever and where ever you can, - carry on with online campaigns, write in to the media, take peaceful direct action, slag them off on the streets and in their clubs mass mobilise - make them realise that we know who arnd what they are.
It will take time but we cannot just go on passively being ripped off for ever
The richest top 100 in the world now own more than the bottom 25% of the world - if not more. In the UK earned income arising from the growth in wealth of the top 100 people in 2000 owned £150 billion - by 2011 the top 100 owned £450 billion and rising.
We the ordinary working people of all classes are taxed between 20- 40% the wealth owners pay nothing as it is hidden in tax havens or through tax avoidence or at the most they pay a small percentage of their increased wealth.
This disparity in taxation means that the very rich get richer with no benefit accruing to the majority
The result is that as the rich do not spend much of their wealth but hord it or speculate with it there is no economic dynamic for growth. Where ordinary people get more money they spend it which gives a boost to demand and thus to economic growth. Without fair taxation on wealth and income there is no long term sustaianble growth.
Who are these top 1%? the children of the rich from times past with unearned wealth, the aristocracies of the world, plus the new gangster capitalists from Russia and their satelite states, the oil billionaires and the dictators and military leaders bleeding their countries dry plus of course the gangsters beghind the world's drugs trade, people trafficking, monet laundering, financial malpractice and speculation - parasites all.
Where does a lot of this money go - through the greedy corrupt hands of British and international banks in the City of London - now the world's centre for money laundering - and through the tax havens- over 50% of which are under UK jurisdictiion . What is the current tax avioding money laundering wheeze? buying multi million pound properties in london - where you pay no tax if a foreign rsident, no purchase tax on the property, a pittance in rates - same as for a property worth £500k - while paying maybe max 4% when sold. and you dont even live there, but have met police - who you dont pay to maintain- protect your property from squatting - now illegal.
What can be done - well first - make everyone from abroad with an investment in the UK pay to own a property - make a mansion tax for properties over £5 million pay a windfall tax now on the increase in avlue since ownership minimum £500,000 each, with a proper rate of council tax charge on property - say 5% a year. Make all companies trading in the UK pay the 20% on profits generated here, make all transactions in financial speculation subject to the EU Robin Hood tax.
Introduce a full vigilence tax regime to get every single person generating money from their wealth pay the same as those who pay income tax, raise income tax to 60% for all those earning over £1 million per year but most of all pursue all tax avoiders for every penny avioded - no more Vodaphone deals letting them off billions.
What can we do - well UK Uncut is trying some good publicity and direct actions, boycott the tax avioders, vote for redistribtion, join the fair tax movement, and express your hatred and contempt of these parasitical and sociapathic scum when ever and where ever you can, - carry on with online campaigns, write in to the media, take peaceful direct action, slag them off on the streets and in their clubs mass mobilise - make them realise that we know who arnd what they are.
It will take time but we cannot just go on passively being ripped off for ever
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
why are we babyboomers always lablled as reactionary
Every time I read a poll broken down by age the over 50s / over 60s are shown as having a majority of coionservative / reactionary opinions. Why is this? for all of my life I have known hundreds of progressive people from the babyboomer generation - after all we started the 68 libvertarian and socialist mass opposition to the reactionary regimes of the time including sexual freedom for all, anti racism and sexism, against imperialism and the Vietnam war - yet now we ae always on the right in opion polls.
Is it really true that the older you get the more right wing you become - it has not happened to me. Maybe we need a little more differentiation between the older working age - babyboomers ( 50- 65+) the active pensioner genration ( 65- 75/80) and the 'frail elderly ( 80+) and apologies to all of us who dont think we fit into those age groups - but by and large we do. Thiose are separate generations just like the youngsters and we should not all be shoved together - after all the older woking age make up nearly 25% of the working poulation and do over half of all caring ( especially the women) and we still think and act - or many of us do in an actuve progressive way enjoying life and adventures - we are not in old people's homes - yet.
Also maybe the questions asked are not approrpiate - I cannot imagine that all of those active trade unionists form the 50s - 80s who fought for and benefitted from trade union membership can now have forgotten how iportant solidarity is and how you can only gctively to force employers to pay us our due.
Maybe we are the ones who dont respond to opinion polls. Or maybe we - the progressive seniors need to take our arguements to our own generastion as well as supporting the youth - who will always be in the vabguard of change and progress and the fight for freedom, democracy, fairness and equality
what do you think?
Is it really true that the older you get the more right wing you become - it has not happened to me. Maybe we need a little more differentiation between the older working age - babyboomers ( 50- 65+) the active pensioner genration ( 65- 75/80) and the 'frail elderly ( 80+) and apologies to all of us who dont think we fit into those age groups - but by and large we do. Thiose are separate generations just like the youngsters and we should not all be shoved together - after all the older woking age make up nearly 25% of the working poulation and do over half of all caring ( especially the women) and we still think and act - or many of us do in an actuve progressive way enjoying life and adventures - we are not in old people's homes - yet.
Also maybe the questions asked are not approrpiate - I cannot imagine that all of those active trade unionists form the 50s - 80s who fought for and benefitted from trade union membership can now have forgotten how iportant solidarity is and how you can only gctively to force employers to pay us our due.
Maybe we are the ones who dont respond to opinion polls. Or maybe we - the progressive seniors need to take our arguements to our own generastion as well as supporting the youth - who will always be in the vabguard of change and progress and the fight for freedom, democracy, fairness and equality
what do you think?
welcome to wise age
Hi
This is to introduce myself. Wise Age has been set up to represent the interests of baby boomers and help Older Working Age people ( 50- 65+) overcome ageism, discrimination and exclusion, poverty and isolation - but mainly to have a progressive voice on whats is happening to us and in the world.
Wise Ager is the everyday blog for Wise Age and I as the chief Exec of this viluntary not for profit organisation will be trying to redress the balance so older working age people( 50-65+) are seen as being an active part in making our world more equal, fair and sustainable and to give those of us progressive babyboomers a voice to show what a lie it is that all of us seniors are reactionary, conservative and fearful of change and the future....
On last Saturday I went along to the March Against Climate Change in central London. although it was a bit of a hike to get there when we arrived we were knocked out at how many people were there - must have been 50,000 - took hours for everyone to get to the speakers nearParliament - - but as usual the police and media downplayed the numbers - 10,000 my arse!.
The mix of people with banners from all over the UK - or at least Englandand Wales - young and old was brilliant. As were the the banners, the imagination that went into the slogans, the banners, the dressing up, plus great music and chanting - not to mention the giant black bin bags floating along -one of which was eventually shoved over the fence into Parliament - rubbish for rubbish.
It was also good to see and hear how many people now make the connection between climate change and capitalism - to save the world from cliamte change we also need to save it from globalised, neo liberal capitalism - or the triumph of brutality and psychopathy over the decency and needs of the majority of the people in the world.
Listening to most of the speakers reminded me that we are l not alone there are milliuons of us who understand that we need to restart the democratic process from the bottom up as the main parties are now ALL part of the problem.
Yet again I was reminded that just going along and being a part of soem little resistance can inspire you so you dont feel quite so alone and powerless. After the whole event in central London it also reminded me how few public free toilets there are!
This is to introduce myself. Wise Age has been set up to represent the interests of baby boomers and help Older Working Age people ( 50- 65+) overcome ageism, discrimination and exclusion, poverty and isolation - but mainly to have a progressive voice on whats is happening to us and in the world.
Wise Ager is the everyday blog for Wise Age and I as the chief Exec of this viluntary not for profit organisation will be trying to redress the balance so older working age people( 50-65+) are seen as being an active part in making our world more equal, fair and sustainable and to give those of us progressive babyboomers a voice to show what a lie it is that all of us seniors are reactionary, conservative and fearful of change and the future....
On last Saturday I went along to the March Against Climate Change in central London. although it was a bit of a hike to get there when we arrived we were knocked out at how many people were there - must have been 50,000 - took hours for everyone to get to the speakers nearParliament - - but as usual the police and media downplayed the numbers - 10,000 my arse!.
The mix of people with banners from all over the UK - or at least Englandand Wales - young and old was brilliant. As were the the banners, the imagination that went into the slogans, the banners, the dressing up, plus great music and chanting - not to mention the giant black bin bags floating along -one of which was eventually shoved over the fence into Parliament - rubbish for rubbish.
It was also good to see and hear how many people now make the connection between climate change and capitalism - to save the world from cliamte change we also need to save it from globalised, neo liberal capitalism - or the triumph of brutality and psychopathy over the decency and needs of the majority of the people in the world.
Listening to most of the speakers reminded me that we are l not alone there are milliuons of us who understand that we need to restart the democratic process from the bottom up as the main parties are now ALL part of the problem.
Yet again I was reminded that just going along and being a part of soem little resistance can inspire you so you dont feel quite so alone and powerless. After the whole event in central London it also reminded me how few public free toilets there are!
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