Out of debt, after death

I heard about this on the news yesterday and was simply shocked at the thought of old people signing over a maximum of 15% of their homes to the government so that nursing home fees can be paid after they pass on. I am almost without words that life long tax payers, having paid so much tax on their houses and everything else in life will now be giving a chunk of their legacy to the government to pay for their nursing. Where in the name of God is all this tax money going to? What is the yearly wage bill for the cabinet? At a time when everyone is being warned about interest rate rises and property not being a wise investment, it sure looks like the government is prepared to back the inclusion of property in its portfolio. source: Irish Times

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  • http://www.infactah.com Colm

    I have to say I’m in support of the government taking this step. Paying income tax gives nobody a God-given right to have free care when they are old. This proposal will only affect those who can afford to pay for their own care in the first place.

    As for the govt wage bill, it’s fair to say that McDowell and many others would have earned far more had they pursued their careers outside of politics.

  • http://www.jbwan.com/weblog Jonathan Brazil

    Hi Colm,

    Interesting comment. Sadly it doesn’t come down to simple payment of income tax alone, it’s all the rates, stamp duties, and other stuff directly associated with the cost of owning a house that gives me the greatest reason for disgust. These taxes are directly linked to house ownership but yet the government are trying to secure a 15% stake in your house after you die aswell.

    I guess that the main point is that taxes are supposed to be used to run the country – the people pay for the people. Regardless of whether you are young or old and in need of health care, it is your right to it as you have paid for all public run services through your taxes. Sadly some of the leading politicians seem to be missing this point. One member of the PDs said last week that private health insurance patients were taking public beds that were paid for by the tax payer and that it was wrong. What this person was forgetting is that the private health insurance patients are also tax payers and as such are paying double for their beds! Now that hardly seems fair given that they pay the same rates of tax as everyone else.

    With respect to the wage bill of the government – well I never said that they were poorly paid in comparison to another avenue that they may have pursued. Maybe they are, maybe they are not, I don’t really care. The point is that too many ministers are taking massive salaries from the government wage pot which, incidentally is paid for by the tax payer also. In addition they reap so many other benefits and to use your phrase just because they represent the public it doesn’t entitle them to a God-given right to a better pension than every other hard working person, a Summer break only rivalled by school teachers, and a house where the laws of slander do not apply. Everyone has an opinion and this is mine: The government is not working for the people but only for itself, constant pay hikes, ridiculous planning practices of roads and other infrastructure, constant pandering to the trade unions resulting in a massive minimum wage that will soon rid Ireland of all its manufacturing industry and many of its services – leaving the country in wreck and ruin.

  • http://www.idealwalldecor.com huge art

    There is an American dream and you found an American reality. We are not better with private medical sys. It is very hard to accumulate money this days. And at the end you give it away

  • http://abolfazlhabibi.blogspot.com/ Abolfazl

    Hi.
    are you Brazilian and do you know Oscar Niemeyer?