Solution for cost of living crisis

Cost of Living Crisis

Direct help for all ages to offset high rises in
energy bills, petrol and food prices

First Year of Over 50s party government:

Stop Council Tax for all.
Causing no debt.
Replacing with local income tax 2nd year,
with payment starting same as after basic tax allowance.

Housing Benefit to cover all rent.
Make benefit admin minimal, ending private firms welfare admin, and pay benefits at 90 per cent of real living wage (Living Wage Foundation rates), with only condition is signing on every fortnight. Cold Weather Payment per household receiving benefit.
Immediately reduce worker National Insurance to 5.85 per cent. Payment starts same as basic tax allowance, which will return to increasing by £500 per year.
Immediately pay £448.12 per week state pension, permanently paid tax free forever so ease of admin, to UK resident pensioners already in receipt of state pension.

Immediately pay £35,000 compensation to 1950s born ladies, paid tax free, so simple to admin.
Immediately pay £448.12 per week state pension, tax free forever to people living permanently in UK, to 1965 born ladies onwards who turn 60 in 2025.
Immediately pay £448.12 per week state pension,
not back-dated but paid from 2025, to ladies born between 1960 and 1964, paid tax free to make admin minimal, and without regard to National Insurance history.

FOOD PRICES

Subsidise essential foods, with price controls, so lower the cheapest foods in supermarkets. Ration how much any one person can buy.
Free state school meals (breakfast and lunch), funded by 33.3 per cent Luxury Tax on private school fees.
Zero rate VAT on confectionery (sweets, chocolate covered biscuits and chocolates), crisps, savoury snacks, ice cream, soft drinks and mineral water.

Background: Most food is zero-rated for VAT, so you don't pay VAT, but some items are standard-rated
(20% VAT). This includes catering, alcoholic drinks, confectionery, crisps and savoury snacks, hot food, sports drinks, hot takeaways, ice cream, soft drinks and mineral water

Zero rate for VAT your energy bills, til prices come down, then halve VAT from current 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent
(to help in move to renewables).

Cut petrol and diesel fuel duty by the 58p per litre it is (2022), and zero VAT rate, when today (2022) is 20 per cent VAT.
(March 2022 - fuel duty in Ireland had been cut by
20 per cent for petrol and 15 per cent for diesel.)
End tax on car parking spaces at work.
Increase Winter Fuel Payment to £650 per household, with a person from age 60 in household.
Make home energy bills and home energy saving products zero rated for VAT. Down from 5 per cent now.
Cut business energy VAT by half from
current 20 per cent VAT.
Nationalised National Grid to put free solar panels on all south facing roofs of your homes, social or private housing. This replaces the lost FIT (Feed In Tariffs) schemes of the past. You sell back your unused electricity to the National Grid. Permanently saves on your heating and hot water bills.

Disabled people and pensioners to get Handyman help to move stuff about the attic so the solar panel fitter engineer can gain access.

Nationalised National Grid to bring back resilience by building gas storage facilities throughout UK, so can
pre-buy and store cheapest gas.
Nationalise deep mine coal pits for nationalised coal-fired power stations. There are only 2 coal-fired power stations left, due to be shut in 2024 (West Burton, and Uniper's Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, which will be kept open).
Not permit open cast coal mining or fracking (shale gas).
Find ways for supermarkets to self-generate their own energy needs, so helping food prices not to rise as much.

Bettered National Insurance

Lowered National Insurance. Workers to stop paying from age 60
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Less Tax Working and Middle Class

Lowered income tax on working class
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Increased state pension for all pensioners, old and new, & £35,000 compensation to ladies born 1954 to 1959.

Cost of Living Crisis