Saga manifesto sets out a fair future for older people
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Saga has called for an end to the compulsory retirement age and a flat-rate state pension with no means-testing in a manifesto it is presenting to political parties.
The manifesto calls for major changes to be implemented to make society fairer for people aged over 50.
It calls for the abolition of dividend taxation and an end to basic-rate taxation of interest for the over-65s. To help combat ageism in employment, Saga argues that employers should not have to make National Insurance contributions for over-60s.
Saga also demands there should be a representative age balance of people entering Parliament, so that Government is better able to empathise with the elderly.
Other demands include more support for carers so that older people can stay in their own homes for longer.
Hargreaves Lansdown head of pensions research Tom McPhail says: “The flat rate more generous state pension is an essential move in the long-term rehabilitation of our pension system so I would cert- ainly support that.
“Similarly, I think there is a strong argument for using the NI system to reward employers for taking on or retaining older workers.
“The abolition of a default retirement age is a desirable goal in itself but it is also essential that the Government supports the accumulation of retirement savings through the pension system.”
Rockingham Retirement managing director Steve Hunt says: “Older people do tend to get the rough end of the stick most of the time and I support the fact that they are calling for more elderly people in Parliament. I do think the Government struggles to empathise with elderly people and the only way it can truly do so is to have older people in Parliament.”
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