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Posted on 10/23/2011 5:55:55 PM PDT by little jeremiah
25million empty bedrooms across the country at a time when many are struggling to bu
Older people should be taxed out of their family homes to free up space for younger generations, says a report backed by Labour.
It argues that 'empty nesters' in their 60s are taking up too much room and should be 'encouraged' by a new 'land tax' to downsize to smaller homes.
The call comes from the Intergenerational Foundation, a left-leaning think-tank that aims to 'promote fairness between generations'.
Labour MP Tessa Jowell sponsored the report's launch in a Commons hospitality room yesterday, saying the current situation ran against Ed Miliband's vision for Britain.
But the 'bedroom blocker' plan drew condemnation from Tory ministers and pressure groups for older people.
Tory housing minister Grant Shapps said: 'We do not agree that people should be taxed or bullied out of their homes.'
The Intergenerational Foundation says there are 25million unused bedrooms in the country and eight million ‘under-occupied’ homes. More than half of people aged over 65 live in homes with two or more spare bedrooms that could be used by young families, it adds.
The report, Hoarding of Housing, says: ‘While younger families are increasingly being squeezed into small flats and under-sized houses, older people are often rattling around in big houses with many bedrooms standing empty, often for years.’
Report co-author Matthew Griffiths said: ‘It is perfectly understandable that retired people cling to their home long after it has outlived its usefulness as a place to bring a family up in.
‘But there are profound social consequences of their actions which are now causing real problems in a country where new house building is almost non-existent.
< snip >
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Over-60 bedroom blockers 'should be taxed out of their homes' to encourage them to leave 'too large' family houses
From the link, info about the “Intergenerational Foundation”:
The Intergenerational Foundation is a non-party political not-for-profit organisation with charitable objectives.
It has been established with the stated aim of ‘researching fairness between current and future generations in the UK’.
The IF believes policy-makers favour older generations at the expense of younger people, for example in terms of benefits, without looking at long-term cost.
‘The UK has a taxation regime skewed against young people, pension arrangements that are unfair, and growing environmental, healthcare and welfare liabilities that are being passed on to future generations,’ it says on its website.
‘We are both actively researching the causes of current intergenerational unfairness and offering possible solutions for a fairer future.’
Envy is just another form of greed.
I just read the comments to the article. Ha ha - they all hated it, and said so in no uncertain language.
Now the Daily Mail is not accepting any more comments. LOL!
Right out of Dr. Zhivago.
My grandmother lives alone in her 5 bedroom house and she seems to like it just fine that way.
Disgusting. If any of these young families want to build up enough money to buy me out of my house, they are quite welcome to it.
Until then, piss off!
And git off my damn lawn!!!
They need to research that?
Elderly taxed to death is what this is.
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Disgusting.
Those who flap their gums about ‘fairness’ would be anything but if they ever seized control.
I guess the NHS isn’t killing off the older generation fast enough. They will have to redouble their efforts!
Amazing what “leaders” can come up with- Crap- if they build some new housing for the younger, there will be employment and enough room for the young. Of course that would be akin to using common sense and that ain’t gonna happen.
Death Panels.....
If anyone has a photo of an old guy flipping the bird, here’s a good spot for it.
I find it interesting that none of them discuss moving in WITH the elders and fill up the empty bed rooms.
Travis McGee is not only a great writer, he’s prophetic because he knows history and also keeps abreast of current events, much like Glenn Beck, and I mean this in a most complimentary manner.
GOOD on you, little jeremiah, for making such a wonderful mention of Travis McGee and his book, Enemies Foreign and Domestic.
And who exactly decides what is intergenerational fairness? What are the criteria? Who decides that older people with no children or grown children don’t “need” a house? Supposed they worked hard and scrimped and saved to afford their house? Who the heck has the right to judge them in this manner?
I know the answer is that liberals want to be the ones to decide what’s fair, and the criteria are an ever shifting hodge podge of demands and complaints about the way society is structured. To me, that’s extremely unfair and presumptuous of liberals to be making such judgements about other people.
The liberals who lecture us about tolerance and civility and respect for people and all of that, have a strong totalitarian streak in them, when discussing issues of “fairness” and “equality”.
To a liberal, taxes are the final solution to every problem, including imaginary ones.
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