Theresa May wants a dementia tax. But it could be a step too far even for the nasty party

The Conservative Party has been accused of a new low after Theresa May announced plans to make old people pay for their own care. Under the proposals launched in the manifesto, those who need care will be charged after they die if their estate is worth over £100,000. And that valuation will now include the person’s home as well as any savings.
The new plans have been branded a “dementia tax”. And May is taking a huge risk in alienating one of her key voting demographics – pensioners.
Dementia Tax
Twitter users quickly launched the hashtag #DementiaTax:
The Tories policy for a #DementiaTax is the lowest of the low. I can't even read this manifesto without my eyes filling up with water.
— Aaron J Wood (@TheSmiths1986) May 18, 2017
Read on...
When one of your policies is immediately branded #DementiaTax you gotta know you've gone too far… #JC4PM #ToriesOut2017
— HeyCarriAnn (@thetinyvalkyrie) May 18, 2017
Today the good people of Britain need to come together & say enough is enough. The #DementiaTax is random nastiness & needs stopping now.
— Rachael Swindon #GTTO (@Rachael_Swindon) May 18, 2017
A tax on the working class
As others pointed out, this is essentially a tax on the working and lower middle classes:
https://twitter.com/trees0106/status/865143042747092992
£100k social care proposal is a tax on anyone unfortunate enough to have a relative with dementia.#torymanifesto #VictoriaLive #DementiaTax
— Paul Farnhill (@RevPaulCA) May 18, 2017
And with average house prices currently at £215,847, this will hit many families hard. This is especially so when it’s considered that many elderly people brought their houses before the property boom and when ordinary people could still afford housing.
Punishing an awful condition
Families can be devastated by dementia as many people pointed out. And the new plans, unveiled halfway through Dementia Awareness Week, punish people living with this awful condition, as it often leads to spiralling care costs:
My grandparents had dementia. It is a horrible illness. And it is grotesque that the Tories are levying a #dementiatax
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) May 18, 2017
Person you knew is no more, bewilderment, sobbing, aggression, futility. Relatives heartbreak, hoping for peaceful quick end #dementiatax
— MuckleRuth (@watchitlad) May 18, 2017
A huge gamble
This is a horrendous tax aimed at ordinary people. And as some pointed out, they’d rather pay more tax than see elderly people treated in this way:
@mrjamesob I'd happily pay more National Insurance if that's what is required. #DementiaTax is just punishing those with horrific bad luck
— Tom Beard (@TomDBeard) May 18, 2017
But May is taking a huge gamble in alienating huge swathes of the population, including her key voting base of pensioners. While Labour is proposing taxing the richest 5%, May wants to introduce taxes that not only impact all of us, but punish the most vulnerable people in society.
We have an opportunity to make sure this gamble doesn’t pay off. Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party is offering a real alternative. We have a choice. We don’t have to accept the nasty party. And we have the opportunity to get rid of May and her cruel policies for good.
Get Involved!
– Register to vote in the 8 June general election.
– Discuss the key policy issues with family members, colleagues and neighbours. And organise! Join (and participate in the activities of) a union, an activist group, and/or a political party.
– Also read more Canary articles on the 2017 general election.
Featured image via Flickr
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?