Call for care tax on over-40s

A TAX on the middle-aged to help fix England’s broken care system should be considered by Boris Johnson, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said last night.

Mr Hunt – who stood against the PM for the Tory leadership last year – said there was a ‘now or never’ opportunity to put in place a long-term funding plan.

He said Mr Johnson could use the public support for the sector during the pandemic to set out why a new tax is needed to fund increasingly expensive care for an ageing population. Mr Hunt, who was health secretary under David Cameron and Theresa May, suggested a care levy on the over-40s, along the lines of schemes in place in Germany and Japan.

He said: ‘Both of them, interestingly, introduced a tax surcharge to people over 40, which is only a small amount extra, but as you get older you start to pay a little bit more.

‘And neither have had public pushback for doing that.’ Social care has been badly hit by coronavirus, with thousands dying in care homes and millions of home visits cancelled.

It has increased pressure on ministers to reform the system which sees dementia sufferers and others hit with sky-high bills after they are forced to fund their care down to their last £23,250.

When he became PM in July 2019, Mr Johnson claimed he had a reform plan to ‘fix the social care crisis once and for all’ – but nothing has been forthcoming.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘We are focused on ensuring all those who need it get the care and support to stay safe and well during the pandemic and throughout this winter. We remain committed to sustainable improvement of the adult social care system.’