Young are being ripped off with taxes to fund NHS, says minister

A TORY minister yesterday claimed it is unfair to ask younger voters to pay more in taxes to fund the NHS because it is a ‘Ponzi scheme’ that is ‘about to collapse’.

Justice Minister Philip Lee, a former GP, argued that the young are paying for a health system, social care and pensions that they will not benefit from in later life.

He told a fringe event at the Conservative party conference: ‘When it comes to the under-44s, to say to them, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to tax you even more in work, whilst you’re struggling with a family, whilst you’re wondering about whether you’re going to be paying for your kids’ education, all those sorts of things .

‘Oh, by the way, we’re also going to tax you even more because this Ponzi scheme that we’ve had in play for pensions and for healthcare and for social care for the past 30 years is about to collapse, so therefore we want you to work really, really hard, but when you get to 65, it’s not going to be there”. Hands up who thinks that’s a really compelling narrative?’

A Ponzi scheme is a type of fraudulent investment named after Charles Ponzi who became notorious in the 19 0s for using such scams.

At the same event, Dr Lee said ‘natural wastage’ was the biggest crisis facing the Tories and warned in a decade the party would be in a ‘losing position’.

He said: ‘I do think it is hugely important, in fact I’d say this issue [appealing to younger voters], the challenge the Conservative party faces, is the challenge, actually.

‘Nick Clegg made some headlines recently for saying basically that Brexit wouldn’t have happened because of natural wastage now.

‘Rather unpalatable, but I wonder actually, in ten years’ time, because of natural wastage, whether we’re going to be in a similar losing position.’