Working Australians are going to be required to pay a $30 billion tax in the form of a 'Medicare' style levy to provide facilities and care for the once upon a time baby boomers of the 50's and 60's, now elderly and retired, no longer working and in need of aged care. The majority of Australian are in favour of providing sustainable care for the elderly. Prior to the last election Labor was opposed to any form of levy or tax for such a purpose.

The fact that many elderly folk are asset rich, generally in the form of home ownership, are now wanting and expecting younger battling Australians, who have little prospect of ever owning their own home in the future, to pay for comfortable care and accommodation for them in their old age seems a bit rich to me.

Australian taxpayers already spend $25 billion annually on provide aged care for the old. Anther $30 billion?

"Prior to the last election Labor was opposed to any form of levy or tax for such a purpose."

Actually they SAID they were opposed - being opposed isn't the same as SAYING you're opposed. No one goes into an election promising a tax increase. But they did promise all sorts of goodies for the aged care sector, which now needs to be paid for and its slowly dawning on Labor that the money tree out the back of the PM's office has already been picked clean.

I'm not especially in favour of this type of levy or any additional payments to aged care. Benefits need to be fully means tested and if the aged want to go into care they should be forced to use a large portion of their acquired wealth to met the cost.

But its rather rich of Labor to now be pretending to be fiscally conservative once the election is over when they were promising Utopia without costs before it.

Dear Mhaze,

«if the aged want to go into care they should be forced to use a large portion of their acquired wealth to met the cost.»

Very true, but in most cases aged people do not want to go into care - but are forced to.

And nobody should be made to pay for a "service" they do not require!

Sixteen percent of all Australians are over 65. Spending $30 billion on them would seem to be a better deal than the current $30 billion being sent on the mere three percent of people claiming to have some connection to aboriginality. Particularly as you can lie about that connection, but you can't lie about your age, which is verifiable.

As for the poor-bubba-young, they will be treated the same way when they reach old age - with the same benefits, and also the same contempt and lack of respect that they show towards the elderly now.

Rather than complaining about elderly health care- I would prefer to look at how we can make ourselves self sufficient- and getting better managers- that can create efficiencies and cost savings. It seems to be indicative of a failing society when they see the elderly as a cost rather than a resource.

The proposed $30 billion levy comes on top of the already generous taxpayer funded handouts to older Australians in the form of pensions, concessions and care subsidies. Young people rightly ask, if I pay additional tax to support old people, what guarantee is there I will be afforded the same generosity in my retirement, the answer is none at all. The other vexing question is, many old folk who are 100% supported by the state are extremely asset rich, mostly in the form of property owned. Young people rightly ask, why should I pay extra tax to support old people who live in a very expensive property of their own, whilst I have no prospect of ever owning my own home, and I should pay more tax for the privileged!