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NewsTime to give the over 50's a voice in budget debates on tax, retirement and work
Time to give the over 50's a voice in budget debates on tax, retirement and work

Time to give the over 50's a voice in budget debates on tax, retirement and work

Tags: Consumer Action Consumer Quickshot FiftyUp Club
Last updated by Chris Zinn on

As debate hots up before the Federal Budget, it’s time to gauge the views of those most affected by the hip-pocket issues being discussed – the over-50s.

The 120,000-member FiftyUp Club has today launched its second annual pre-Budget survey, asking the over-50s what they think about:

  • Pensions and superannuation
  • Negative gearing,
  • The GST and
  • Working to age 70

Consumers over 50 can now give their views HERE on big questions such as whether access to the pension should be more strict, the GST should be extended, or negative gearing should be ended.

They’ll also be asked about work experiences ahead of the inquiry into discrimination against older workers, announced this week (see Appendix).

Last year’s FiftyUp Club Budget Survey attracted more than 6,500 responses on pensions, Medicare and other issues and was presented to the federal government. The same will be done this year.

“Big decisions in these areas affect us not just now but well into the future and will impact on how we plan, save and prepare — so it’s vital we have a voice in these debates,” says FiftyUp Club guest commentator Christopher Zinn.

“As a group with age and experience, but not always money and influence, we need to let decision-makers know what we think before it’s too late.”

The FiftyUp Club has over 120,000 members and uses their buying power to negotiate special offers and lobby on their behalf. It’s free to join at FiftyUpClub.com

Click Here to take our 5-Minute Survey

 

 

APPENDIX

Recent Budget Related News

  1. ‘Stop rich from using negative gearing to offset wages, save $1b : ACOSS’, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 April 2015 by Nassim Khadem Read Here
  2. ‘How a 12 per cent GST could deliver a $100,000 earner an income-tax cut of $34 a week’, News.com.au, 1 April 2015 by John Rolfe Read Here
  3. 'Tony Abbott pledges to protect our superannuation: No changes during his term of government and beyond’, The Daily Telegraph, 16 April 2015 by Simon Benson Read Here
  4. ‘Age Discrimination: Federal Government inquiry to examine barriers older workers face in finding jobs’, ABC Online, 15 April 2015 by Nick Dole Read Here
  5. ‘Opinion: Politicians can’t be trusted to make decisions about superannuation’, Courier Mail, 15 April 2015 by Jeff Kennett Read Here
Originally posted on .

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FiftyUp Club
Time to give the over 50's a voice in budget debates on tax, retirement and work

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Brian
Brian from QLD commented:

Cut perserneal tax if you going to increase gst you have to drop other old taxes that are out of date and have better control on Govament spending and wasting of funds 

Baarry
Baarry from VIC commented:

Worked for fifty years , never been out of work , paid all taxes done military service . Now stop attacking me as a easy target . Chase large corporations and make the younger generations pay their way as we had to. Thank you 

John
John from NSW commented:

Have a look at family trusts. It appears to me that this is a way for some to have two bites of the cherry. There is a need to look at all the work being conducted for cash. 

Jim
Jim from QLD commented:

A lot of money could be made available without touching pensions if the Government stopped paying such high money to all the x Prime Ministers and their hangers-on and their benefits such as secretary, rental assistance travel etc. Yes they all did a good job and nobody is depriving them of wealth, but they are all millionaires in their own right. Benefits are an attraction for people entering politics, and that is why we have the pollies we have. These people don't need to be leeching from Government funding. 

Peter
Peter from NSW commented:

Yes. $1,000,000 in Super sounds a lot however at current interest rates of 3% it means $ 30,000 PA. $2,000,000 would mean $60,000 PA. Is that a high income? Not what you would call a high income. So perhaps with that amount in Super you are not rich? 

Angela
Angela from NSW commented:

I do agree that the budget needs fixing, but with very low interest rates you can not survive as a self funded retiree. You work all your life, in my case only 1 yr off since I was 16 while raising 3 children and suddenly at the end goal they want to change the goal posts, which is unfair. We should be rewarded for giving taxes all our working lives not penalised. Put up the GST all other countries do, tax the on line purchases. 

Duncan
Duncan from QLD commented:

No Government has the balls to do what is necessary as they would never stay in power so we are between a rock and a hard place. 

Anders
Anders from NSW commented:

Gerard from NSW - I totally agree with the treasurer. Too much welfare is given to well off families in the form of tax concessions and family payments. And politicians should have their wages pegged to the increase in the average wage - that'd give them something to work towards. As for their pensions. ABOLISH THEM. Let them live off the money they make in plum jobs on company boards and the like when they leave politics. Or perhaps an age pension - available at the same stage of life as they expect the rest of us to wait. Welfare cuts begin at home, Joe! 

Gerard
Gerard from NSW commented:

Ged from Blacktown NSW The treasurer said when he got into power "we can no longer afford the welfare State" I am on a disabled pension and agree with what he said, but the people getting the most from the pensions are the X MP's who although they have not worked for a living believe they are above all the people that have actually worked to build this country, if any one on a pension earns more than $60 in two weeks money is taken from there pension, but if you are on a MP pension they do not loose any money even if the are getting millions of dollars, so who could do the most good by having there pensions cut?????? 

Vicki
Vicki from NSW commented:

There needs to be a comment section on each page- I think GST should be on Private school fees and internet purchases etc but not fresh AUSTRALIAN food. Our FARMERS NEED THE HELP 

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