Welfare And Pensions
Welfare was envisaged as being a safety net, not the hammock it has become. We aim to refrain from nurturing dependency while encouraging self-reliance and charitable works via a steady evolution and review of existing welfare arrangements. As with healthcare, the Libertarian Party believes strongly in honouring existing commitments, and this applies to the State Pension.
Welfare
- An end to State funding of lifestyle choices. People dependent on the State shall not normally get additional housing or cash provision if they expand their family either through birth or the accumulation of additional dependants for whatever reason. Although this may seem harsh, there is an injustice in entitlements that accumulate, forcing tax payers unable to provide for or expand their own families to fund the choices of others.
- An end to the taxing of the poorest. Abolishing Income Tax will remove the need for complex tax credits and similar benefits. In future, taxes will be on consumption, not earnings.
- No blank cheques. We will seek to encourage wider discussion within the nation on incentivisation away from a life of dependency.
- Migration to a plurality of non-State organisations providing low-cost housing. Such bodies will be able to set their own standards for tenant behaviour and so forth, with no binding "duty of care" upon them to house all comers.
- Abuses of welfare will be dramatically reduced via a simplification of the benefits structure and closure of loopholes, exploits, and contradictions with national law (e.g. the support for multiple wives).
Pensions
- The Libertarian Party will uphold all existing State pension commitments. However, we recognise that our existing national pensions scheme is not viable in the long-term, and we will expect individuals to start to make their own provision for a future pension. We will also advise individuals against the use of company pension schemes that are linked in any way to the ongoing viability of the company.
- State pensions liabilities will be reviewed with the intention of making them transparent and openly securitized; this will be achieved through the issuance of government debt and/or the realisation of unnecessary State assets.