Close tax loopholes instead of raiding teachers’ pensions
9:15am Tuesday 29th November 2011 in Comment
MY wife qualified as a teacher in 1999 and, despite working at weekends during her training, it still took us until 2004 to pay off the student loans and fees involved.
In 2007, teachers’ pensions were reviewed, amended and deemed as sustainable on a “cap and share” basis, with a view to taxpayer contributions decreasing each year.
Now, in order to pay for the mistakes made by irresponsible gamblers in the financial sector, she is being told to work longer, pay more into her pension and get less when she retires. As she has not had a pay increase for three years, this amounts to a pay cut. Recent figures also show that over £40 billion more has been paid into the teachers’ pension fund than has been paid out since the 1920s; where has this money gone?
In addition to this, Ofsted inspections, observations, increased workloads and constant changes and interference with regard to the provision of free education has made the teaching profession in the UK one of the most high pressured and stressful in the modern world.
As if this wasn’t enough, the teachers then have their noses rubbed in it by the FTSE 100 chief executives, wealthy bankers and politicians (all of which have pensions contributed to by the taxpayer), who are still receiving massive bonuses on top of huge salaries and have the finest pension provisions in the land, whilst their own terms and conditions come under fire time and again.
The money saved by attacking the public sector is a drop in the ocean compared to what could be saved by closing tax loopholes for the rich and making them pay their way like everyone else.
This Tory-led government is stepping over dollars to pick up dimes for the sake of their own vindictive ideology whilst providing the smokescreen of economic necessity. Teachers aren’t going on strike for the fun of it and they certainly don’t want to lose a day’s pay so close to Christmas, but is it any wonder they have reached breaking point?
The Government and their supporters in vile newspapers such as the Daily Mail are attempting to divide and conquer both public and private sectors and, believe me, if Cameron and friends get their own way in this fight, the rest of us will be fair game.
John Stott Bromley Cross Bolton
