“granny tax”

14 Duncombe Street

Wollaston

Stourbridge

DY8 3QU

26th March 2012

"Letters to the Editor"

The Editor

"Express & Star"

Dear Sir,

I note some anxiety from elderly people about the so-called "granny tax" - the phasing out of the age allowance. Most independent experts seem to agree that the age allowance has outlived its usefulness, and indeed Labour froze the age allowance in its last two years of power.

As a Liberal Democrat I'd like to suggest that old people and their organisations should concentrate on celebrating the pension "triple lock" and making quite sure that future governments don't dare to remove it.

As a result of the Liberal Democrats' "triple lock" policy, state pensions will now be rising every year by the percentage rise in inflation, or the percentage rise in average earnings, or 2.5%, whichever is the greatest. In this way pensioners will gradually come to share in the prosperity of society, rather than being relegated to poverty on the margins.

Remember that Margaret Thatcher broke the link between pensions and earnings, and Labour did nothing whatever to restore the link. It took the Liberal Democrats' participation in the Coalition Government to put the matter right and restore justice to state pensioners.

Chris Bramall

Stourbridge and Halesowen Liberal Democrats