"Britain 'needs decades of immigration' "

[sandyRoe]

'Higher levels of immigration over the next 50 years would spare taxpayers from the need to endure much greater austerity, the Government's fiscal watchdog has said.'
From yesterdays Independent. Have many here in AB been barking loudly up the wrong tree?

[Old_Geezer]

Surely a mistake ? He meant emigration.
After all, no one can be that daft.

[dr b]

Most European and Asian countries have birth rates well below the replacement rate. A welfare state can only function if there are a lot more people working than there are on benefits or pensions. Therefore, immigration is needed to sustain the welfare state. Emigration will only solve the problem if the people getting the benefits and pensions leave, which seems unlikely.

[dr b]

This is interesting:

http://www.forbes.com...e-birth-rates-stupid/

[slaney]

And the link...
http://www.independen...watchdog-7939667.html

[dr b]

So you could also say that Britain needs decades of lots and lots of babies that grow up and get jobs.

[Old_Geezer]

Immigration is not needed to sustain the welfare state. Low unemployment is. Sufficient wealth creation is. Immigration only increases the population size even further and cause not only immediate problems with needing all sorts of resource for them, but future problems also in that the system settles down and looks the same as it did but with larger numbers; thus a larger problem

The country needs smaller numbers not larger so emigration of any sort is a step in the right direction.

[dr b]

With birth rates below the replacement rate, eventually you will have more old people than young people. Even if every young person is employed, the system will collapse under its own weight. You need immigrants or babies. Immigrants will start paying taxes right away; babies take 20 years or so.

[Hastler]

I hope pensioners who have put a lot of money into private pension schemes will not be taxed heavily just to keep pensioners who did not bother to save for a private pension.

[whiskeryron]

Cancel income tax ( less are earning at the moment) . Cancel Road fund licence ( many are avoiding paying it) & before you all jump on me sit back & consider. Tax everything that is purchased ( reclaim system for the elderly & low paid) this way everybody pays tax to help run the economy. Increase the price of fuels ( reclaim system for delivery & business users) then everybody who uses the roads pays road maintenance & upkeep.
Cancel free travel passes for the elderly ( including myself ) & introduce an annual low fee scheme ( £20/30) travel pass.
Under this fairer system I feel that everybody in the country will be paying their share.

W Ron

[Old_Geezer]

But it is not true that a smaller workforce can not create sufficient wealth to cover the country's costs. Indeed it has to, or else one just rushes towards the point where there simply is no space for more people and everything collapses. Either one plans for a better future, or one continues the same failed policies of the past for our descendents to suffer the consequences.

[emmie]

surely it means let's get those who already live here into work, to pay for those that aren't able to. Higher levels of immigration are they doolally.