From George Taylor
“Is it fair to expect 25-year-olds to pay very high taxes to support perfectly healthy 70-year-olds in retirement?” ask Paul and Anne Ehrlich in their article on population (30 September, p 46).
This question deserves thought, given that the 70-year-olds may have already contributed to society by working for up to 55 years, while young people in today’s more affluent societies are in some instances becoming wealthy enough to retire in comfort in their mid-30s.
Some might say this is because they have put in the hard yards and have got their just desserts. I would say the 70-year-olds have also put in the hard yards, under different economic circumstances. We have to look at a balance of effort and reward for effort. If the now 70-year-olds hadn’t put in the effort, the 25-year-olds would be hard pushed to find well-paid work and opportunities, because it was the past generation that created today’s economy.
Everybody who contributes deserves a fair go, and so do those genuinely unable to contribute.
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Mount Hunter, New South Wales, Australia
