Liberal Democrats, (UK)

(2) The Lib-Dems would like to raise the basic state pension by 5 pounds. Along with the conservatives the liberal democrats are in favor of reducing the amount of people affected by New Labour’s system of means testing. (3) They are in accord with distributing greater say to members of private pension funds as to how they are invested. Previously scheduled elderly persons increases are coming in April of 2002 but the Liberal Democrats are in favor of adding to these benefits. Of utmost importance is continuing to improve the quality of education and training in order to enhance employability. They will arrange to raise the tax threshold at which people of low income start paying taxes, this not only reduces but relieves taxation altogether. (4) Liberal democrats will abolish the ineffective Child Support Agency and plan on giving an extra 200 pounds a year to families who have been on income support for over a year. As well, they would set up a Pensions authority that would report on poverty, age and pension related issues. (3)

As with all of the parties, the home and family are priority one, but some plans are just better than others. One of which, is the reduction of disincentives to work by combining the housing benefit into the Working Families Tax Credit. (4) All of this combined with a solid leadership core and the support of the people of the U. They are also committed to giving an extra 10 pounds to people over 75 and 15 pounds to those over 80. Along the same lines, they would eliminate the benefit sanctions brought in under Labour’s New Deal, which could withdraw payments if citizens refuse to comply. Also, Lib-Dems plan to extend the basic state pension while there is talk in Labour’s camp of doing away with it all together.