Sir, – Call me cynical, if you will, but there is little doubt that the results of the latest Quarterly National Household Survey will be used to target the “over-55s” with more taxes and charges (Home News, February 15th).
As one of those who participated in the survey, I can confirm that the questions asked only whether we had cut down on various expenditures; I was not asked whether our previous levels were high or higher than normal or had increased over the years.
As the cliché has it, there are lies, damned lies and statistics, or in this case, you get the responses to the questions you asked.
We had not cut down on foreign holidays because, in the years when our children were growing and being educated, we did not take foreign holidays and our spending was focused on our children. We also tried not to “lose the run of ourselves” in the relatively good years.
We have paid in advance for our part of the recovery – if and whenever it comes. We saved over the years and those savings are what allows us to continue to be consumers. When the charges, additional taxes and reduced entitlements hit us “over-55s”, we will no longer be able to consume, further hitting the retail economy. – Yours, etc,