No, I want people who deliberately pursue a lifestyle that statistically leads to a longer life average to pay tax in the same way. Because, they also will cost the NHS more than the average. Same rules apply.

The problem here isn't from people who are dying prematurely. Its from the people who are living too long. Why is it then that people seem to be happy to tax smokers for their cost to the NHS and not say people who engage in sports, for their cost to the NHS.

I think its more that people who obey all the rules, do the right thing all the time, stay in their box and try to live as long as possible, forget that the point of life is to enjoy it. Rather than saving for that rainy day that'll never come, and the five or ten years of life you'll get when you retire.

There seems to be a stream of people in the UK for whom everything is everyone else's fault, and never their own. Its the people who smoke, the people who drink, immigrants, the opposition, the poor, the needy etc.

Nothing to do with the natives getting older and not enough of them dying before the age of 80 then?

Our population is going to hit 70mill by 2037 going by the birth/death stats even if we stopped all immigration tomorrow.

Edited by Kermit8 (13 Jun 2017 1.24pm)

The whole reason for immigration was a drop in birthrate. It caused a labour shortage and over a period of time would have lead to a drop in population.
The millions that have come here over the last few decades have created a situation where the birth rate has increased again with many of those being born of foreign origin.

I don't accept your logic. People who live longer only cost money if they become ill for a long period. In fact they might cost less per head than someone who lives to 65 and is in ill health through smoking and drinking.
People already pay inheritance tax which is unfair in my view and probably more VAT. Now you want them to pay more for being sensible?

This sounds like a justification for abusing yourself to me.

We obviously need a sliding scale. When you're young and healthy, drinking and smoking discouraged, and other drugs illegal. As you get older , and pose a greater threat to the public coffers, more and more fun stuff becomes legal based on your year of birth. For example, maybe legal weed for everyone over 55. Wait a couple years, halucinagenics are free game too. 60? Cocaine's legal for you. By the time you're 70, you have the whole smorgasbord, opiods and anything you want. Throw in legal prostitution at some point in that age range while they're at it (strictly as patrons, that is). You'll reduce the lifespan, and older folks would go out with smiles on their faces.