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Adam Afriyie
MP for Windsor
Caring for people through
freedom, enterprise, and strong defence.
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Articles and Speeches
A Waste of Our Time
27-May-05, Windsor Express
Column.
"Most of us care about the quality of life
of people around us. I certainly want family, friends and
constituents to enjoy their lives as much as possible.
Since school and through my working life I
have been struck by a consistent observation. People seem
happier when making decisions for themselves and their
families.
When we choose what to do with our time, we
are in control of our time and seem, somehow, happier with
what we do.
Over the past few weeks my post bag has
contained several complaints about the amount of time it
takes to complete Government forms.
This seems to concern the elderly, those
seeking tax credits and those who are unwell and require
incapacity benefits in particular.
Despite some small improvements, the forms
for claiming benefits or assistance from Government seem
lengthy, complex and intrusive.
Having examined some of these forms, I am
not surprised that just one in three elderly people claim
the benefits & tax credits they are entitled too. It seems
they would rather go without than suffer the stress of
trying to understand overly complex forms.
Given the choice of agonizing for several
hours over a lengthy form, or spending some quality time
with family, I can guess what most people would be happier
doing.
Perhaps it’s time to focus, once again, on
reducing bureaucracy and state interference that eats into
our personal time and prevents us enjoying our lives in the
way choose."
Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor. |
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I
believe...
People are happier when making their own decisions.
Business is the engine of the economy that generates our
jobs, incomes and taxes.
Government should not interfere in our lives beyond
protecting and defending us.
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