IELTS/ PTE/TOEFL Writing Tasks, The Essay
Writing Task 2, Essay
The Essay Question:
Some think that governments should support retired people financially while others believe they should take care of themselves.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
The Essay:
There are divergent views on whether retired people ought to be given economic support by governments or not. While few are of the thought that they should be, others believe they ought to be self reliant and not be given financial aid by governments.
Advocates of the idea that those who have quit working either due to illness or aging, must be given financial aid, contend that it is the moral obligation of governments since such citizens have served the nation for a major part of their life. Additionally, such people have paid a myriad taxes all their working life and hence must be taken care of monetarily by governments.
Nevertheless, it would be a burden on the government exchequer to finance the retired. Governments are already providing free education as in the United States and cost free healthcare in several nations such as Canada, therefore further supporting people post retiring would certainly increase the load on governments.
Moreover, many retired people are healthy as well as skilled and can easily earn money for their survival. Spoon feeding them with money, would not only make them lazy but also be a sheer waste of human potential. They could turn to be contributors to a country instead of a liability. For instance, many retired staff from the Indian Army, take up responsible roles in various corporate behemoths in India and are much respected for their performance and unique abilities.
To conclude, according to me, after retirement, people must be independent economically and not be provided financial assistance by governments, albeit others believe otherwise. The skills and capabilities of such people must be tapped for their own economic independence and the benefit of a country.