We, as taxpayers, face challenging problems in assisting the well‐being of old people mainly because preparing for and living through old age is a risky business. Through government, taxpayers can provide some insurance against the risks of old age, especially the risk of bad health and the risk of a long life. However, the ageing population suggests that maintaining this support will require increased taxation. This article quantifies this challenge for Australia and concludes that although increased taxation may be required it will be easily affordable from the much higher incomes generally received due to the secular increase in productivity.

中文翻译：

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老龄化经济学—我们面对什么？

作为纳税人，我们在帮助老年人福祉方面面临挑战，主要是因为为老年人做准备和生活是一项危险的业务。通过政府，纳税人可以为老年人的风险提供某些保险，尤其是健康不良和寿命长的风险。但是，人口老龄化表明，保持这种支持将需要增加税收。本文对澳大利亚面临的挑战进行了量化，并得出结论，尽管可能需要增加税收，但由于生产力的长期增长，人们通常可以从高得多的收入中轻松负担得起。