A new tax on income to fund social care is among the plans drawn up by officials for Andy Burnham to consider in his first weeks in office. The plans, drawn up by officials in the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), could fund a new care system costing £18bn a year. It would be an alternative to a 10 per cent tax on estates, which Mr Burnham has previously supported despite its "death tax" nickname from opponents. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementGerman adults pay 1.8 per cent of their salary into a social insurance model, while Japanese workers pay for half of the social care system, with the remainder funded by general taxation. This costs the NHS billions of pounds, and we will never get the NHS back to good waiting time standards until we fix social care."