Would you pay $300 to support the disabled? Is her welfare worth less than your morning coffee? JULIA Gillard is considering increasing the Medicare levy to help pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Journalists Matt Young and Claire Porter face off over whether they're prepared to stump up the extra $300 a year. By Matt Young: How much more money am I prepared to give back to the government? Zilch. Zero. Nada. Because my purse strings are stretched enough as it is and if I keep giving back, soon enough I'll be asking for the same assistance I'm paying for. $300 extra a year may not seem much to support the NDIS and let me state for the record that in no way am I against the disadvantaged being given the opportunities they deserve in life. My issue is fairly simple. Once you add the extra amount to rising rates, health premiums, rent and cost of living in a time when our government is wasting my money on failed schemes, I don't see why I should go without heating this winter when there might be an easier way to solve the problem. I hear what those in favour of the levy are saying. It's less than a dollar a day; surely you can spare the money? Sure, maybe I could spare the extra money. But I'd also like to spare some money for myself. How selfish of me to want to spend money that I'm working hard for on myself! To put clothes on my back, food in my mouth and a few luxuries like a morning coffee. Come on Australia, I know you share my concerns. "My wife and I are trying to save to be self-funded retirees within the next 18 months," writes one news.com.au reader. We have paid additional Medicare levy, flood levy (because we earn too much) and now they expect us to pay more in Medicare levy. However, we will not be entitled to get anything from a disability scheme because we are over 60. The Australian public should not have to suffer for our government's continually poor economic decisions. Need I remind our dear readers of the Labor government's Building the Education Revolution scheme, in which $16.2 billion was forked out to build outdoor infrastructure to Australian schools... when many of the projects were hardly urgent. Then there was the Pink Batts scheme which failed to deliver what the government promised. The average Aussie wallet is not a last port of call for a government drowning in debt and in need of a desperate decision. Get your books in order Gillard, then I'll pay your levy. By Claire Porter: YOU don't get to pick and choose what your taxes pay for. I think we can all agree there is an enormous amount of wasted government spending which could be going toward a national disability scheme. But in the meantime there are things most middle to upper class people could give up to put $300 a year toward the extra Medicare tax which will fund the NDIS. For example, I would happily give up my morning coffee, which costs about $4. There's $1040 a year right there. With that sacrifice I could do my bit for the Australian disabled community and still have enough left over for a sweet pair of shoes. I could probably do without a few alcoholic bevvies. I've estimated that I spend roughly $2600 on alcohol (calculated at $50 a week, for 52 weeks). If I opt out of even a quarter of the Friday after-work drinks I could have enough to put towards the scheme. If I stopped catching as many bloody cabs as I do (I work weird hours. Don't judge me), that alone could get me over the threshold. Taxes are what keeps our economy ticking over and our services affordable. Saying you should be able to pick and choose what your taxes pay for is fine, so long as you're willing to pay for your own private ambulance service. Oh and you can hire your own private security guards too, because the police will no longer protect you. Also you can import your own water, instead of getting it out of the tap. Oh and electricity, you can pay for that too directly from the provider. And sure, all these services may cost you a buttload more cash than what you're currently paying for your subsidised services, but at least you choose to pay them, right? And Medicare? Sorry, you're on your own. Also, you can only catch the privatised public transport services, or drive yourself to work. If you're not willing to pay for public transport, you shouldn't be able to ride on it either. There are people who have never been sick or had to go to hospital who are paying to ensure your hospital care is subsidised. There are people whose houses have never burned down that are keeping our firefighters in work. And our police force. And ambulances. There are pacifists paying to train our military to protect us against potential security threats. There are things we all wish our taxes wouldn't fund. Fancy hire cars for politicians, for example. Expensive hotels and travel budgets. But we can all get on board with the idea of a national disability scheme, surely? I for one would happily hand over my $300 a year if it meant it made things just a little bit easier for the disabled and their families to get by. Follow Matt and Claire on Twitter: @the_mattyoung and @ClaireRPorter