TBH it is well-known that the NHS needs a 4% annual increase in budget to maintain services. If taxation is somehow linked to GDP (simplified version, I know) and growth is below that you are going to have a deficit. Historically this has been paid for by borrowing but we all know that this model is not sustainable.
Thus, unless we increase the amount of tax collected we will probably have tough decisions to make. E.g. Spend more on health but forgo our state pensions, more on health but tax business more, less on health and get private insurance to pay for the difference (as per the french model), etc, etc.
Putting your head in the sand and doing nothing will just make it worse.
Sorry, but totally wrong. Estimated UK Government borrowing for 2017-18 was ~£58bn and actual borrowing ~£40bn, where tax receipts were £18bn higher than expected. This was a combination of higher than expected growth, lower social security bills from lower unemployment and record employment, higher than expected wage growth and higher than expected inflation with the resultant taxation fiscal drag.
