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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Child Benefit down, Married Couples Allowance up

33 replies

MrsLadywoman · 07/10/2010 11:20

How in the world can they justify scrapping Child Benefit and saying that upping the tax breaks for married couples will offset this?

So married couples WITHOUT children will be better off while single parent families (albeit earning £44K) will be worse off.

Not to mention unmarried couples with children of which there are many.

Does this seem fair?

OP posts:
fedupofnamechanging · 07/10/2010 11:23

No, it is completely unfair (and I say this as someone who is married). Will just lead to the continuation of the sniping at each other that has gone on in recent days.

Divide and rule!

DooinMeSizers · 07/10/2010 11:23

It is fair to the people the Tories love most. The nuclear family, married 2.4 children, Daddy is a banker and Mummy is a housewife.

No-one else matters, coz they iz scum innit?

QueenGigantaurofMnet · 07/10/2010 11:25

it is absolutely not fair.

These, along with the cap on benefits will result in a greater divide between the have and have nots.

Although it does mean i may be getting a nice shiney rock some time soon Wink

Sprogstersmum · 07/10/2010 11:33

I don't think any party really likes 'mummy who's housewife' . I get the impression they'd rather we were all out at work contributing taxes - it seems that caring for one's own children nowadays is seen as a luxury.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 07/10/2010 11:38

Dooin - it's not fair to 'nuclears'. We cannot take advantage my tax free allowance for one...

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 07/10/2010 11:40

thing is, if two parents work they are taking double the jobs. I would have thought the tories would been keen to support SAHPs, and thus freeing some more jobs... Confused

nancy75 · 07/10/2010 11:40

have they actually announced this tax break - or is it just taken from the interviews he did for the news channels? personally i thought it sounded like something dave had just pulled out of his arse at the last minute in order to keep middle england quiet for a bit.

NordicPrincess · 07/10/2010 11:42

i hate the tories. that is all

throckenholt · 07/10/2010 11:44

I don't think any party really likes 'mummy who's housewife' . I get the impression they'd rather we were all out at work contributing taxes - it seems that caring for one's own children nowadays is seen as a luxury.

looking after your own kids doesn't add to the economy - going out to work and paying someone else to look after your kids is two salaries - both potentially taxable - you looking after your own kids is no salary and no tax - and so adds nothing to the economy.

Regardless of how good or bad that is for family life and society in general.

Original poster
MrsLadywoman · 07/10/2010 12:08

nancy75 No, it's not official, but I think Dave is dangling it before our eyes as a distraction. I just don't think one has any relevance to the other.

OP posts:
SeaTrek · 07/10/2010 12:17

Very unfair.

I pointed this one out to DH last night:

2 FT parents in each couple. Couple 1 earn £12K + £74K and couple 2 earn £43K + £43K. Both couples therefore have a joint income of £86K and both work full time. Who pays the most tax and won't get CB? (not saying that at that level of income they should get CB at all, just that is it is so unfair!).

He seems to think that is was ok and not a big deal and I had missed the point of what the government were trying to do (save money). Right. I bet he would have a little bitch if we were couple 1 with four children.

2shoes · 07/10/2010 12:18

be nice for childless couples to get something at last

nobodyisasomebody · 07/10/2010 13:14

Yabu if you think this government is ever going to consider "fairness" in anything they implement.

It is also unreasonable for anybody to be surprised at anything this lot come up with.

NordicPrincess Thu 07-Oct-10 11:42:19
i hate the tories. that is all*

Me too.

SparkyMalarky · 07/10/2010 13:20

Throcken I agree - apparently raising our children for the good of future society and supporting our families by staying at home is worthless (despite the fact that the Tories want and need us to fundraise for schools etc - which working parent has time for that?)

Careybliss · 08/10/2010 08:28

No it's not fair but if you're told that it's fair enough times I'm sure you'll come to believe it.Hmm

Rollmops · 08/10/2010 09:14

Nobody... and Nordic.., isn't it nice that it matters not what you thinkHmm
Government are doing stellar job given the economic situation they inherited. Tax break to married couples is a nice touch as it sends a signal that strong family unit is important.

Petsville · 08/10/2010 10:00

Rollmops, why is supporting childless couples to be married more important than supporting couples with children? (I'm married and won't lose CB so have no personal axe to grind, but I think this is outrageous and has nothing to do with either fairness or supporting families).

cory · 08/10/2010 10:03

Strong family unit forsooth.

only reason dh and I got married rather than cohabiting was because I'm an immigrant and needed the stamp in my passport.

BigOfNoorks · 08/10/2010 10:07

Actually I have stood against the bitching about cb as I am on low income and the first cuts hit me. However the utter twat is just hitting at those with children no cuts else where Angry this may just unite us. Well I voted labor last time and I shall do my part to get the arsehole out and vote Labor again.

What sort of married benefit is there?

gramercy · 08/10/2010 10:07

And what's more those blessed Baby Boomers - those married couples who have raised their children with all the benefits, and who are now affluent empty-nesters, will be scooping up the Married Tax Allowance. GRRRR.

gramercy · 08/10/2010 10:12

I am a housewife. Dh is certainly not a banker. We made the decision for me to take some years out to look after the dcs, and made sacrifices accordingly.

Now I'm finding it darned difficult to find a job. Added to which I now appear to be Public Enemy No. 1.

for the absolute billionth time, not all women at home flit from beauty parlour to latte emporium fitting in the odd bit of perusing of the Boden catalogue (actually I did do that just now but I could only afford one glove).

BigOfNoorks · 08/10/2010 10:12

Please don't get me started on baby boomers I have smug family members who think they are wealthier and better than me because they have a mansion for half the price my 3 bedroom tce house cost Angry.

HappyMummyOfOne · 08/10/2010 10:12

I agree, its nice to see married people get a tax break regardless of children or not. It sends out a signal that a traditional family unit is important.

Children are a lifestyle choice, far too many posts moaning over child benefits when surely its the parents job and not the states job to support them. I think the recent articles re capping child related benefits to large families are fab - people should support their own children.

BeenBeta · 08/10/2010 10:15

Here is a comment written by Iain Dale a well known Tory blogger about the CB debacle on the day before David Cameron spoke.

"I haven't spoken to a single representative here at the conference who has welcomed, without reservation, the child benefit announcement yesterday. To a man and a woman they all think the principle of taking benefits away from top rate taxpayers is correct, but like me, they all believe that the anomalies need to be sorted out - and sorted out quickly. It's no good Cabinet Ministers going on the airwaves pretending that everything is sorted and that all is sweetness and light. Any fool can see that there are issues to be resolved here. David Cameron has an acute pair of political nostrils. And if he is sniffing the wind this morning I think I know what he will smell."

Not even solid Tory supporters think this has been handled well. I stil expect a climb down or at least a rejig.

Handing out a small married couples tax break is not enough.

thesecondcoming · 08/10/2010 10:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.