To think the married couple tax break is a waste of time

[mpje]

Most people don't seem to understand it / don't claim it.

It will benefit well off the most as they are the ones that are most likely to have one unused tax allowance and for these people 200 odd extra a year isn't very much.

I think it should of just been used to raise the income tax threshold.

Childcare is is no way compulsory jasper, because plenty of people have relatives or friends they could ask. And we aren't talking just about SAHPs either. You can be working quite a lot of hours and still be earning less than 9.5k.

I mean sure, you can design scenarios where the ceremony would cost more than the first year tax break. There are people who live in unusually expensive areas and have children too young to be left and no family or friends childcare and both never have days off during the week and couldn't get to the registry office on their lunch break. Bit of a stretch to assume they'll constitute the large majority though.

but she does get single person benefits

There is no such thing.

"I don't think that parents are 'more worthy' than non parents but they do have extra expenses which - ultimately - lead to a benefit for society as a whole. So there is an argument for providing more support through the tax system for parents."

Child benefit? Working families tax credit? Though the latter's being phased out.

"parenthood is the most likely reason why one half of the couple aren't using their tax allowance"

But not the only one. And if that was the reason, then give an allowance only when one parent is a stay at home parent and not to all married couples or all couples.

"but she does get single person benefits

There is no such thing."

No, there isn't. You do pay a lower rate of council tax if you're the only person in the household, but everything else is more expensive.

That's a discount on the Council Tax. Not a benefit. It drives me insane that people STILL think it's possible to get benefits just because you are a single parent...or indeed, single.

"most of my unmarried friends have been together far longer than any marrieds."

So what? Statistically, people who live together but are not married are more likely to split up than married people. Don't have time to Google it now, but it should be on the ONS website.
Of course that doesn't mean that they will have more chance of staying together because they got married for the sake of a tax allowance.

We claim it and whatever it may have been called in the past.
My dh proposal was "We should get married to save on tax"
We've been married 24 years now, and are as much in love as we've always been Although not always a bed of roses.
We had been taking it in turns for over a year, joking about getting married, getting more ridiculous with our proposals to each other.
It was so funny, I just said yes.

We get it, cause I'm a low earner and DH is on a normal wage. We get bugger all other help so this is one thing that can help us out a little so I'm gonna grab it!

The council tax discount isn't really a discount if you think of it as a cost per person. A single person pays 75% of the full amount. A couple pays 50% each, even if one of them contributes in free childcare (and tax breaks) and the other hands over the cash.

True million, but equally one person instead of two doesn't equate to half the police coverage, fire service cover, bin collection etc. It's good that it's reduced but what if pays for is by household not by head.

No, there isn't. You do pay a lower rate of council tax if you're the only person in the household, but everything else is more expensive

i dont know the ins and outs of what she gets however she definalty gets more of something being single - would this be tax credits? I don't know....

ring

"Elizabeth I'm not sure how you can presume to know the circumstances of all that claim".

And nor do we know her circumstances, I have often found people that make such proclamations are often self advising...they feel they themselves want to do more, but cant for whatever reason so dish this sort of crap out.
pinch of salt

That's a discount on the Council Tax. Not a benefit. It drives me insane that people STILL think it's possible to get benefits just because you are a single parent...or indeed, single

sorry I worded it badly, single parents have enough of a tough time and really I shouldn't have even mentioned it - esp not on this thread.

LadyLuck - So, if council tax is done by household, as you say, why not income tax, as some of us mentioned earlier?

And while we may all get the same bin collection, we don't all produce the same amount of waste. Let's do everything by household!

Gwen - i think I was agreeing with your original point, that there's no need to favour married people through the tax system. I was putting a general argument for supporting parents but agree that it's covered elsewhere.

We've had a letter from hmrc reminding us we've done this today. What a waste of money. How much have they wasted on this and the where your tax goes letters.

"one person instead of two doesn't equate to half the police coverage, fire service cover, bin collection etc."

Eh? I would have thought that it does. A fire might affect the whole household, but in my flat there is only one person to rescue. I produce less waste than two people would so the binmen have less to carry and I don't need as many police officers as two people would.