feeling that tax credits are totally biased towards working mums?

[Dragonhart]

I am a SAHM and I get the min working tax credit as my DH earns just over the min for getting more help.

I was talking to my friend yesterday who works 4 days a week as a teacher (their combined salaries are just below the top of the band of getting any money) and I was saying what I got now we have two children. I get just over £40 plus about £40 baby element. When dd is 1 and I have two under 3 I will get £40.

She told me that she gets about £160 a months towards childcare in vouchers on her and her husbands paypacket (not sure if this is classed as tax credit?) and £75 permonth for her only ds in tax credits.

I am not making a coment about whether or not people choose to work as I stongly believe that everyone should have a choice to do what is right for them.

I just think that I should be supported in the same way as working mums. Surely I am my childrens 'childcare'?

The vouchers won't be tax credits, they will be childcare vouchers which she gets as a salary sacrifice, so it's her own money that she gets tax relief on.

Tax credits are based on your income, whether you work or not, so don't see how they can be biased towards working mothers. The only way in which I do think they are a little biased is that mums on maternity leave get to discount £100 of their maternity pay a week so their income appears to be less than it actually is. If you're not working when you have your baby you don't get to do that, which I think is unfair.

Proper alpha mothers earn far too much to qualify for tax credits though surely. No one has ever slung one my way.

Aren't childcare vouchers part of the wages that hey and the employer do not pay tax on
a sort of perk?
not free but part of the wages?

was justa botu to post same daisymoo - childcare vouchers are a scheme that employers can sign up to use, and they are accepted at places like childminders, preschools, nurseries
it's not tied up with what you earn or don't earn - it's money taken from your salary before you have paid tax

and they are bloody brillinat, both dh and I have them with our employers and makes a great difference

sorry crossed posts x

The ethos behind tax credits was to "make work pay" so of course they are biased towards working mums- that is the whole point!!

The childcare vouchers are from your friend's employer and nothing to do with tax credits.

And you can use them even if you're not working - dh gets them and we use them towards preschool fees.

I appologise. I didnt realise that was how it worked (not sure she did as I did ask her if she got less becuse of that and she said no!)

Will also tell her she will get more with two in chldcare (which I just found out) as she is preg with her second.

"Only parents care about the very very best for their kids - the government just wants to make sure you done't actually hurt them and that they are employable by adulthood."

Colditz, that's pretty offensive, you know.

why?

Honest, I think I have misunderstood something or you have misunderstood me. why is it offensive, and if it is I will apologise, as it wasn't intended

Only parents care about the very best for their children - I thought you meant that only parents who stay at home are doing the best for their children and those who use childcare are just slinging them somewhere they won't be hurt (hopefully).

If I've misunderstood, I'm sorry too!

Dragon - don't mix up child tax credits and the child care voucher scheme - this comes out of your salary before tax is deducted so it isn't anything extra.

It isn't a case of the more your earn the more you get - me and DH do not get tax credits because we are just over the threshold and DS's nursery fees are £900 + per month

Nonononono.

Any parents are doing the veryvery best. I mean the Government doesn't give a FF about doing the veryvery best for children, just that it wants your children undamaged and employable by school leaving age.

So to expect the same amount of support for something that will not financially benefit the government as much as something else, well, it would be nice, and you can argue that you are doing it for the veryv yer best, but they don't care. They want your money.

So, the government doesn't care whether your child is happier and better off in childcare or at home, but cares about the most financially efficiant way of raising an adequate adult.

I think childcare can be great actually, i would have gone mad without ds1's preschool, they are a rock!

Taxes are about politics.

Government policy is to encourage women with children to work and financial incentives are thus provided to those who do work in the form of tax credits.

This is purely about politics, and if you disagree with our government on this subject then you can choose to vote them out.

More women working means more taxes paid, more money for the government to spend.

You choose not to work and this is not what the government wants you to choose, they are spelling it out to you loud and clear.

Phew!

I did wonder - I usually agree with you!

Many employers do not offer any kind of childcare vouchers at all. It just depends if you have an employer that does. Many of us are self employed anyway.

Secondly lots of working parents earn too much to get anything other than child benefit and don't get any form of "tax credit" child tax credit, working families tax credit etc.

I think the goverment should make staying home more of an option for Mums or Dads (ie, one per family!).Its not that I think mothers should not work (I firmly believe in freedom for families to choose), but surveys repetedly show that many mothers who work would like to work fewer or no hours, but can't afford to. So families don't really have a choice. And I think that is very, very sad.

Its better for the economy if both parents work though - simple fact - but better for society?

I would like it if they gave everyone over 18 £200 a week whatever your age and working status and then you go off and work if you want or write poetry at home if you choose or mind your children or whatever - a universal guaranteed income abolish all benefits, child benefit, credits, state pension, sickness benefits etc etc.. Would really simplify things. It's often been advocatee before.

Surprised at info in op.

The vouchers can't be anything to do with tax credits.

In fact, dragonhart, I think your information is all wrong. You should check it out 'cause I think your anger is totally unfounded.

Dragonhart has already apologised for the misunderstanding over that point.

I get child tax credit for my dd and when I was working recently I was getting about roughly twice that again in working tax credit (this has ceased for now as I'm not working at present). I actually wondered about the system that paid me extra for going out to work when I was already earning a decent wack from my salary plus child maintenance, child tax credit etc. I don't claim the childcare element though as my parents care for my daughter after school when I'm working. In that respect I guess that the state is subsidising me to work rather than stop at home since the WTC only kicks in when I work. I was surprised to find out that I was eligible for child tax credit regardless if I worked or not - I always thought unless you worked, you got nowt from the state. I still think that a cut in income tax rates would benefit more people than these spurious 'credits' giving you back tax you'd already paid, but that's more a socio-political-economic issue.