If you were to reform CB easily, how would you do it?

[Teachermumof3]

Would you base it on household earnings of £44k-whether they are joint or sole earnings?

Would this be fair if a couple earnt £22k each and paid out over 1/2 of that in childcare, whereas the sole worker that earnt £44k had no childcare due to the partner that didn't work?

If this means-testing were to cost more than the savings made (ie made no saving to the economy) would you rather this happened anyway-even at a loss as it seemed 'fair'?

Would you cap it on 2 children only?

What about stopping it at 12/14/16?

Stopping it altogether?

Apologies if this has been 'done' before-I haven't seen a similar thread.

You haven't seen a similar thread?!
Journalist much

Anyone already claiming would be entitled to continue claiming.

New claimants would be means tested at a houshold income of 50k.

BooBooGlass. I am a teacher with three children; I'm certainly not a journalist. I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of posts complaining how unfair the proposed child benefit cuts are, but very few suggesting reasonable alternatives.

Many thanks for your reply though.

remove it altogether

instead add a taxable allowance per child - claimable by one adult only

Agree with EldonAve.

I'd definitely agree with capping at 2 children, instead of doling cb out it should be reflected in the Mothers tax code which would save on administration.

Mothers who don't work should continue receiving it in it's current form up to a household income of 100k.

X posts regarding tax allowance.

I would tax it at the highest rate applicable to the recipient.

If you tax it then it's going through too many layers of admin! You earn it, it's "given" out to you then taxed back again.. Too expensive.

scrap it; put the money into tax credits which are already means tested on household income.

Would need to re-introduce separate Home Responsibilities Protection national insurance 'stamps' for SAHPs so they keep pension rights. But I imagine that could be done easily.

If you want higher rate taxpayers to contribute more, raise the tax rate.

The thing I read today that most struck a chord with me is that doing it the way the government want to will disproportionately affect women in particular and families with children in general. After all, higher rate taxpayers without children are not going to lose any of their income. In some of these households with a higher rate taxpayer, the CB could be the only independent income the mother has...

I would make sure male and female salaries were a lot more equal before I laid a hand on it.