Questions for David Cameron

[mumsnet]

We know what he thinks about education, the economy and Europe, but what about the really important stuff? Like how many nappies, exactly, has he changed in the last two weeks? And does young Arthur favour a three-in-one travel system, or a rugged off-roader? You can find out the answers to these and other pressing questions (and tell him what you think of all that tummy-patting) next Monday lunchtime when David Cameron visits Mumsnet to give his first interview since the birth of his third child. David will be online from 12.45pm. You can post advance questions for him here.

does he want to buy our Phil & Teds (complete with doubles kit, stormcover, suncover, buggy bag, panniers [in blue - very hard to get] and buggy bunny seat liner) VGC; or my drum kit (need to sell to fund another drum kit)

See here for a conversation on real people discussing the predicament of whether or not to return to work. The cost of childcare is a very big factor.

And in these debates, I truly believe, that the cost of living in this country needs to be addressed. I mean do you want a mortgage or do you want childcare?

Bear!!!

Uwila, why does your nanny pay tax on the net income you pay her? - I don't get that

well, he might, or he might know someone who might

She doesn't. She pays tax on the gross income I pay her. Even if I did pay her in net, then I would be paying the tax on her gross income, and I would still come to a count of FOUR.

I dare David and Sam have probably already bought their pram.

And how is Sam? Recovering well, I hope. Did she take arnica for recovery? I recommend it, although it's probably too late to mention.

uwila you are surely double-counting somewhere there, aren't you? If you pay her gross, then you're not paying tax and she is. If you pay her net, then you are paying tax and she isn't. I think...?

I think Uwilla is counting the employers national insurance which is not deducted from the nannies gross wage to arrive at net, but paid separately by the employer!

There are employer taxes and employee taxes on everyone's income: mine and hers. 2 x 2 = 4. Trust me on this one. Get some more nanny employers pver here and they'll tell the same story.

Sorry, tend to think of tax and ni as being separate things.

This is not a question for David but I don't see why nanny costs are taxed more than, for instance, nursery costs. Like Uwila my employer is taxed and I am taxed on my income, then I pay nursery and they have to pay business taxes and also tax on the nursery nurse's salary and then the nursery nurse has to pay tax on that.

My question for David is:

Would you make it compulsory for companies to provide childcare vouchers for employees who wish to participate? My employers provide them, but my husband's do not. The £217 a month tax free only covers a proportion of my two chidren's childcare costs - I work 3 days a week with one in nursery and one in school. My neighbour has one child and works 3 days but both she and her husband receive the vouchers and so her childcare is totally tax free.

Still confused Uwila, but probably I just don't understand what I'm doing. I just send a cheque for what Nannytax says I should send a cheque for and pay nanny the net rate we agreed. Presumably the cheque I send includes two different kinds of tax.

Nannytax has already worked all of this out for you. You are paying your tax plus any withholding from your nanny's pay (which you are legally required to do).

Bozza, at least you get some. Neither the company I work for nor the one my husband works for will participate in the voucher scheme. So we don't get one single penny of childcare support. This voucher scheme is yet another example of Labour taking credit for helping working parents when in reality they haven't done squat for me. (But I bet old Gordon is happy to get my nanny taxes)

Oh David, I do hope to see you as the next PM!

Hence my question Uwila.

And these vouchers have done nothing for the self-employed either.

David I confess I do not hope to see you as the next PM.

Yes, and a nice question it is, Bozza.

Oh David, this is a very liberal place... I hope you were warned.

Provision for children with special needs in the UK is patchy at best, appalling at worst. What would the Tories do to improve matters if they were elected?

And, while I'm here, my next favourite topic is the cost of housing. How, David, will tories adress the fact that houses are so expensive that many young families simply can not afford to buy a house that is big enough to live in -- not to mention in a neighbourhood with acceptable schools?

Now that David is able to impose his own three-line whips I would love to hear whether his views on any of puddle's questions below have changed.
Real choice for women and men in "real" jobs, David, will only happen when a brave new policy of offering both full tax-relief on all paid childcare and full salaried parental leave comes into force.
Lots of us on here have to travel some distance to public/NHS/education sector jobs that are poorly paid and cannot be done from home, or even that flexibly. To reach people like me as a potential voter you'll have to be radical in your approach.

I'd like to know what will be done to improve schools. Admissions policies are a nightmare for good schools. If you aren't one of the fortunate ones offered a place at a "good" school, other options are not good.

In general, many of us don't feel we can send our children to state schools due to poor academic test results and student populations infested with ASBO gangs. So, at great expense/sacrifice, we opt out and go private. What does he propose to help/change the situation?

I'm mystified why I can't pool my tax allowance with my husband.

DH is on a good salary - 40% tax band - but out of that

he supports me and Dd (which will become more material since I want another baby, and might consider not going back to work, certainly no more than three days).

He also support his widowed mother.

I feel there is a tax bias towards three people working in McDonalds at minimum wage, baby in nursery, rather than the 'division of labour' we have going on where Dh works hard, and me and MIL mainly invest our time in unpaid work looking after our children and home.

I disagree Kif. Why should you get to stay at home with your children and your DH get the same tax allowance as both DH and I, when I am working 3 days a week and him 5, bearing in mind DH has an essential company car and consequently a negative tax code.