Should child benefit be means tested?

[JustineMumsnet]

There's a new report from the Tax Payers' Alliance which recommends means testing for child benefit - possibly scrapping it for households with an income of more than £50 000. Channel Five Live would like to know what mums think of the idea?

(Am going on at 11)

* NO!!!!!!!

No.

I think it will cost more to administer than will be saved

No I don't think it should - certainly not if the threshold is £50k. Maybe if it was £75k+ otherwise yet again it's the middle band of earners who are squashed out and lose out - making them feel worse off (or in practice getting the same expendable income) as lower earners.

No.

Bloody Hell NO!

NO

Yeah, why not, I mean we earn over £50k, we're minted - so minted that we dont quailfy for need any tax credits or anything - another £80 month isnt going to make much difference

Bastard government

No, I don't think it should be means tested.

A total household income of £50k is not that much, especially if you live in London/the South East.

There may be other things which could be scrapped or means tested - the healthy eating allowance for pregnant women is one that springs immediately to mind.

No, the backlog of dealing with claims is bad enough already! I have to wait for 12 weeks to change it from my EXP's name to mine, until then I am living on nothing. If it was means tested it would be a much longer process leaving me more screwed than I am now even though I would be entitled to it.

No. Thing with CB is that it is paid directly to the carer. I think that in some households it is the only money the woman has control of. There was a thead earlier in the week where this womans dh treated all his earnings as his personal money leaving his wife to manaage the household on cb and ctc, she didn't even know how much he earnt. I don't imagine she is alone. Now maybe this isn't the states problem, but I think that it is an important thing to many women who don't/can't afford to work due to their dh's income.

NO.

How could it be fair? It's not like income tax, which is tapered. There would be an all or nothing cut-off point so someone earning £1 less than you would qualify and you wouldn't.

absolutely not - for all the reasons the PPs have said

Depends, would it mean that it would go up for those at the bottom enf of the scale who currently live on next to nothing?

I do agree that £50k is not really that much though - even if it sounds a lot to some of us!

What is the healthy eating allowance for pregnant women? I have 4dcs and never heard of it!

To answer the question I do not think it should be mean tested.

No

You don't have to apply for it if you think you don't need it .....

no

good lord no! I am sick and tired of the government assuming we are totally loaded when we certainly aren't!! Every other benefit is means tested, this is the one small bit of support we get!!!

If you want something back, scrap the healthy eating maternity grant! Does anyone EVER spend it on fruit

I think it probably should, but £50K is too low. It should be more like double that figure.

Otoh, DH thinks he pays waaay too much in taxes anyway and is adamant we claim it, and we do even though we could manage well without it.

I've no idea how much it is

I think the reasoning behind it has always been that it would cost more to administer means testing than it would save in richer households not getting it.

Usual TPA rubbish going for a headline and rubbishing the government with no actual thought about the costs.

We hardly qualify for any means testing stuff (though household income is less than £50k). We have half-decent incomes, but have a lot of debt, meaning a lot of outgoings. Means testing never takes this into account, even when debt has been run up in pursuit of the higher incomes they do take into account. Child Benefit is a lifesaver for us, it goes towards rent, bills, food?

Absolutely NO. For all the reasons stated above, mainly the cost of administering it - more civil servants, with salaries and pensions to be funded - surely would outweigh any savings made.

This alone won't be the right thing however the whole issue around children, tax and benefits needs looking at.