Childcare tax breaks for working parents.

[youarewinning]

Please someone explain this to me? There seems to be a £2000 tax break for families where there are 2 working parents.

So does this excude single working families as it excuses families with a SAHP.

Are you actually a mother Dinosaur? Do you not understand the maternal instinct to want to stay at home with your baby? You just keep talking about the economy - we are not responsible for the financial mess that this country is in. I paid into the system for 18 years before I had a child. I paid for my own degree which I did two evenings a week for four years whilst working full time. I also have professional qualifications. I gave up work for three years and then went back part-time but my full time salary is 1/3rd less now than it was before I gave up work 10 years ago and I've not had a pay rise for two years. Salaries have gone down. There aren't any decent part-time jobs (outside London anyway).
Being a SAHM is a job and you'll find that lots of them contribute in other ways like helping out at their kids schools with reading or act as dinner ladies. I know mum's who volunteer at CAB and McMillan.
If the conservatives hadn't sold off all the nations assets, we wouldn't all be paying so much on energy bills, transport and housing and might have a bit more in our pocket so that the loss of CB wouldn't have been felt so hard.

@comfitt said “Every household with children needs domestic tasks performed, children cared for and money earned. I can't think of anything less desirable than the state intervening in how those tasks are apportioned between individuals.” I think @comfitt’s argument sums things up perfectly.

Any standpoint for or against parental childcare versus paid-for childcare, based on morality, child development, parental fulfilment or whatever is subjective and can be offset by any number of counter arguments. If the main parties’ obsession with getting all parents into paid employment is purely to increase tax revenue, they should be honest and say so. Anything else they say is disingenuous.

What Ihate said.

Also most families that have a sahp do it for a period of time and then they go back to work.

If we as a country are going to shell out on childcare for people who don't pay tax why can't we have a proper tax allowance for those with a sahp(not just married couples).

When the sahp returns to work they'd lose it.If we're going to help with one form of childcare then why not the other ie a parent doing it?At the end of the day many parents and the children themselves would prefer a sahp if they're not lucky enough to gave granny or Aunty round the corner.

I hate “affordable childcare” because it is merely the sound-bite solution politicians are offering to sweeten voters (largely female) who are concerned about equality. It is neither realistic nor the real solution that we seek. Social mobility will not be aided as unless childcare is free, the supermarket checkout lady will still be unable to afford it. Retaining excellent women will not be helped if women wish to be actively involved with their children. With affordable childcare, a majority of middle class families may break even with salary covering childcare, a minority of middle class families may have more money in their pockets; but at what cost to family life, parental and child wellbeing? Extensive childcare passes the buck from women to children, when ideally this load should be shared between women, men and society.

Any discussions on extensive childcare should involve consideration of impact on child development not just parental career, family income and tax revenue. See this issue from a child psychiatrists perspective at:

shrinkgrowskids.com/2014/01/24/i-hate-affordable-childcare/

I have children, yes. I managed to work through their births and non-stop since then, for what it's worth, while also being flexible so as to spend a lot of time with them. It did mean being very adaptable and self-sufficient.

I don't have a problem with SAHMs, I just don't see why they should expect to be paid for it. And on the whole it's not as hard as having a job, it's just a mum doing the tasks that a working mum would do in the evening and at weekends, and having some time with her child. If you're looking after 3 under 5s, that's a bit more like a job.

But we're talking about childcare.

When you have dc you know somebody will have to look after them- either a parent or somebody else.Both options take a temporary financial hit.

If you're not going to help families have a sahp to do the job then quite frankly I don't see why we should be helping with childcare.

Parents want choice.

And what is best for their children and individual family.

I don' expect SAHPs (there are dads out there too, I've met them) to be paid.

I got involved with this thread as it's about how government designs the tax system. It is legitimate to question that.

The argument about an SAHP being a luxury, well it is argued by quite a few that children are a luxury full stop. (Not my personal view.)

I think where an income is not large enough to cover childcare and there is no long term career advancement then being an SAHP supported by a partner doesn't seem a luxury, not like buying a sports car! I suppose the state could step in, top up childcare fees , enforce low paid employment and give a tax credit top up and then take the income tax from the now working parent. But that starts to look costly to the state, profitable to the business owners though and if they move their head offices overseas they can remove their own tax liability to the UK. Bingo!

You're lucky Dinosaur to have such flexibility. It must have been hard for you actually working during the birthing process though. I suspect you have the flexibility because you didn't give up your job and therefore had a right to ask for flexible working.

Can't say I completely agree with your comments re being a full time mum not being as hard as having a job - I think it depends on how much support you have arround you and if you don't have any or little and have to work too then it is very hard but I appreciate many do.

I'm not asking to be paid to be a SAHM, we've funded everything ourselves with the exception of the CB we used to receive (as did every family dating back to the 1940s until recently). I just don't think SAHP's should be penalised.

You're wrong Ihate, I set up my own business in part to give me the flexibility I would need. Haha about working while giving birth - but I did work during contractions and was grateful that I gave birth at the weekend on both occasions and picked up some work on returning home from hospital. Then looked after the newborns while continuing to run the business, until the nursery would take them. Subsequently found a part time out of London professional job (there are some around).

You sound driven! Glad it's working out for you. I struggled even to put the washing machine on when my first was born - can't imagine having to run a business too.

Upon becoming a parent my maternal instinct was to nurture and provide
I didn't lose any career drive when become mum,in fact in felt more driven career wise
There isn't a universal desire it give up work upon becoming a parent,only minority do so

I would call myself a rather undriven kind of person, at least in terms of career, but needed to support the family and to keep the business going - maternity allowance in those days was almost non-existent (not great now), and business expenses continue to accrue whether the business is bringing in money or not. In fact the year my first DC was born was I think my most profitable.
I admit I found it strange that some other mums of babies who were on long term maternity leave and surrounded by helpful family members made a big fuss about what hard work it all was, when I was doing everything on my own plus running a business. It was tiring (DC1 rarely slept which made holding meetings tricky) but still enjoyable.

It shows we are not all the same - there are various factors at play - emotions, desire; which can be effected by circumstances such as whether you can afford to stay at home, how old you are when you have kids and what type of profession/career/salary you have.

IhateGeorge

Completely agree, there are so many factors to consider.

I also agree with SM There isn't a universal desire to give up work upon becoming a parent, only minority do so.

If you are one of this minority your reasons may be different than somebody else.