'Should married couples get a tax break?' poll discussion

edgex

Mozette wrote: »

I think any person should be able to transfer their personal tax allowance/rates to any other person.

For example, I used to share a house with my sister; when she was out of work, why should she not have been able to transfer her allowance to me to lessen the impact to our joint finances, every bit as much as any other two person household?


If couples are going to get tax breaks (other than the Inheritance tax and CGT that they already get) then it absolutely needs to apply to CPs as well, and shame on you for not clarifying this in the poll. (I am hoping it was the sin of omission rather than homophobia).

this is basically it


if they want to give married couples some sort of tax allowance, they will have to give it to anyone that has a civil partnership
probably be illegal not to


& if the tax allowance for marriage is because its 'good for family values', then what else is good for family values:
what about children staying at home longer, & not moving out as soon as they turn 18?
what about those families that take in an elderly parent?
what happens to widows & widowers?




& whats it going to cost everyone else?
there will be an amount of lost tax revenue, as well as the costs of running such a system

qetu1357

edgex wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_for_Social_Justice

"The Centre for Social Justice is a centre-right British political thinktank set up by Iain Duncan Smith..."


they are not, & never have been, a place anyone would consider to be doing research

Wikipedia says "The Centre for Social Justice is a centre-right British political thinktank set up by Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative Party to concentrate on finding and supporting new and innovative grass-roots approaches to fighting poverty. Though set up and run by prominent Conservatives, the CSJ has also worked with figures from other parties, such as Labour MP Frank Field MP, former Labour Minister of Welfare Reform between 1997-1998, lending it credibility as a cross-party body".

Why have you excluded the end?

Also I couldn't find anything for causation and Oscar Wilde.....

Chinkle

There's no good reason why two working adults who choose to be married, co-habitate or undertake a civil partnership should be treated as one for tax purposes.

Equally they shouldn't be treated as one for benefits (which is where the unfairness lies currently).

Using tax tricks to encourage marriage or keep together broken marriages is just wrong and is not going to do anything to improve civil society.

If two people decide to have children together then and only then should they be able to be taxed/assessed for benefits as a unit.

Emzilou

Firstly, I think it is important to note that research and stats can be made to prove anything you want to prove. The research will start with an assumption that is then supported through selecting data that supports a particular point of view.

People and politicians love to play the blame game. To applaud marriage and claim it is the reason why things were better many years ago is ridiculous. Yes, marriage was far more common, but was that because it was not as easy and more frowned upon by society to be unmarried? People are not taking in to account all other aspects of existence then. Couples would often be forced to marry because of pregnancy and some would exist in unhappy unions because of society. Affairs were common as a result of this too - is that a healthy thing to be happening during marriage? Religion was another aspect in lives and that naturally caused fear within people as they felt they would answer to their wrong-doings. Again, this is something that has changed in modern society. Media has changed too. You just have to look at the behaviour that is applauded by the papers by giving it column inches! The examples set through showing such stories. Celebrities that drink-drive, drug-drive, assault people and effectively get away with it with a petty fine or a couple of days in jail! Don’t you think that these real life examples are far worse for young impressionable children than things people have blamed in the past such as computer games and films? If you are going to look at marriage, all the other factors need to be considered too!

People are playing right in to the hands of politicians here. Why are they offering this “sweetener” and what are they really up to? As if they are suggesting it for the good of society! Of course it is wonderful to be rewarded for something such as marriage that you have chosen to do in the first place! But why is it considered fair to reward people for finding someone they supposedly want to be with? What about the rest of us who haven't found someone we want to be in a union with? What about those of us who would like children but avoid doing so because we haven't found the right person yet? Why should we be penalized for something that is not our choice? I haven't chosen to be on my own. It is blatant discrimination.

Frequently people talk of the "Bank of Mum & Dad" but not all of us have supportive families that give hand-outs to help to establish their child in the world. I speak of parents who assist with buying a house, paying for driving lessons and then the running of a car once their child passes, give help when financial difficulty arises etc. I have no such support network. And yes, I come from one of these wonderful families that have been together for many years (over 50 year of marriage to be precise). Rent and bills eat up most of my wages every month and a have nothing left for enjoyment (you see why being single is not a choice?!). I get no help from any form of benefits either. I'm not complaining about my life, but it is a huge struggle. It is just so frustrating that people make so many assumptions about those of us who are on their own.

BigBelly

It is bad enough if a man can't get a girlfriend but why punish him more by making him pay more tax? That is really rubbing his nose in it.

Mark_Beech

Why the H**L should married couples get a tax break?

It cost proportionally more to live as a single person. Singles are clobbered every which way.

We still have to run a household paying the insurances, the council tax, the fuel bills, the mortgage, the TV Licence, repairs etc. Even food costs proportionately more because we can't take as much advantage of multiple discounts. The difference is we don't have anyone to share the costs with (or anything else with for that matter).

We also don't receive child benefit ..... and guess who picks up the extra load at work when mum's (and increasingly dads) go off on maternity leave .... or leave early to pick the kids up. Couples also receive other breaks in the form of Family Credit etc.

Marriage and having kids is a choice. You should be thankful that you have found someone to share your life with. Some of us haven't been so lucky.

blackdan

Couples should be allowed to give their tax allowance to the other half if only one is working

robin_banks

PoorPennilessMe wrote: »

Thanks Robin - Whilst I know that the system allows them to get Child Benefit, I was wondering what the Government's thinking is behind giving it to them. Also, I can confirm that they get CTC. It may be slightly less than 150K pa joint income, but definately 3-figures.

As to your first point, as a person living alone, having a child would mean sacrificing personal freedoms, for which I would end up resenting the child. This would affect my parenting skills and ultimately affect the child. Whilst this does not guarantee how the child will turn out, I have no desire to do that to anyone. But considering I won't be living on benefits to raise a child for several years, how come I am not being rewarded by the system?

You wont end up resenting your child.

adwat

lyndorset wrote: »

I strongly believe that married couples (including civil partnerships) should be taxed as ONE UNIT ie tax allowance shared. This would be a much fairer system. :beer:

Which is how it used to be done.

D'Oh!

queenbeeno1

Tax breaks for families is a better idea not just because you are married ( and yes I am married) The time when you need extra help is when you have young children - especially kids under 5 ( and I don't fall in this group either mine are older). Because this is when your income is most restricted. I am pretty sure that all the tories will do, if they do anything is get rid of or reduce tax credits, which although not great do at least attempt to help families. Personally I think the lib dems have a better idea, no tax for anyone earning less than 10k, although this should be more like 12-15K before u pay tax. At the end of the day if you are only earning the min wage then how can you afford tax. I also think council tax should be scrapped and replaced with a per capita amount to each authority from central government, all taxation should be based on ability to pay. It the only fair way to operate in a civilised society.