Sunday, 4 October 2009

Ten reasons to hate the Tories (6) Part 3

Point 6 from Cameron's Blueprint for Britain was this:

"We will cut corporation tax to create jobs (1), reform inheritance tax to encourage saving (2) and build a stronger society by rewarding families in the tax and benefit system (3)."

As to (3), Iain Duncan Smith's "Social Justice Committee" looked at the couple penalty in depth; ruminated and came up with some suggestions. I summarised all this, pointed out the obvious errors and made my own suggestions a fortnight ago.

To cut a long story, those who form stable relationships and share living costs, childcare duties etc will always be at an advantage. That is a simple immutable fact. There is no point in a paternalist government going out of its way to "reward families" it - it is quite sufficient for a government to simplify the "tax and benefit system" so that they do not discourage stable relationships.

2 comments:

AgainsTTheWall said...

Good point. Better if the govt stopped rewarding single motherhood.

I would also suggest that the father have no responsibility in law to financially support the child unless he has married the mother AND is proven to be the father by a DNA test.

Mark Wadsworth said...

ATW: "Better if the govt stopped rewarding single motherhood." That's already in the MW manifesto, of course. I'm not sure about your second suggestion.