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Why the heck should married couples get additional tax breaks?


Surf N Turf

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No problem...just google it.

 

Unmarried parents are six times more likely to split by their child's fifth birthday than those who are married, say researchers.

 

 

Cohabiting partners face a 'disproportionate' risk of breaking up in the early years of their son or daughter's life.

 

 

The study from the think-tank the Jubilee Centre will reignite concerns that Britain is fast becoming a nation of broken homes.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004878/Unmarried-parents-6-times-likely-split-time-child-5.html

 

You've come up with the goods! If I've read it right it's about a 30% greater chance to break up if you're not married. I'm happy to be bucking the trend. I wonder if this is really the purpose of the strategy. With marriage on such a decline, and costing so much in a time of people tightening their purses, this relatively paltry sum isn't likely to achieve much. Apart from ticking me off!

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I must admit it always grated a bit with me that we were effectively penalised for being a one-income household where one person worked and one didn't, immaterial as to whether we were married or not, because you only get one individual tax allowance and (now) no child benefit once you top over 50K income. Especially at higher income levels where you lose your personal tax allowance completely

 

However I agree it's not the state's business whether or not lasting relationships are marriages or de-facto. So can't support something that depends on a marriage certificate. Would much prefer it if the UK do what the ATO allows, ie allow a one-income household to utilise a portion of the unworking spouse's tax allowance to even it up. Or more targetted benefits to help people out with childcare costs, rather than something that seems rather arbitrary and moralising

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Unmarried parents are six times more likely to split by their child's fifth birthday than those who are married, say researchers.

Cohabiting partners face a 'disproportionate' risk of breaking up in the early years of their son or daughter's life.

 

l

 

Aha...but would marriage make the difference? If marriage were compulsory and cohabiting not allowed....would the separation rate of all couples be any different?

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Like NSP I agree it's no-one's business (least of all the state's) what your relationship is.

 

I do believe (having lived in a single income household since March 2006) that households with kids under, for example, 11 years old get taxed at a household allowance instead of personal allowance irrespective of the relationship in the household - could even be grandparents living with the child; as an example off the top of my head.

 

Secondly sort out good quality child-care and pre-school instead of the complex and expensive system Australia has now. The increase in the labour participation rate would cover the costs alone in Australia over the bureaucratic rebate system currently in place.

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