What should the tories do about child benefit?

I voted 'change to a fairer system'.
It should be based on household income, not the ridiculous way they've been planning to do it.
 
I'd edit your post mate - circumventing the swear filter is a big no-no and you can be infracted for it....

Edit: Just came back, and found that it was infracted at the same time I was posting this!
 
Similar to my Facebook status thread where someone mentioned about pensioners that have money don't need state pension cos they have enough money. Why should they not get it as they have paid into it.
Same as child benefits to. People on higher income have paid more into the system and because of this they suffer. WRONG WRONG WRONG.
 
Now you've gone and grassed his Mrs up! She was clearly pocketing the rest of the money herself, it should be about £200/month, and telling him she only got £86
 
Using household income is difficult as this isn't currently measured anywhere (AFAIK). The advantage of using the income tax system is that it is clear who pays higher rate and who doesn't. Setting a threshold somewhere else or including a taper is also difficult (and costly).

I'm not really that clear what it is for to be honest. I have 4 kiRAB and get £242 per month as a result. That is nearly £3k per year. Obviously I'd rather have it than not, but I'm not sure what I would do differently regarding the kiRAB if I didn't have it. I'm pretty well paid and they certainly wouldn't go without food or shoes etc.

Paying people a standard amount per child sounRAB like the sort of thing that we should do if there was a shortage of people. There isn't, so why do we do it at all. Maybe it should be abolished completely (phased out to avoid the shock). Difficult times call for difficult decisions....
 
In summary:

Working couples with children want to scrap child benefit in favour of free childcare because this would suit them best.
Less well-off people want to scrap it for those horrible higher rate tax payers because they're all loaded and don't need the money anyway.
Childless people want to scrap it completely because they don't see why their taxes should pay for anything in society that doesn't directly benefit them.
People who already receive and depend on child benefit want it to stay as is because they are used to getting it and it will make life uncomfortable for them to lose it.
People affected by the proposal want it changed to be made fairer.

Glad we're all in agreement.
 
Why don't they crib off the Child tax credit system? That includes your family income details and people who are too far out of range simply wouldn't apply anyway. Those that are within limits will get Child benefit and possibly Child tax too depending on current limits and working requirements. You can faff about with threshold limits 'til your hearts content then..
 
I agree, child benefit is the only thing I currently get and me and the wife pay an exorbitantly high amount of tax each month. Would be nice to at least get something back.
 
We seem to have bent off topic here to discussing what is in reality a minor section of society, who don't have children for the sake of child benefits but benefits/housing in general.

Just out of interest how many of the parents in here actually took into account child benefit when they planned their family, i certainly didn't infact we didn't even know we would be due any until 3 months after our first was born.

I do like the sound of swapping the current child benefit system for one that subsidised nursery places though, something along the lines of receiving child benefit upto an income of say £30K If you earn above that then you have the option to take Nursery vouchers which are valued slightly higher.

I like this option because it suits me of course but i havent thought it through at all
 
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