Groups criticise plan to tax child benefit

THE PROPOSAL to tax child benefit has been criticised by children’s groups, which are already planning to stage protests against the plan.

The Children’s Rights Alliance, a coalition of more than 90 non-governmental organisations, said taxing child benefit had been “a disaster” for the UK government when it attempted to go down this road many years ago.

Its chief executive, Jillian van Turnhout, said the commission was “clearly uncomfortable” in issuing its recommendation to tax child benefit.

“It speaks volumes that this timid recommendation is couched in caveats, with the hesitant commission, in an unusual move, advising the Government to consider potential legal, policy, implementation and employment disincentive issues before considering the move,” Ms van Turnhout said.

In June the Children’s Rights Alliance met with the commission to outline its concerns and arguments against the taxation of child benefit.

“How will they ensure that our larger families won’t be penalised? And how will we overcome the legal issues?” Ms van Turnhout asked.

“While we acknowledge that the country is in crisis and that the Government faces difficult policy and budgetary choices, child benefit must not be played around with.”

Labour’s finance spokeswoman Joan Burton said the child benefit proposals seemed highly complex and bureaucratic for little gain to the Exchequer.

The National Women’s Council also expressed disappointment at the recommendation. and said it would have a huge impact on families. Its head of policy, Orla O’Connor, said it had been Government policy to increase child benefit in order to pay for childcare. Those childcare costs had increased astronomically in recent years and now reductions in childcare were being proposed, she said.

The council is planning a public meeting in Dublin tonight over the series of cutbacks proposed in recent months. It claimed the cuts would push women out of the workforce and into welfare dependency and poverty.

Meanwhile, a group of parents calling themselves Pacub (Protest Against Child Unfriendly Budget) said it would hold a protest march in Dublin on Saturday, September 19th, to protest against the proposal to tax child benefit.

Pacub spokeswoman Carol Murphy Haslam said many families were holding on by a thread as they were faced with lower incomes, unemployment, tax increases and negative equity.