Should child benefit be taxed?

44% YES 56% NO

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• My very rich lawyer relatives (who view the current drop in property prices as a 'buying opportunity' to add to their property portfolio because they don't believe FF will tax them on property) put all the money they receive in child benefit for their four children into a savings plan to help pay for the private fee-paying schools they will be going to in a few years time. They are doing it via some pension vehicle that attracts tax relief at the highest rate that they will be able to cash in under some early retirement scam to increase the value of the monthly contributions, again, paid for by the government. So you see, it is helping to fund eduction :-( You couldn't make it up. The rich just get richer...... When they suggested I do the same, I had to point out that the child benefit we get helps pay for food. They just looked at me as if was stupid and then they went shopping at Brown Thomas because one of them had been given €hundreds of vouchers for speaking at some conference for 40 minutes. They live in la-la land and seem to have convinced themselves that I am deliberately taking time off work as some kind of sabbatical. What was that about the chill winds of recession not having reached some people yet?
  The unemployed voice of  Ireland
• If you have a combined family income of €100,000 a year or more then you should be taxed on your Child Benefit. Anyone earning less should not be taxed. If the Government are loooking to tighten the public purse, they should start from within their own pockets 30% pay cut, 50% cut in Expenses ..........Replace Mileage/Travel expenses with Free Travel Via Bus or Train(economy class only) otherwise let it come out of there own Pocket. I wonder how much the "Commissioners of the Taxation report" earn....a hellva lot I suspect. the Idea's they came up with do not take a whole lot of thinking (again it is an Attack on those who are easiest to Target)
  seanmck  Ireland
• NO they should leave child benefit alone . The National woman's council of Ireland surveyed families and a cut in child benefit would spell ''financial disaster'' more than six out of ten parents said that child benefit is a critical part of the family income while almost 30%said it is an important part . while 5% described it as a minor part of family income. A quarter of parents regarded child benefit as their ''survival cushion''-12%say they could not afford childcare with out it. Taxing will further marginalize women, that cant be allowed to happen. it will push working mother's in to the home. I think it may even effect jobs in creches as more mothers giving up work. plus how would you tax cohabiting couples, it also assumes equal sharing of income in married couples, in some cases this is not the case and child benefit is all they have. also it will not take in to account how many children you have and it seems lager families will be penalised. also child benefit is legally regarded as income of the child paid to the mother of the child and there is legal implications involved in taxing it. Child benefit is not a HAND OUT it is a return of tax already paid in recognition of the coat of rearing a child . all children are equal if the government want to save money I don't think taxing or cutting or means testing will save them in the long run never mind the pain it will cost families in Ireland. they would be better to look at reducing the amount of waste in tax payers money and cut from the top down. start at the top. I'm marching to say no to any cuts on the 19 of September check out this website if you feel the same.www.child benefit.info we should be investing in our children they are our future Our Government should be very ashamed taking from that hands of children!!!!! cutting child benefit will not effect the very rich that many want to see Child benefit removed from, and Means testing will be in the same lines as taxing again crippling the people that need it most!
  Niamh  Ireland
• child minding fees €500.00 per month, Nappies €50.00 per month, shoes €60.00 quarterly, doctors fees €60.00 per visit, clothes for growing 3 year old (Penneys) €100.00 quarterly. As for spending my Child benefit in Pubs and Clubs or going to see Dickie Rock, i don't have the time travelling from Offaly to Dublin to work everyday. Unlike Colm i would rather spend my free time with my child rather than frequenting pubs and clubs as seems to be his norm.
  A Cute Her  Angola
• So should unemployment and social security benefits - there are people in this country with hordes of children claiming on everything they can from Childcare subvention in childcare centres; payments for the exam fees for the leaving and junior cert, the value of a medical card etc - instead of receiving a multitude of handouts from the state these scroungers should have them all rolled into one payment - and they should all be taxed some of these folks claiming everything in sight are on upwards of a grand a week in social welfare handouts - every penny given out by the state shoudl be assessed for tax.
  Ben Gunn  Ireland
• its wrong that every child in ireland has to sit at home and look at this happening to their family's and aslo themselves.... their is lots of other ways of getting the money they need. they dont have to hit the small time people that get through life by the skin of their teeth..... your's faithfully Shane O'Hanlon
  shane o hanlon  Ireland
• JUST TAX EVERYTHING!
  Eddie B.  United States
• I agree with Niamh p 10, child benefit is the only direct payment to mothers and the only acknowledgement about the existence of children in the tax system. Besides anyone with children will know that the costs of feeding, clothing, educating and providing for the many needs of children far exceeds the child benefit payment. Leave it as it is and instead focus on the inequities of the tax and welfare systems, such as the outrageous tax exiles free run and the rampant fraud on unemployment payments.
  mick, dublin  Ireland
• I have a cunning plan that will obliviate the need for any benefit cuts and solve the NAMA problem. Why don't we have a general election to get rid of FF then nationalise the assets behind the loans that NAMA are planning to take over (without any payment to the developers). They are allegedly worth €50-60 billion. We can then flog off that property and land (allowing the property market to find it's proper 'floor') and use the proceeds to both pay off the current tax/borrowing deficit and recapitalise the banks that will now be owned by the people (one or two of them that we can turn into good banks anyway and let the others go to the wall). The added bonus is that developers and bank bondholders will be totally ruined, FF will be history and we could sweep away the current bank management at a stroke thereby doling it out to those who got us into this mess in the first place. The few billion in change left over we will give to people with negative equity so they are paying a fair mortgage. Might as well outlaw estate agents etc. as well while we are at it. Then, over the next few years, we can repeat all the mistakes made under Marshalls Bertie and Cowen and find outselves back in exactly the same position in 2021! Does my b*m look big in this Marxist rhetoric? There may just be one slight flaw...... those assets aren't actually worth €50-60 billion are they?
  Dyed Blonde Celebrity Basher in  Ireland
• But how will I pay for me fags and me vodka? Yer don't think I could last a day with all them kids running around if I din't have my vodka do you? "Mammy, mammy. What's child benefit?"........... john to supply appropriate punchline here.
  Coughing hag  Ireland