Janet Daley, writing in the Telegraph, has an article which questions what it is, exactly, Cameron expects the people of Britain to do to help the country.
However, one statement by Daley, on the subject of child benefit, struck me as odd:
"But child benefit is not a payment simply for existing: it is a recognition that being a parent, whatever your income, is a special and very expensive way of life."
Everyone 'chooses' their life and how they wish to live it. Buying a new home; buying a new car; buying an expensive holiday; buying new clothes - the first thing everyone should do is work out whether they can afford 'whatever'. Want to start a family? Then work out whether you can afford one - if necessary 'juggling' your budget to do it.
Whilst I do not accept I should be responsible for 'topping up the coffers' of people who do want and have children, I am even more averse to doing that for children in another country. And please, do not give me that 'unplanned birth' crap, either -with today's 'technology' there need be no such thing. Also, the sooner we stop handing out flats/houses to young 16/18 old single mothers as a matter of course, the better!
4 comments:
Spot on. We need to make a statement: nine months from tonight, child benefit stops for any subsequent children, no more council houses, no more maternity this and that, no more unemployment benefit because you're babyminding and can't work. Anything in the pipeline will be dealt with under the current system, as to do otherwise would be unfair. But from tonight, your behaviour will have consequences that you will have to deal with. Not me.
I'm perfectly happy to help subsidize a married couple who wish to have a child. I chose that qualification carefully.
Doesn't the validity of the statement depend on whether society needs to encourage people to have children?
Remember that child benefit evolved from what was a tax allowance and if children are needed, as was the case after the war, then a tax break seems to me a perfectly reasonable way to do it.
I'm rather with James on this. I would be more than happy to encourage or even help responsible married couples to have a child. Personally I would rather use a tax allowance than a benefit as that helps those who help themselves.
"and if children are needed"
woodsy42, are they? I believe in a few years time we have a population problem? In any event I believe the immigrants have taken care of this problem.
I come back to my original point - you want something - then you 'afford' it!
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