The high income child benefit charge does rile me. I would be totally happy to forfeit the child benefit for our 3 children, but not when its based on an unfair and inconsistent rule. The fact is my neighbours could earn a joint income of £99,999 and receive 100% of it, yet if I earn £60k we get nothing.
It also heavily detriments any pay rise between £50k and £60k, making it a really awkward pay bracket to be stuck between if you have kids. One looses £2500 cash for 3 kids, by going from £50k to £60k, which is effectively 40% of your take home pay in this bracket.
When they introduced the new ruling many years ago, I am sure they said the reason for basing it on the highest earner was due to it being too complicated to work out a family's income. Yet this is what they were doing for years with Family Credits and I am sure still do for other benefits.
Does anyone think there is any light at the end of the tunnel? As I said, I am happy for us to sacrifice it in the name of austerity or whatever, but not when its seemingly so flawed.
I also
read that Britain's biggest family with 21 kids (22nd on its way), claim no benefits,
aside from Child Benefit. Now I have no qualm at all with this family, in fact they seemed actually a very solid and caring family in a TV program I saw a few months back, but I do not believe that their Dad can earn less than £60K and provide for 22 kids! So how does that work? Grrrrr.