Sunday, January 15, 2012

A modest proposal re: affordable child benefit

Clare asked me to publish her thoughts on affordable child benefit as follows.

"The issue of reducing the bill for child benefit is hotly debated in the media and I have a suggestion. Universal child benefit should be continued, with a modification which would reduce its cost. All parents currently receiving the benefit should continue to receive it in full: this would circumvent the issues relating to increasing poverty for existing large families.

New parents should receive the benefit for two children only, however.

Personally I found child benefit a very useful addition to family income but (like many others, I suspect) I would never have considered applying for any state aid which was not in the form of a universal grant."