Our friends at the Tax and the Family charity have published an interview with a one-earner family who talk about the ways in which the current tax system discriminates against them.

UK is a cold place for families

Sadly the experience documented in the interview above is not unique. The UK has a tax system that penalises families.

For some time now, CARE has campaigned for an increased marriage tax allowance. The current allowance is a tokenistic 10%, which makes relatively little to no difference for the couples who apply.

But there is no escaping the fact that the UK is a cold place for families. Our research, over a decade now has routinely shown that the UK’s system of independent taxation fails to take into account family responsibilities.

CARE’s most recent report shows that a one-earner married couple with two children on the OECD average wage for the UK currently face a tax burden 30% higher than the OECD average. A single person with two children has a tax burden that is 26% higher. By contrast, a single person with no family responsibilities has a much lower tax burden.

The real life example in the video above highlights that this is a social justice issue. Strong families are at the heart of a healthy society. How we recognise family responsibilities in the tax system should be a top priority for this Government.

Find out more

VISIT: the Tax and Family website

READ: CARE’s latest report into tax burdens