Cameron urges tax breaks for gays
Ooh, look Citizen Dave is being Right On.
Oh, wait a minute, this goes hand-in-hand with his commitment to tax breaks for being married.
Is the Tory Party innumerate?
And can somebody explain why there should be tax breaks for couples be they gay or straight, married/civilly-united or cohabiting.
There is a strong argument for giving tax breaks for anybody with dependents, be they children, adults with disabilities or elderly-and-infirm.
Surely it is far more morally justifiable not to give tax breaks to couples with no dependents, but to look at the whole tax-benefits system for carers. Couples, regardless of 'status', including non-involved housemates, can live far more cheaply than two single adults. Many of our household bills are exactly the same (disregarding inflation) as when I lived alone: mortgage, water, insurance, TV subscription and licence, and incidental household repairs and fittings/furnishings There is a slight increase in the use of gas and electricity, but certainly not a doubling. Council tax has increased by a third. Even food costs, ceteris paribus haven't doubled. And there are numerous incidental costs that add very little for a couple compared to a single person - travel insurance joint memberships etc. If we were a two-car household with typical car useage, we would still share many journeys with the consequent savings.
I think it is morally repugnant to give tax breaks to a couple who have the chance to earn two decent incomes, and ignore, for example, the middle-aged parent caring round the clock for a severely disabled adult child. Not that the carer would be eligible for tax breaks, considering that they are likely to be entirely dependent upon Benefit, often with very little respite care. Which is a subject that David Cameron should know a bit more about than the average politician or member of the public. And sometimes the Carers Role isn't even taken by a relative or partner.
