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The UK tax system fails to recognise family responsibilities, according to a new report that shows that a single-earner married couple with children pays almost a third more in tax than the equivalent in the average OECD country, and 18% more than the EU average.
The report on the tax system penalty for married couples has been published by Alliance member Care in time for National Marriage Week and Valentine's Day.
This tax burden hits families on low and middle income families the hardest, the report claims, especially as the proportion of income taken in tax from middle income families has more than doubled in 40 years, despite having stayed the same for single people.
Dan Boucher, Care's Director of Parliamentary Affairs, says, "The failure of the UK tax system to recognise family responsibilities makes it one of the most individualistic tax systems in the world. It is imperative that the next government addresses the current anomaly so that single-earner married couples on average incomes with children are not penalised as at present."
"The current failure of the tax, and indeed tax credit system, to take proper account of families is damaging family life and trapping children in poverty."
Marriage is still seen as something worth aspiring to amongst young people in Northern Ireland, according to a survey done by the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland as part of Marriage Week 2010. The survey found that over 90% of respondents wanted to get married one day.
And the Relationships Foundation, also an Alliance member, has this week called on the government to invest £10 million in support of the voluntary sector to provide relationships education for couples. The Jubilee Centre is also encouraging people to consider the many benefits of marriage this Valentine's Day. Last year they published a marriage index which shows the overall health of marriage in the UK.
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