Childfree---child tax credit

lil_impatient_one · Post by **lil_impatient_one** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 3:11 pm

Any childfree folks out there?

What are your thoughts about the child tax credit?

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 3:24 pm

lil_impatient_one wrote: Any childfree folks out there?

What are your thoughts about the child tax credit?

I didn't get far on that but being a single mother here in Canada, our child tax benifit sometimes is a matter of do or don't for my daughter and I. Despite what others think, what little money we get for our child tax credit is what little we know is coming to us regularly. I work full time and that we bit of additional money helps hugely. Here in canada, the tax is determined proportionately to how much a parent or parents make, and eventually if parents earn too much they do not get the credit. So I would vote keep it.

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 3:42 pm

It's the same biased system that my school district uses for "rewarding" sick day users.

If you don't use any sick days, then you get a bonus check from the schools. My problem is that I have a sick wife, so since I have to take care of her and go to the hospital for her I don't get that check.

When I complained they told me, "You shouldn't have used any sick days."

So I replied, "Then why do you have them?"

actionfigurestepho · Post by **actionfigurestepho** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 6:39 pm

On one hand I want to agree that it's biased, since I might never be able to have kids and that sucks to be penalized for it.

On the other, I know my parents would have had a heck of a time living without it. Is it better to get a tax credit or to have a family need social assistance? It's a hard question.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:31 am

Jives wrote: It's the same biased system that my school district uses for "rewarding" sick day users.

If you don't use any sick days, then you get a bonus check from the schools. My problem is that I have a sick wife, so since I have to take care of her and go to the hospital for her I don't get that check.

When I complained they told me, "You shouldn't have used any sick days."

So I replied, "Then why do you have them?"
Do I infer correctly that you don't get paid for any sick days you take? If you don't, then I agree that they shouldn't get paid extra for not taking them.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:38 am

Sorry, I don't agree with getting a tax break for having children. We have enough kids in the world, why offer incentives to have more? Sure, paying a little less tax is helpful t make ends meet, but if you didn't it wouldn't mean the end of the world any more than taking a small pay cut would. People below a certain income level don't pay income tax anyway, right?

Sorry to sound heartless about this, but I should not be penalized by paying higher taxes because you (generic 'you' not someone specific) have children.

pink princess · Post by **pink princess** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:47 am

i kinda think its unfair that if a relationship breaks down the mother gets money from the govt, money from the dad and money from any job they have on top of that...... they often end up with a higher income than people like me who work full time but have no kids.....

another thing that annoys me is if you get a break for having kids what about being ill? why should i have to pay for my prescription every few weeks?

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 8:26 am

Having come from a single parent family and had the benefit of such things in the past not to mention free education etc I don't grudge it at all. We need to kids to enter the work force so they can pay taxes and provide my old age pension. It will be paid back in spades over the years to come.

minks · Post by **minks** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:27 am

pink princess wrote: i kinda think its unfair that if a relationship breaks down the mother gets money from the govt, money from the dad and money from any job they have on top of that...... they often end up with a higher income than people like me who work full time but have no kids.....

another thing that annoys me is if you get a break for having kids what about being ill? why should i have to pay for my prescription every few weeks?

Well by the time I pay out of my wages my rent, car loan and all bills I have very little money for necessities for myself and the child. So with the meger child support and child tax beny I can afford the endless school fees, shoes, winter jacket and small bits of entertainment for the kid. Child tax beny, as well as any child support I get is not going to last forever, it is only for as long as my daughter is being supported by me. Believe me, the tax Beny and child support do not amount to a whole hill of beans in the end, so some times that money is used for bills. It isn't easy being a single mother and having to pay for everything. For some of us $200 is a huge huge deal and we can't live without it. To others it is a mere drop in the bucket. I don't know about other countries, but the beny is measured by your income. So the less you make the higher your child beny. The higher your income the smaller your beny. At some point you get $0 benny. Now here the higher the income the higher the income tax, as well maybe i am biased because Canada is something like the 2nd or 3rd highest taxed country in the Solar System. So if I was to really put up dollar figures for you guys, you would see how important these 2 meger bits of money are to my daughter and I. And I have not begun to mention gas to get myself and her around, medical, dental and eye exam costs that are not covered by our plan. Pet care costs, and such. In the end there rarely is "savings"

minks · Post by **minks** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:31 am

I also don't think any one is being punished or ripped off money if they do not have children and do not get the Child Tax Benifit. This is because you do not pay anything for any children, so in the end you save more money than those of us with children. Child tax beny does NOT cover all child expenses ever. (ok only speaking for here in Canada)

pink princess · Post by **pink princess** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:10 pm

in genuine cases ok fine get the help you need

but theres a heck of a lot of women over here in the UK who are claiming benefits fo everything imaginable, getting money from the dads and bringing money in on the side in some other way too

perhaps my point is more suited to a thread about benefit fraud though??

my real beef i guess is that my other halfs kids mum gets money from him/us, she claims benefit (and i dont think should be claiming some of it) and works.... she gets a fair whack of money every month and yet..... has told her son he cant have socks because she cant afford them, cant have a second pair of school trousers because she cant afford them..... but somehow she manages to EVERY friday and saturday night WITHOUT fail enjoy a lovely evening at various pubs and clubs and also manages to feed her cigarette habit - in those circumstances i dont think she should get tax credit, that or she should but should get money from us.... she gets it to spend on the kid not herself

yet the kid spends half the week with us so we still have to fork out when hes here, we buy food for him, we buy clothes for him, we take him out places etc etc

Post by **Betty Boop** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:34 pm

I have to admit that as a single Mum I am finacially better off right now, but if it weren't for my sons disabilities I wouldn't be getting quite so much money right now.

There is no point me going out to work at the moment because I would loose too much money.

My divorce is imminent and as soon as I get my share of the marital home I will be completely off benefits and back out there looking for part time work. Which I am actually looking forward to.

Since I split with my ex, I have not recieved a penny in maintenance, but I do know the CSA are after him, so we will see.

minks · Post by **minks** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:45 pm

Betty Boop wrote: I have to admit that as a single Mum I am finacially better off right now, but if it weren't for my sons disabilities I wouldn't be getting quite so much money right now.

There is no point me going out to work at the moment because I would loose too much money.

My divorce is imminent and as soon as I get my share of the marital home I will be completely off benefits and back out there looking for part time work. Which I am actually looking forward to.

Since I split with my ex, I have not recieved a penny in maintenance, but I do know the CSA are after him, so we will see.
I hope you don't have to pay out to get the money the ex owes ya hunny that is where i got dinged.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:46 pm

minks wrote: I hope you don't have to pay out to get the money the ex owes ya hunny that is where i got dinged.

Pay out?

Pay who?

BTS · Post by **BTS** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 5:31 pm

Betty Boop wrote: Pay out?

Pay who?

Lawyers.......... I suppose