Senior Tory politician promises to recognise marriage in the tax system

A senior Tory politician has promised that the Conservative Party will recognise marriage in the tax system if the party wins the next election.

A senior Tory politician has promised that the Conservative Party will recognise marriage in the tax system if the party wins the next election.

Philip Hammond, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge and the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said in a debate with Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury:

‘We have not said how we will recognise marriage in the tax system. There are a number of different ways of doing it. What we have said and we have clarified that ... and there must be no confusion, we are absolutely committed to introducing recognition of marriage in the tax system during the course of the next Parliament if we win the election.’

(Watch the Telegraph TV report)

Mr Hammond’s pledge comes after the Tory leader David Cameron said in an interview with the BBC that he ‘wanted’ to recognise marriage in the tax system and ‘definitely hoped’ that this might be possible during the course of the next Parliament.

(See the BBC News report)

However, Mr Cameron added that he could not make a commitment to do this over that period, because of the ‘vast’ size of the UK's budget deficit.

After the interview however Mr Cameron's office issued a statement in his name that said:

‘Recognising marriage in the tax system is something I feel very strongly about and something we will definitely do in the next parliament. We will set out exactly how in due course.’

Last month, another Tory politician expressed his concerns about the Labour policies’ damaging effects of family breakdown. David Willetts, Conservative MP for Havant and Shadow Minister for Universities and Skills, said a policy for marriage is needed that ‘restores it as a more widespread institution as we had in the past.’ Mr Willetts said:

‘Any society in which something as massive as this institution of marriage with a deep history, with roots in its culture, with public recognition, where it didn’t affect behaviour would be very odd indeed.’

He said if the current Labour policies on family continue the institution of marriage could become exclusively the preserve of the middle class.

‘There is quite a lot of evidence coming from America about how we are in danger of heading towards a society where middle-class people get married and people on low and erratic incomes don’t get married, and that in turn leads to a divergence of a whole host of other outcomes.

‘In my view it would be extremely dangerous if marriage became something only for the affluent elite and that is what will happen, unless we try to get some kind of policy that restores it as a more widespread institution as we had in the past.,’ Mr Willetts added.

(See the Daily Mail report)

At the end of last month, it was reported that Ed Balls, the Government’s Schools Secretary, faced charges of hypocrisy after admitting that marriage was ‘better for children’ whilst refusing to back tax breaks to encourage it.

Asked about his own marriage to Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper, Mr Balls indicated that he believed marriage was a better basis for family life than co-habiting or single parenthood – directly contradicting his previous statements on the subject.

Labour Government is opposing Tory plans to offer tax breaks to married couples, claiming they would discriminate against children of single or cohabiting parents. However, in a shift in strategy ahead of the general election, the Government is abandoning its long-standing ambivalence towards traditional marriage, conceding that children fare better if their parents are together. A green paper to be published this month will outline new measures to shore up ‘stable parental relationships.’

(See The Times report)

Andrea Minichiello Williams, Director of CCFON, said: ‘Stable marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of a healthy society and the best safeguard for children to grow up in. Government should protect and promote this valuable institution for the benefit of all.’