A leading independent think tank has claimed that the Government is failing to sufficiently support marriage and the family.
The Centre for Social Justice, set up by Iain Duncan Smith, has published a report detailing the Governments progress in family related policies.
The report gives the Government only four out of ten for its family policy, stating that: “There is still no solid commitment to actively prevent family breakdown or recognition of the important contribution of marriage to stability.”
The report suggests: “Strong, stable families are central to improving outcomes for our children – and what children want most is to live with both their parents if possible. Strengthening families requires supporting marriage, helping people build strong relationships and providing coordinated help for our most chaotic families.”
“Changing the culture so that family stability is valued by society requires strong governmental leadership and bold decision-making.”
Couples Penalty
The report singles out the Government’s failure to deal with the ‘couples penalty’ in the benefits system, describing: “a benefits system that disincentivises parents from living together [which] makes it more likely that children will be raised by single parents.”
The tax system currently disincentivises couples from remaining married and living together and there has been no progress in introducing transferable tax allowances in order to deal with this.
According to an international study by former Inland Revenue consultants Don Draper and Leonard Beighton for CARE in 2008, Britain is amongst the very few nations which does not reward couples that stay together.
The study showed that couples where one partner works and the other stays at home are worst affected, paying a far greater proportion of income of tax than in almost any other country.
The report suggests that the Government’s lack of progress in minimising family breakdown and strengthening marriage is due to a Coalition ‘tug-of-war’ between the Tories and the Lib Dems.
Comment
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said:
“Children prosper in families where the mother and father are committed to one another in marriage. It’s important that the Government supports marriage and the family through its policies and through the tax system in order to secure a stable future for our society.
“I hope the Government will carefully consider this report.”
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