Should Married Couples Get Tax Breaks? Lawmakers Pressure David Cameron
A group of conservative lawmakers in Britain have called on Prime Minister David Cameron to make good on his pledge to give married couples a tax break, even as the government's plans to redefine marriage continue.
The Prime Minister had previously promised to issue a tax break to married couples that would take effect beginning in 2015, but as the legislative session draws to an end and calls to redefine marriage intensifies, worries are mounting that the new tax breaks may never happen.
The letter specifying the urgent need to pass the tax break was signed by current and former Members of Parliament and included former defense minister Sir Gerald Howarth and former children's minister Tim Loughton.
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The letter, published in The Telegraph, stated that the proposed tax breaks would serve as "a vital weapon in combating child poverty."
The lawmakers used American reports that showed college graduates who become single parents have a greater chance of remaining poorer than individuals who only complete secondary education, but who marry and start a family.
The proposed tax breaks would affect nearly four million couples in the United Kingdom and save families roughly £150 a year ($200 USD), when one spouse stays at home.
The Bishop of Chester had also recently insisted that the British government bring about the tax breaks for married couples during a debate in the House of Lords.
During his remarks, Bishop Forster explained that Members of Parliament should ease the economic burden of married families. He also insisted that - should the new tax measures be implemented - it would reinforce commitment to the traditional family.
"Good marriages are not just a benefit for the couple themselves, and their children, but serve to strengthen the wider society of which they are a part," Forster told The Christian Institute.
Unfortunately, the new tax breaks may never happen, given the continued push by the British government to redefine marriage and Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg's continued opposition.
Clegg previously stated that he is against the tax breaks for married couples by saying that it is wrong to discriminate between people who are married and people who cohabit, which is effectively just living together.
