PostingTaxing times

Now that the hell of filling out tax returns is behind us, I have to vent about the scandal of how couples in the UK receive little or no tax relief on childcare. I am self-employed, so can offset certain expenses again my income. Unfortunately, childcare doesn't count as an 'expense' - which is ridiculous, since I couldn't work if I didn't pay someone else to look after my daughter a couple of days a week. It seems wrong you can offset phone bills, broadband, stationery, printer cartridges (don't get me started on that one) and the odd taxi fare against tax - but not the shedloads of cash that my husband and I shell out on childcare - easily our largest expense. I know that David Cameron has dreamt up some wheeze to promote marriage, which will mean that wives can give their husbands their unused tax allowance - but that isn't going to do anything to help working mothers (and certainly not the unmarried ones). If the government is serious about promoting gender equality in the workplace, it might want to start by doling out better tax treatment of childcare. As things stand, the fact nursery fees don't count as tax-deductable makes me suspect there is still only grudging acceptance of women with young children continuing to work.

Posted 01 February 2008 21:46

Work Work vs mothering

Comments

DJ Kirkby said:

The amount we pay out for childcare is shocking, when N3S is in fulltime care during school breaks we pay out £180.00 a week! We get no tax relief because the government thinks we earn enough to not need it, never mind that we have 3 children who need clothes, food and a roof over their head let alone any luxuries, like outings to the cinema. It is a crazy world...

Posted 02 February 2008 09:13

potty mummy said:

Hear hear, MaL. And don't get me started on VAT on tampax etc...

Posted 02 February 2008 15:24

Helen said:

DJ, I hadn't even thought ahead to school holidays...



Potty Mummy, I am terrible, I didn't even know there was VAT on tampons.



Ps - sorry this posting turned into a humourless rant - after out-of-town shopping centres, tax returns are my next most hated thing.

Posted 02 February 2008 19:53

potty mummy said:

Yes, apparantly women's sanitary products are not regarded as 'staples' (like, for example, food or children's clothes), and so if we use them we need to pay not just the manufacturer but the government for the pleasure of doing so. Obviously, if we all went on strike and refused to use them the situation would be remedied pretty quickly - but personally I find that thought too horrific to contemplate...



(Now THAT's a humourless rant...)

Posted 02 February 2008 20:12

Helen said:

Potty Mummy, how true, Va-vay just googled 'tampons and VAT' and explained that to me. He did then say something about there being VAT on razors too, and how he had no choice about buying them because I've made it clear I don't want him to grow a beard. I've actually said no such thing, just that there won't be much cuddling up close if he grows a beard.

Posted 02 February 2008 21:40

Helen said:

ps - Va-vay has just come in, read my comment and said 'Naughty girl, it was BOOKS and VAT I looked up.' So there we go.

Posted 02 February 2008 21:42

Omega Mum said:

You have sophisticated Parisian award to collect.

Posted 02 February 2008 21:46

Lindsay said:

We pay for our daughter's nursery fees through a childcare voucher scheme which offers a little tax relief. It's something that my husband's work offers as a benefit, but worth looking into, perhaps it may be applicable for self-employed too?

Posted 03 February 2008 16:34

bushra said:

well said! i am all over the place about what to do about childcare for when i go back to work in august. like lindsay my work offers childcare vouchers but they would be a blip compared to the monthly cost. i would much prefer to send my boy to a day nursery rather than leave him at the mercy of the in-laws, but it seems it's going to be the way to go at the moment.

Posted 03 February 2008 18:41

Helen said:

Omega Mum, 'sophisticated Parisian' award? Yes please! You've brightened my day.



Lindsay, truth be told, we do get some help with that via my husband - but I still think the self-employed could get a break too.



Oh, Bushra, so sorry you have difficult in-laws. I can sympathise with that. Nursery is fab for all kinds of stuff like babies learning to feed themselves, play with each other, potty training. But as you say, at least the out-laws are free (well, the price you pay isn't in money).

Posted 04 February 2008 09:36

Guineapigmum said:

This is something I've always resented, everytime the tax return came around. All our family live several hours away so there was no childminding from that source. I was fortunate to find a fantastic childminder in the village - much more family friendly, more flexible and much cheaper than a nursery. The boys went to her until they started high school and had friends there who they went to school with. She's a good friend now. At tax return time, though, I felt that as I was paying a large chunk of her wages it should have been in part at least a deductible expense. Oh well, past that now, but I feel a post of my own on the issue coming on!

Posted 05 February 2008 10:20

Helen said:

Guineapigmum, why can't things be like they are in Denmark, where women are paid a decent wage to stay home and look after the kids and men and women treat each other as equals? Oh, I forgot, the Scandis are reasonably enlightened, modern people, while we seem to be stuck in the dark ages of domestic slavery.

Posted 05 February 2008 10:36

Alison said:

I can get vouchers for childcare from my employer, as can my partner. This means that childcare costs are paid out of our gross income so we don't pay any tax or national insurance on it.



I wish the government would start covering a large percentage of childcare for working parents, instead of farting around with bloody tax credits.

Posted 15 February 2008 08:28

Helen said:

Hi Alison, welcome to the site. Totally agree with your point about government paid childcare.



I guess women in the UK don't do so badly, compared to, say, women in Afghanistan. But let's face it, there's a lot of room for improvement in how working mums in this country are treated. When you compare our set-up to the one in Scandinavia we look a bit backwards.

Posted 16 February 2008 18:18

single mother on the verge said:

Absolutely, Run for office, then we can have tax relief on childcare. Whit week is costing me in the region of £700 in childcare to work during the week, and trips at weekend to offset the guilt. And with no man to fund any of that, I could do with knocking it off my tax bill. We should burn a nappy mountain or something (instead of bras). In fact his father gets more benefits courtesy of her Majesty's B&B with ensuite and gym. The thing is, this patriachal country doesn't want women who are cleverer and better at business than men. That's why we don't get domestic help tax relief either. B£$%$R£s

Posted 28 May 2008 10:28

Helen said:

Hello Single Mother, you are the clever woman who has a book coming out soon, don't you? Is that right? Think that's what I read in The Bookseller. If that's right then many, many congratulations - I wish you all the very best with the book. How exciting. And what an achievement, when you are so busy working and looking after your boy.



As for lack of tax relief on childcare and domestic help, yes, it's a disgrace. And I don't doubt for a minute it's to do with living in a society that wants to trap women in domestic servitude. If we don't get hammered financially for trying to work, then we get this rubbish about being 'bad mothers' for leaving our kids. It is such rot, and I would love to think things will be different for the next generation, but somehow I fear they wont'. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Posted 28 May 2008 11:15

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