Upcoming elections

[C.A.R.]

Secondly, I believe that a cash payment for child benefit shouldn't exist. I feel that instead of incentivising having more children by paying out more cash for having them, we should spend the same amount overall on the child benefits scheme, but give them out in different ways. Things like free childcare so that single mothers can work a couple of days a week to supplement some of their benefits or stay in education. This would prevent single parents in tough economic situations becoming 100% dependant on their benefits for well over a decade, or would help single parents to stay in education and training so that as their kids grow up they are learning skills and staying sharp, instead of raising kids for 16 odd years and then suddenly being at a total loss and having no work experience and no education.

Jeez, I hope you never have kids!

Child Benefit can be and is claimed by even the very wealthy. It is so minuscule that it won't even cover the cost of a pack of nappies or keep a child fed for a week. It is but a tiny aid to make these things more affordable, and I don't honestly believe someone could 'rely' on CB alone for anything! The more children you have the more benefit you receive - correct, however it's not 'double' what it is for 2 children what it is for 1, it doesn't work like that.

I honestly believe there is nothing wrong with the CB structure, other than it not being enough! :p

The real problem lies in people popping sprogs so they have more dependencies and overnight they become more 'entitled' to bigger houses etc.

I'm undecided as to whether or not I have children, but if I do decide to have them, I will have them when I am financially able to, and I am in a position where I am as sure as I reasonably can be that I can take care of them and give them a wonderful home. Having children is a huge commitment and is not to be done on a whim. I think that as I am aware of this and will only have children when I am 99% certain I can give them an amazing life that I would be well set-up to be a good parent!

Yes, child benefits are a small amount of money to each person, but it costs a lot of money to give relatively wealthy families across the entire nation an allowance for their children even when they could otherwise afford them.

We have become a nation of do/buy first, justify financially later, as evidenced by 40 pound per month phone contracts, buying 50" TVs on finance, buying brand new cars on finance that cost a full year's wages in many cases etc. etc. The same applies to children, they should not be had unless you can provide for them and look after them properly.

In my opinion, child benefits exist to help people who are in difficult situations, such as single parents, not to just give people money for having children.
I agree, having some extra money when you have children is nice, even if you are relatively well-off, but to have people who are earning well in excess of the national average recieving monetary assistance from the government is simply insane from a financial point of view!

This is he same opinion I had years ago. It's naive, but you'll grow to understand the world better.

The fact is, nobody will ever be financially stable enough to bring children into the world until they are in their late 30s - early 40s. That's too late, not only biologically but what kind of life would a child have when their parent can't keep up with them? It's physically and financially exhausting, but until you're old enough to appreciate the other reasons for parenthood it's hard to see the justification for having children young.

We don't rely on Child Benefit - we couldn't! It's a tiny token we get back from paying our taxes every month. It helps go someway to keeping her in supply of fresh nappies and food and clothing.

Cutting it would just be another pain in the ass. I'm raising the next generation - yes through my own free will, but I deserve a comparatively little tax break for that. It's amazing how people from the outside looking in can help decide who 'needs' benefits in any measure with no prior experience or knowledge whatsoever. I pay in many times more what I get back, put it that way!