Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the high income child benefit charge on children's living standards.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) only affects Child Benefit recipients who have, or whose partner has, and adjusted net income between £50,000 and £60,000.
Data on children living in low-income households is available in the public domain as part of the Households Below Average Income statistical release, published on GOV.UK by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing changes to the child benefit system.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Child Benefit ensures families receive support for the additional costs they face in raising a child. 7.7m million families across the UK claim Child Benefit.
To ensure that the Child Benefit payments retain their value, they will be increased in line with last September’s CPI at 6.7% from April 2024.
Further support for children from low-income households is also provided through the child element of Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, which will be uprated in line with CPI.
The Government also offers a broader range of support for parents to help with childcare, including financial support with childcare through Tax-Free Childcare.
As with all Government policy, Child Benefit is kept under regular review.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the child benefit allowance to £50 a week for all children.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Child Benefit ensures families receive support for the additional costs they face in raising a child. 7.7m million families across the UK claim Child Benefit.
To ensure that the Child Benefit payments retain their value, they will be increased in line with last September’s CPI at 6.7% from April 2024.
Further support for children from low-income households is also provided through the child element of Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, which will be uprated in line with CPI.
The Government also offers a broader range of support for parents to help with childcare, including financial support with childcare through Tax-Free Childcare.
As with all Government policy, Child Benefit is kept under regular review.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the high income child benefit charge on women.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Child Benefit statistics (which include data on the High Income Child Benefit Charge) are published annually by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on GOV.UK . They include information on Child Benefit claimants, and High Income Child Benefit Charge liability by gender.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the self-assessment process on individuals that receive child benefit and pay the high income child benefit charge; and whether he plans to simplify the self-assessment process.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Self Assessment tax return is currently the only means for HM Revenue and Customs to establish the correct HICBC liability.
The Government announced in July 2023 that steps will be taken to enable employed individuals to pay the HICBC through their tax code, removing the need to register for Self Assessment. This will make the process of paying the charge simpler for individuals who become liable to the charge, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to a simpler and fairer tax system.