Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the Observation by the Institute for Fiscal Studies entitled Stealthy changes mean that soon one in five families with children will be losing some Child Benefit, published on 7 January, which states that around 370,000 more families will lose some child benefit in 2019–20 than in 2013–14 because of the freezing of the £50,000 income threshold; what is their estimate of the number of non-higher rate taxpayers who will be affected by that policy as a result; and what saving this will make to the public purse.

The government considered the impacts of the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) on individuals and households at Budget 2012 when the policy was announced. These were published in a Tax Information and Impact Note at the time.

The adjusted net income threshold above which an individual becomes liable for the HICBC is £50,000. The government believes this is currently the correct level for the threshold, but as with all elements of tax policy this remains under review.