Catholic Union Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, writes:
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”
Luke’s Gospel reminds us that authorities have long struggled with the question of how to tax people under their jurisdiction. For most people, tax remains the most obvious interaction they have with their Government.
As Jeremy Hunt prepares for his first Budget as Chancellor on 15 March, the Catholic Union has called for the tax system to be made fairer for families. This week, a group of 25 MPs – led by Catholic Union President Sir Edward Leigh – has called for a commission to look at how the tax burden on families can be eased.
There are huge anomalies in the way our tax and benefit system is currently structured, which often result in penalising families where one parent takes time off work to care for children or elderly relatives.
The current Government has a manifesto commitment to make Britain “the greatest place in the world to start a family”, but for many parents it doesn’t feel like that at the moment. Let’s hope and pray that the Caesars of today listen to our call.