NWCI opposes cuts to child benefit
Published: Wednesday, October 10, 2012
In response to recent proposals to cut child benefit by 40 Euros the National Women's Council called on Minister Burton to provide clarity on this issue and to publish and publicy debate the Report on Child Income Supports of the Tax and Welfare Advisory Group.
Orla O'Connor, Director of the NWCI, said: 'Proposals to cut Child Benefit by €40 per month are outrageous. Now more than ever low and middle income families are relying on Child Benefit as an essential part of household budgets. Any attempts to reform Child Benefit must take into account the costs that parents are paying for children, including food, educational, medical and childcare costs. Childcare costs in Ireland remain one of the highest in the EU. An OECD report in 2010 showed that households with young children in Ireland spend on average 41 per cent of their income on childcare.'