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Post details: The other point of giving tax breaks to married couples

01/03/07

The other point of giving tax breaks to married couples

There is something special that comes of being in a long term relationship, it gives you a solid basis to provide value, not just to children, but to extended families and local communities. Single people can be active in civil society, but couples more so because to a greater extent, they have their affairs sorted - no pun intended.

If you tax this uniquely stable and capable section of the population less, then they will have more money available to do good with. It's about targeting the tax burden in the most effective fashion and a public declaration of commitment is a simple objective means of reallocating this burden.

Despite his ludicrous selection of an example, Ming Campbell was right on Question Time tonight that financial incentives for staying married are less likely to work than, say, in encouraging economic productivity directly. I'm not sure what he might of meant when he said that on the whole men don't behave as they should.

10:27:03 pm, Categories: uk, economic power, 162 words

3 comments

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Comment from: Owen Blacker [Visitor] · http://owenblacker.livejournal.com/

What was the context of the "behaviour" comment?

It's worth bearing in mind that biology makes us blokes more likely to cheat on a (supposedly) monogamous partner — our smaller (biological) investment in reproduction means that it's in our advantage to be more promiscuous. It's only rational choice that allows us to remain monogamous (if we want to).

But I might be talking about something totally unrelated ;o)

02/03/07 @ 09:49

Comment from: Simon Gibbs [Member] · http://thefourthplace.net/

I confess I drifted in and out at this point so I missed the narrow context. My ears pricked up for this comment because it sounds so stupid coming from a man.

If he was being honest about himself (which he may have been indirectly) and trying to impart wisdom then this would be one thing, but he wasn't, he was making an argumentative point in a discussion with a female audience member. Aggressively agreeing in order to win a debating point, but just coming across as self-loathing.

Wierd and somewhat amusing but then I may have missed something important about the context.

02/03/07 @ 20:44

Comment from: Simon Gibbs [Member] · http://thefourthplace.net/

Owen, I noticed that you did not disagree that tax breaks are not just about incentives... am I close to persuding you on the social benefits of lower taxation?

02/03/07 @ 20:46

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Post details: The other point of giving tax breaks to married couples

01/03/07

The other point of giving tax breaks to married couples

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