Sir, – Common sense seems to have abandoned Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, who is normally very switched on, when it comes to child benefit (Home News, July 27th).
It seems there is a difficulty as to whose money the child benefit actually is. Some people are claiming it is actually the child’s. If that is the case, then surely the baby infant should fill out the application form, send it off to Social Protection and collect the money each month in the Post Office and fill out an income tax return to the Revenue?
But that doesn’t happen, because it wouldn’t make sense. The child is a dependant and common sense should tell any adult, including the Minister and her “advisers”, that child benefit goes to the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) to be used for the benefit of the child, providing housing, food, heat, etc. It’s not the child’s income, it’s the family’s.
This red herring has been thrown up to try to justify the continuing payment of child benefit to those on very high incomes. Should a family on €200,000 income be receiving exactly the same child benefit as one on €20,000? Child benefit needs to be tapered off gradually as income increases until, on a very high income, none is received. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN
Royal Oak Road,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.