The Budget

mimix

What do all of you think of the new child benefits.

Sandals

Is that a joke, or are you just trolling?

you cant demand other peoples opinions without first expressing yours.

read my charter.

luckat

Really? Is this a new rule?

Hobbes

No hes taking the piss.

Anyone know what you need to do to get the 1000 euro next year? Just have child allowance? Also is that tax free?

KdjaCL

Finance Minister Brian Cowen today announced a new five year childcare strategy. Included in this is a new Early Childcare Supplement. This will be a direct payment of €1,000 a year available equally to all parents - regardless of whether they work or not - for each child up to his or her sixth birthday.

These payments will be exempt from income tax and levies, and will made on a quarterly basis in respect of over 350,000 children who are less that six years of age. The first payment will be made by the middle of next year.

The Finance Minister says this scheme will cost €265m in 2006 and €353m in a full year.

The Minister also announced that the monthly child benefit rate for the first and second child will increase to €150 and the rate for third and subsequent children will increase to €185.

The Minister's five year plan also includes measures which will increase the supply of childcare places. The National Childcare Investment programme, which will run from 2006 to 2010, will support the creation of an extra 50,000 childcare places.

This will be achieved through enhanced capital grant aid to private providers, the limit for which will double to €100,000. It will also be achieved through continued support to community providers of up to €1m per facility to a maximum grant per place of €20,000.

The Minister is giving this part of his strategy a total of €575m over the next five years and it will be complemented by the expected training of 17,000 childcare workers.

In order to further help to improve the supply side, he has also proposed that people engaged in the taking care of up to three children - other than their own - are exempt from income tax, PRSI and levies on income up to €10,000 a year.

From March next, mothers of new-born children will have additional four weeks paid maternity leave, extending the duration of the leave to 22 weeks. A further four weeks of paid maternity leave will be added in 2007.

Mr Cowen said that unpaid maternity leave will be increased by four weeks in 2006 and a further four weeks in 2007, bringing total unpaid maternity leave to 16 weeks by 2007.

From rte


kdjac

Dub13

Hobbes wrote:

Also is that tax free?

Its tax free and Not means tested.

Nevyn

There is no explaination of how it will be paid maybe it will be issued alongside the child benefit.

I have a 5 year old who will be 6 in July so I won't get the full 1000 but I will
look at keept what I do get for my back to work fund the money i will need for when I find a childminder I can trust with my kids.

Hobbes

Does it come through the child allowance? or do you have to request it though.

daveg

Thaedydal wrote:

I have a 5 year old who will be 6 in July so I won't get the full 1000

I could have sworn I read that it would apply to children who were 6 and under (ie it applies until the child turns 7).

We have paid for creche facilities for my son for approx 4 years. That works out at about €24K. He will be 7 in June. You can imagine haw fúcking pissed we are that this goverment finally does something when it's woo late for us.