lack of subsidised maternity benefit in private sector

bored and tired

Candj, maternity benefit as any other benefit is funded by taxes, The public sector as well as company directors pay taxes too believe it or not!

In fact company directors pay a double tax, as they are taxed on their income and do not recieve the same PRSI tax credits as employees receive, But they also pay corporation tax on the profits of the company, if they decide to take a dividend from the company this is taxed also. In addition they are NOT entitled to many treatment benefits, such as the dental treatment scheme,.

It is not as easy at it may seem in a small business to just pay yourself during your maternity leave and hope for the best that the company that you have built from scratch, that the employees who depend on you to maintain their jobs will get on with things without you, while you nurse your newborn, LIFE doesnt work like that, many small company directors put in 80 hour weeks, working 9-6 mon to friday or saturday, and then doing paper work on top of that,

Alos to say that maternity benefit should be taken on its own and hoisted aloft, that no woman should receive €280 a week as it is discriminatory, is forgeting the thousands of other people who are on other benefits and struggling,. Should maternity benefit be increased to the detriment off the others??

Unemployment benefit,
widows pension,
lone parents allowance,
disability illness benefit, etc,

I can tell you that it is no joke to suddenly find yourself on the flat of your back needing help to get out of bed and the slow realisation that no you are not getting better, no you will not be back in work in a few weeks, and yes the mortgage has to paid even though now your partner is now supporting you, your child, your childminder, you now have a housekeeper you never had before and also paying for your gps pension plan. and probably his childrens college fund as well.,

At least when you find yourself pregnant, either planned or unexpected, you have a life line of 7 months to save, adjust your life style. buy essentials on sale, Your income of €280 from the state is tax free so when you go back to work you could receive a larger pay cheque than before you went on maternity leave as your tax credits have accumulated, if you are married you could have offset them to your husbands account, so that his takehome pay while you are on maternity benefit is larger.

And if you are really poverty striken, and cannot afford the essentials, the Communtiy welfare officer will be able to help you fill out forms on how to apply for accomodation, emergency/essential needs payments, will point you in the direction of MABS for budgeting advice etc.

Having said all that, the system hear is archaic, fathers should have a legal right, to paid paternity leave of some amount, to ensure that they are there when there children are born and are not penalised financially for doing so.

However the rights and wrongs off the system here, we can all agree that things have improved over the last 10 years, maternity leave is now longer and substantially more than what it was, Family friendly work practices are buzzwords around offices that have managers running scared that they had never heard off before, and it is now a right to apply for unpaid parental leave for children, regardless of company policy on if and how it can be taken, from a country where 50 years ago married women didnt really work unless they were teachers or nurses we have come a long way.