Money For Being Married

[tandh]

I heard on the radio today that if you are married or in a civil partnership you can get around two hundred pounds a year from the tax payer if you earn less than 60k between you ... why? and who else thinks this is really unfair to single people?

[Buenchico]

The facts:
https://www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

Some people might argue that it's unfair that a person can't transfer ALL of their personal allowance to their partner (if they've got no income of their own).

For example, if two people living together each earn £15,000 they'll get taxed on £8000 of their combined income (because they'll each get £11,000 tax free). However if only one of them is earning, receiving £30,000 per year, they'll get taxed on £17,900 of their income (because the earner gets £11,000 personal allowance plus a further £1,100 allowance transferred from his partner under the rule which you're objecting to).

So, with the same combined income of £30,000 p.a., the second couple will pay £1,380 more tax every year than the first one does.

[Old_Geezer]

Some might argue that it's unfair that a married couple get such an option whilst and unmarried couple or even a couple of friends do not. It's simple favouritism to those who go through pointless ceremonies that the government likes to encourage.

[fiction-factory]

useful calculator here
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/marriage-allowance-application/benefit-calculator
I don't like this sort of tinkering with the tax system and I am not sure it's right that one partner should have to declare his/her income to the other in order to be able to claim, but the amount could be useful to those that need it (and even those that may not- say where one earns 10K and one earns 35K). I wonder if it affects tax credits though

[tandh]

but chris, if a single person is living by themselfs and earning 30k they will get taxed, so they end up paying more than the couple which seems really unfair. I can maybe understand it if both people are on low income, say 15k each, but if you are lucky enough to be in a realtionship where one of you can afford not to work as the other one is on 30k plus i don't think it's far that single people should substertute the second person not working. I'm with old geezer on it, i think the goverment obulessly want every one to be married, maybe becasue of the housing crisis

[hc4361]

I don't think anyone would get married for the sake of £200 a year.

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe; but it's still an unjustifiable discrimination and incentive. It's wrong to treat one section of society better than another.

[tandh]

true hc, maybe i was a little o.t.t in my previous post, but again referring back to old gezer, it is a form of discrimination, and I don't understand what the logic is behind it and why they are doing it. we do have a benefit system that helps low earners so why do they have to give you extra for being married?