House Prices

Breaking up income is hard to do

Q. For both parents to be working someone needs to be looking after the kids. It has cost us over $1000 a month - a child - for full-time daycare.

Tuesday, October 25th 2005

Do you build this into a tax-spreading system as discussed in last week's column? How?

Both parents can't work unless the children are cared for. If that's not possible, a skilled person may be lost to the workforce. And some people's mental health is better if they can work while raising a family.

Any tax-spreading system would be complicated, expensive and have unfair elements, as all tax regimes do.

Anyway, who says raising a family is so important?

I wouldn't be without mine, but it's not for everyone and surely that makes our world a better place.

I couldn't stand living in a society where we all had to have the same house, car, two-point-whatever kids and so on.

Variety is the spice of life and we should be encouraging it.

A. How about we add the childcare worker's pay to the parents' income, and split the tax three ways? Or, if the childcare worker also cares for other kids, split the taxes two and a fraction ways?

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SBS FirstHome Combo 6.74
Heartland Bank - Online 6.89
Wairarapa Building Society 6.95
Unity 6.99
Co-operative Bank - First Home Special 7.04
ICBC 7.05
China Construction Bank 7.09
BNZ - Classic 7.24
ASB Bank 7.24
ANZ Special 7.24
TSB Special 7.24
Unity First Home Buyer special 6.45
Heartland Bank - Online 6.55
SBS Bank Special 6.69
TSB Special 6.75
Westpac Special 6.75
China Construction Bank 6.75
ICBC 6.75
AIA - Go Home Loans 6.75
ASB Bank 6.75
Unity 6.79
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 6.79
SBS Bank Special 6.19
ASB Bank 6.39
Westpac Special 6.39
AIA - Go Home Loans 6.39
China Construction Bank 6.40
ICBC 6.49
Kiwibank Special 6.55
BNZ - Classic 6.55
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 6.55
TSB Special 6.59
SBS Bank 6.79
SBS FirstHome Combo 6.19
AIA - Back My Build 6.19
ANZ Blueprint to Build 7.39
Credit Union Auckland 7.70
ICBC 7.85
Heartland Bank - Online 7.99
Pepper Money Essential 8.29
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 8.40
Co-operative Bank - Standard 8.40
First Credit Union Standard 8.50
Kiwibank 8.50

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