Britain Is Considering Taxing The Childless

This would have implications and could spread worldwide if imposed

I do not have children, and the idea of being taxed because of that really does not sit well with me.

I am not alone, the latest figures suggest that the UK has an aging population. If you think that this is only happening in the UK then think again, this is becoming a global phenomenon.

The Oxford University demographer said:

“This may seem unfair on those who can’t or won’t have children, but it recognises that we all rely on there being a next generation and that everyone should contribute to the cost of creating that generation.”

For those that have children, you may be thinking not my problem, however, could this affect any of your family or friends. Also, could the rules be changed in the future so that people who don’t have any children under a certain age are taxed? Where does this end?

I understand that we need to continue to reproduce so that there are future generations but whether somebody should dictate if people that don’t have children should be punished is another matter. Surely there are more positive ways of dealing with this problem. These are the reasons that I think this idea is not a good one:

Having Children For The Sake of It

Picture this a couple has decided that they do not want to have children because they do not think that they would make good parents.

They feel like it would be a burden to have children and would prefer socialising and concentrating on their careers. They could have children to avoid the tax but what kind of life would they offer the child.

If their heart is not really in it then could this result in neglect of the child. Somebody having a child because they are being pressured to could end up with resentment and feelings of unhappiness.

Is anybody going to benefit from this type of situation, that is the question.

Bereavement

Unfortunately, the world can be a cruel place and sometimes children get ill and pass away.

If this happens then the parents may be considered childless. Would the people that want to impose this tax be cruel enough to make these people pay? Surely they would be reasonable and know that this would be inhumane.

My fear is that this would be introduced as a blanket policy and would not look at individual circumstances.

If a situation like this did occur my fear is that it could further traumatise the parents.

Infertility

Infertility is on the rise and it’s hard to say for sure what is causing this.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that 186 million people have infertility globally. Infertility can happen as a result of medical conditions, such as cancer, PCOS, or endometriosis and many who have these conditions would love to have children, but can’t.

If somebody is paying for expensive infertility treatments which by the way cost thousands of pounds each try, is it right to make them pay? Surely it would be better to help people in this situation.

Homosexuals

A high percentage of people in same-sex relationships decide to foster or adopt children.

We are unsure of all the facts but would this rule take them into consideration? Some couples decide to use a surrogate or sperm donor or to remain child-free. Many believe that this would be taking away choices from them.

We have done so much work on making gay people feel accepted. Would imposing this be taking a step back? Many would answer yes to this question.

Adoption

Some people like the idea of adopting because they believe there are children already here that need love. If this rule is imposed then it is possible that we could see adoption numbers go down.

People may feel forced to bear their own children rather than adopt. In the UK the government pays out money to those with children to help them with the cost. This would make it more affordable to forget about adopting and have your own.

It makes me wonder what could become of these children that could of had loving homes and stability.

Health

Another reason that people may not have children is that they have poor health.

Once children have arrived into this world they need to be looked after. What if one of the parents has a long-term or progressive health condition. They may not be in a position to care for the child.

Furthermore, if they are too ill to work they may already be struggling financially. They would then have this tax imposed that would make them struggle even more.

Would people in this boat feel that they need to have children even though they may not be able to cope with it?

It is unclear whether the individuals that are sitting in their ivory towers at Oxford University have thought of all these things.

God forbid them to have a child who goes on to have infertility issues or is forced to do something against their will and be unhappy for the rest of their lives. I’m sure they would soon look at things differently.

I am unsure why these people think they have the right to control the masses. There have not thought about asking other people how they feel. Could this be another attempt to take our hard-earned money from us? Let’s not forget that there is a cost of living crisis and we could well do without this ridiculous idea.

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