Political opinion: “Stick to the plan” says South Downs MP

In yesterday’s Budget, the Government introduced new support for hard-working parents who balance being a parent alongside their work.

The Government announced the raising of the threshold for the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) to £60,000, taking 170,000 families out of paying this tax charge, from April 2024.

It means the charge continues to withdraw Child Benefit from high-income families as it was designed to do, without unfairly penalising those on middle incomes, so that almost half a million families will gain an estimated average of £1,260 in 2024-25.

The Budget also confirmed the increasing of that taper to £80,000 (the point at which the Child Benefit is fully withdrawn) – halving the rate at which HICBC withdraws child benefit, thereby also improving people’s incentives to continue working or take up more hours. This will deliver on our promise of a stronger economy and a brighter future.

The Conservatives say that the Budget delivers on the party’s plan to deliver a brighter future for our children and hard-working families, by helping parents pay for the costs associated with having children so they can balance their work alongside being a parent.

The new measures build upon the Government’s Autumn Budget, which delivers the most significant expansion of childcare in a decade so that from September 2025, working families in England will be offered 30 hours of free childcare for their child aged nine months old up to school age. This is a package worth £6,500 for every family with a two-year-old using 35 hours of childcare a week, in turn helping more parents into the job that is right for them.

Commenting, Andrew Griffith MP said: “Because the Conservative Government are sticking to the plan with the economy, inflation is down 11.1 per cent to 4.0 per cent, meaning we can introduce new measures to support hard-working parents manage their work and being a parent.

“The Spring Budget delivers a fairer system for families who wish to work and care for their children by raising the threshold for the High Income Child Benefit Charge, meaning hard-working parents can keep more of the money they earn.

“This was made possible thanks to the long-term decisions the Conservatives have taken to stick to the plan and strengthen the economy, helping to secure a brighter future for families across the country.”