Mummy Tax

Everything is a tax these days.

But even when something's not really a tax - it's still called a tax anyway - because that's the latest political wheeze and the equivalent of giving a dog a bad name.

Shout 'tax' loud enough and often enough - and the term passes into everyday use while becoming a millstone around the neck of your political opponents.

So in recent times we've had a 'pasty' tax (those meat-filled pastries) - more recently a 'bedroom' tax - and now finally we've got a 'mummy' tax which seems to cover a multitude of situations including the loss of child benefit and child care costs.

Now this last example is a real doozy - if you ask me. 

Because the Coalition Government have just announced a package of financial help with families child care costs - something like 20% of the first £6,000 can be reimbursed to parents (including single parents) - for each and every child.

Yet for some people this measure doesn't go far enough - it's miserable, tight-fisted and discriminatory allegedly - as it doesn't extend to families where there is a stay at home mum (or dad as well, presumably).

Now I don't get this - because if one parent decides to stay at home to look after the children full-time - how can they be incurring child care costs in the first place? 

What do they actually need help with - if they are not paying anyone else to look after their children - while the parents are out at work.

Witness this crazy comment from Marie Peacock - a spokesperson for Mothers at Home Matter - who said:

"Those mothers are working hard and they want to get on. Hard-working families are not just families with two earners. David Cameron is alienating mothers across Britain. We have been inundated with calls from stay-at-home mums who are puzzled and confused by what Mr Cameron is saying."

Now if I understand Marie correctly she appears to be saying that even if one parent is at home fullt-ime with the kids - they should receive the same child care support as if they were going out to work.

All I can say is that no wonder benefit reform is a tough call these days - when some people demand a state hand-out at every possible opportunity.

But if that's a Mummy Tax - then my names's Tutankhamun.