At the risk of committing heinous crime in mentioning the Child 
Benefit again.

I still feel it is a waste of our money to inform every parent in the 
country that the Child Benefit has risen by a few pence. The sheer 
cost of doing such a thing almost wipes away any benefit to parents if 
they are tax payers.  Surely a simple TV advert would suffice.

Incidentally, it was never meant to be a benefit, it was a large 
amount of tax taken from men and given to women. The social reason was 
to ensure that the mothers and children of men who worked and did not 
contribute to the household were not left in a hidden poverty. Family 
Tax Credit does not serve the same purpose as it is means tested and 
is not universal, so it does not benefit the silent suffering 
children.  It is also not enough to feed and clothe a child because 
its true value has been eroded against inflation.

In Christ's love
Carol T