Unclaimed Tax Credit for the Stay-at-home parent.

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Tuesday September 27, 2005 03:04

by Harry Rea - The National Men's Council of Ireland

hrea at eircom dot net

Date: 26th September, 2005.: Time: 4.00 p.m.

Unclaimed Tax Credit for the Stay-at-home parent.

The President of Mothers At Home has today urged mums and dads who work full time at home as a stay-at-home parent and who may not be aware of the existence of a tax credit of €15 per week for stay-at-home parents, to contact the Office of the Revenue Commissioners to clarify if this tax credit is applicable to them.

“I find it deeply disturbing that the existence of this tax credit is not more widely known”, Mrs, Bennis said. “Mothers At Home has been informed that tens of thousands of euro remain unclaimed in the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, simply because no politician has bothered to make parents aware of it. And it begs the question why? Were they ashamed of the paltry nature of the amount being offered in recognition of the work of the full-time parent? Nobody will deny that it is a ridiculous amount, particularly in the light of Art. 41.2 of the Irish Constitution which fully acknowledges the irreplaceable value of the work of the full-time mother, without which, it agrees, the common good cannot be achieved.”

Mrs. Bennis went on to urge claimants to enquire about claiming back taxes for this amount. “It only amounts to €770 per annum,” she said, “but it was introduced in the Budget of 2,000 in response to the public outcry at Charlie McCreevy’s tax individualization, and MAH has been informed that there is an entitlement to back payment to the year 2001.”

Mrs. Bennis was scathing of elected representatives who failed to inform the stay-at-home parents of this entitlement, and she said it was just further proof to her that the stay-at-home parent doesn’t count for much in the eyes of those in the corridors of power.

“Well”, she concluded, “as I have already said, mothers at home are now a force and we are no longer prepared to accept the crumbs that fall from the politicians table. The full-time mother (or father if that is the choice of parents) will be heard at the next election, and any political party that wants their support should know what to do”.