Commission on a Gender-Equal Economy: Call for evidence – Taxation
LITRG has submitted evidence to the Women’s Budget Group and its Commission on a Gender-Equal Economy, in response to its call for evidence on taxation. We use our response to highlight a few policy and operational changes that might have a positive impact on gender equality. In doing so, we note that whenever changes are made to the tax system it is important to give careful consideration to possible consequences and problems that might arise as a result of the new policy. Moreover, interactions with other aspects of the tax system and with non-tax systems also need to be considered and analysed.
As well as highlighting some specific possible changes, we set out our seven principles that we think the tax system should try to adhere to, including that the tax system should be clear, simple, equitable, accessible and inclusive. We also make some general observations in relation to the need to consider interactions, with particular reference to the personal allowance and the national minimum wage. Our specific recommendations include uprating of the thresholds for the high income child benefit charge, as well as changes to its operation and provision of tax relief to low earners in net pay arrangement pension schemes. We also make recommendations in relation to VAT on sanitary products, bereavement support payment, carer’s allowance, and the use of real time information for PAYE for universal credit purposes.
Our submission can be found here: Commission on a Gender-Equal Economy: Call for evidence - Taxation – LITRG response
Joanne Walker