Married couples 'to get tax break by 2015'

[oafc0000]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11478320

I like it

[eFestivals]

yeah, £150 a year is enough to make the most hateful couple stay together for the sake of the kids.

It's the most stupid and ridiculous idea going. There is zero evidence to back up the idea that's driving this for the tories.

In a society where 1/3 of children are officially brought up in poverty, there's far better targets for taxpayers cash than those people who happened to sign a bit of paper one day.

[dakyras]

I don't see why marriage should be congratulated.

[fraser_k]

I don't see why marriage should be congratulated.

Edited October 5, 2010 by fraser_k

[Steve P]

Made my feelings very clear on this before. Me and my partner have been together 11 years and have now got a little one too. Effectively we're now being punished (all be it in a pathetically small way) for prioritising buying a house and putting money aside for our daughter rather than spend lots of cash on a wedding (which although lots of people think is important and have the most amazing time, at the end of the day it's just a very expensive way of signing a piece of paper). Utterly stupid policy IMO.

[eFestivals]

Doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate ...

It does if you're coming from the same place as is driving the tory idea that it's better to be married.

The only real thing behind it is tradition - and of course that tradition comes with the big wedding too.

[oafc0000]

Made my feelings very clear on this before. Me and my partner have been together 11 years and have now got a little one too. Effectively we're now being punished (all be it in a pathetically small way) for prioritising buying a house and putting money aside for our daughter rather than spend lots of cash on a wedding (which although lots of people think is important and have the most amazing time, at the end of the day it's just a very expensive way of signing a piece of paper). Utterly stupid policy IMO.

[Steve P]

You can getting married in registry office for very little money... Maybe view at as the state funding your wedding ? £150 a year, will pay it back in the first year...

[oafc0000]

Which to me would be an even more ridiculous idea than rewarding marriage in the first place. We'd be doing it purely for the sake of it. When we do get married we don't want a massive do, but whatever happened it would run to several thousand. That's several months childcare. I know which I think is more important, and that's making sure our finances are as secure as possible for our daughter. Putting her first though doesn't get rewarded by the government. As I said, I think it's stupid.

[llcoolphil]

£150 to a couple is effectively meaningless. £150 x every marrried couple is far from meaningless to the treasury

[Steve P]

You came across as someone who would like to get married but had other priorities...

[oafc0000]

And I am. Just find it hard to see why we should be effectively punished for trying to make sure our daughter has somewhere to live and some money put aside for childcare, rather than sending a big chunk of it on a wedding instead.

[llcoolphil]

but you are not being punished... Someone else is just getting a "gift"... You pay nothing more than you are already doing...

[oafc0000]

The gift has to be paid for, it doesn't come free. That means either an increase in tax for some people or a cut in services for others.

Edited October 5, 2010 by oafc0000

[pehaw]

but you are not being punished... Someone else is just getting a "gift"... You pay nothing more than you are already doing...

[llcoolphil]

Or maybe people who don't plan for their retirement who can afford to...

[oafc0000]

Sorry can you explain?

[llcoolphil]

Well if you can't provide for yourself its going be down to the public purse isn't it

[Purple Monkey]

Sounds like a fair deal to be honest. I mean, marriage basically means you're defeated by a cause you don't really understand, and is basically a 'grown-up' form of peer-pressure where participation of any kind in the game only has one outcome - complete and utter failure. You either get divorced, so you're a laughable failure, or you live with one person, forever until you're dead, and in that circumstance you're an even bigger laughable failure. There's no real reason why people do it, either, just "because". That's what we do. It's the done thing. God wants it, why? Because. FAIL.

That's a seriously f**ked up reason to do anything if I'm honest. If I ever get an order to do something at work, and I ask why, and I get told "because", then I say "that's not good enough, sorry. Go away and rethink what you are doing, because you are clearly insane if you think I'm doing anything just because". Weren't we continually told as kids "If your mates jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" What happened to following that line of inquiry through into adulthood? Could it be that all rational thought is pounded out of us over years and years of what I like to call "social bullshit" until we are turned into servicable drones whose high priorities in life have been twisted into feeding some sort of industrial productivity where we repress our capable minds at the behest of a meaningless status quo? If £150 a year is the price I have to pay in order to remain in the 'sane' bracket of society then so be it.

"But Purple Monkey, it's about and love and commitment to the children, think of the children! The CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE!!!" Yeah, pretty sure you can commit to a future without getting the government in on it. And don't use marriage as an insurance policy for any spawn that may potentially flop out at any given point. Some sort of ceremony where I legally remove their freedom to bugger off at will would seem a little bit, I dunno, selfish, a little bit cruel and somewhat counter-productive to my goals if my goals were to be loved for who I am, not what I have or what I bring to the table financially. The last thing I would want in my life is doubt over my relationship as to whether my wife still loved me or whether she just couldn't be arsed going through the faffing involved in a divorce.

Case in point, everyone in my life that is married, I do not envy one tiny bit. I go to their weddings only to point and laugh at them. You know when a chimp shoves its finger up it's arse at the zoo, and eats it's own faeces, and everyone points at laughs at how it doesn't seem to understand how crude and ultimately disgusting it's caged antics are to the higher evolved species studying them outside? That's how I view newlyweds when they hit the dancefloor and dance to "White Wedding" by Billy Idol, and don't get the irony.

Sorry to go around bursting bubbles, rocking boats, spouting unpopular but pretty rational and ultimately correct opinions but if I'm going to be paying £150 for the privalege of being unmarried, all you married c**ts are going to have to put up with listening to me getting my money's worth, sorry.

*raises shield*

Edited October 6, 2010 by Purple Monkey

[dakyras]

What relationship is stronger? One measured by a pathetic rite of passage and a piece of paper, or one held together purely by love and commitment that continues to function without any interference from the government?

Edited October 6, 2010 by dakyras

[t8yman]

What relationship is stronger? One measured by a pathetic rite of passage and a piece of paper, or one held together purely by love and commitment that continues to function without any interference from the government?

[dakyras]

what about one that is a combination of both?

All this marriage bashing is bullshit. The fact that the wrong people make the wrong decision to get married is the problem, not the institution of marriage. And all this hippy bollocks about "we dont need a piece of paper to prove our love" really f**ks me off. Thats missing the point entirely, and usually what I hear mates saying who are too f**king tight to get married (not necessarily skint)

we met, fell in love, and were engaged within a year, and married in 2. 15 years down the line we love each other more than ever, our wedding day was a celebration of that love, and our day to share with those that mean the most to us both, the cost is immaterial, and I dont mean that to sound smug - you have the wedding you can afford.

the kind of "daily mail" generalisation going on above about the "loveless marriages staying together for the kids" would be jumped on from a great height if they referred to "dole scroungers" or "bloody immigrants"

yes there are many couples that stay together for the wrong reasons, and yes there are many people who should never have gotten married. but there are millions of couples all over the country who love and honour each other for all of their lives. dont cheapen the institution of marriage.

I'm not saying marriage is "the norm", I'm just saying - it works for us, and millions of others.

Heres me, a staunch atheist - supporting the institution of marriage.

[Huevos y Bacon]

Sounds like a fair deal to be honest. I mean, marriage basically means you're defeated by a cause you don't really understand, and is basically a 'grown-up' form of peer-pressure where participation of any kind in the game only has one outcome - complete and utter failure. You either get divorced, so you're a laughable failure, or you live with one person, forever until you're dead, and in that circumstance you're an even bigger laughable failure. There's no real reason why people do it, either, just "because". That's what we do. It's the done thing. God wants it, why? Because. FAIL.

That's a seriously f**ked up reason to do anything if I'm honest. If I ever get an order to do something at work, and I ask why, and I get told "because", then I say "that's not good enough, sorry. Go away and rethink what you are doing, because you are clearly insane if you think I'm doing anything just because". Weren't we continually told as kids "If your mates jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" What happened to following that line of inquiry through into adulthood? Could it be that all rational thought is pounded out of us over years and years of what I like to call "social bullshit" until we are turned into servicable drones whose high priorities in life have been twisted into feeding some sort of industrial productivity where we repress our capable minds at the behest of a meaningless status quo? If £150 a year is the price I have to pay in order to remain in the 'sane' bracket of society then so be it.

"But Purple Monkey, it's about and love and commitment to the children, think of the children! The CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE!!!" Yeah, pretty sure you can commit to a future without getting the government in on it. And don't use marriage as an insurance policy for any spawn that may potentially flop out at any given point. Some sort of ceremony where I legally remove their freedom to bugger off at will would seem a little bit, I dunno, selfish, a little bit cruel and somewhat counter-productive to my goals if my goals were to be loved for who I am, not what I have or what I bring to the table financially. The last thing I would want in my life is doubt over my relationship as to whether my wife still loved me or whether she just couldn't be arsed going through the faffing involved in a divorce.

Case in point, everyone in my life that is married, I do not envy one tiny bit. I go to their weddings only to point and laugh at them. You know when a chimp shoves its finger up it's arse at the zoo, and eats it's own faeces, and everyone points at laughs at how it doesn't seem to understand how crude and ultimately disgusting it's caged antics are to the higher evolved species studying them outside? That's how I view newlyweds when they hit the dancefloor and dance to "White Wedding" by Billy Idol, and don't get the irony.

Sorry to go around bursting bubbles, rocking boats, spouting unpopular but pretty rational and ultimately correct opinions but if I'm going to be paying £150 for the privalege of being unmarried, all you married c**ts are going to have to put up with listening to me getting my money's worth, sorry.

*raises shield*

[oafc0000]

what about one that is a combination of both?

All this marriage bashing is bullshit. The fact that the wrong people make the wrong decision to get married is the problem, not the institution of marriage. And all this hippy bollocks about "we dont need a piece of paper to prove our love" really f**ks me off. Thats missing the point entirely, and usually what I hear mates saying who are too f**king tight to get married (not necessarily skint)

we met, fell in love, and were engaged within a year, and married in 2. 15 years down the line we love each other more than ever, our wedding day was a celebration of that love, and our day to share with those that mean the most to us both, the cost is immaterial, and I dont mean that to sound smug - you have the wedding you can afford.

the kind of "daily mail" generalisation going on above about the "loveless marriages staying together for the kids" would be jumped on from a great height if they referred to "dole scroungers" or "bloody immigrants"

yes there are many couples that stay together for the wrong reasons, and yes there are many people who should never have gotten married. but there are millions of couples all over the country who love and honour each other for all of their lives. dont cheapen the institution of marriage.

I'm not saying marriage is "the norm", I'm just saying - it works for us, and millions of others.

Heres me, a staunch atheist - supporting the institution of marriage.

[dakyras]

Totally agree...

To add on to what you say... The act of marriage is also a public declaration of your union and you are also asking for the help and guidance of the people there. They are part of the bond you now share. Something special about that I feel.

Each to there own but I am strong believer in marriage. The commitments we made that day made us a stronger couple. It is something to fall back on when times are hard. It makes it harder to just walk away. It makes us think more deeply.

Its a shame some marriages breakdown, but mainly live on and are very happy.

You don't need marriage to have a good relationship but I think it makes you stronger as a couple if you can make those commitments to each other and mean them.

Edited October 6, 2010 by dakyras