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Child Benefit
change - 1 month to go
HIGH-EARNING child benefit
recipients in the North West have a month to decide whether to stop
receiving the benefit or to pay a charge on it through Self
Assessment.
The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) starts on 7 January,
and will affect taxpayers with income of more than £50,000.
Lin Homer, HMRC's Chief Executive, said:- "Over 680,000 people
have already looked at information on HMRC's website that explains
the changes and what steps those affected can take. It is really
easy to use and will help families in the South West come to a
decision."
The new charge will apply when a taxpayer or their partner's income
is more than £50,000 in a tax year, and if they or their partner
receives Child Benefit.
For those with income of more than £60,000, the tax charge is 100%
of the amount of Child Benefit. If income is between £50,000 and
£60,000, the charge is gradually increased to 100% of the Child
Benefit.
Those affected will need to decide whether to keep receiving Child
Benefit and pay the tax charge through Self Assessment, or to stop
receiving Child Benefit and not pay the new charge. If their income
is between £50,000 and £60,000, the tax charge will always be less
than the amount of Child Benefit, so they could lose money to which
they are entitled if they opt to stop receiving Child Benefit.
If Child Benefit recipients want to stop receiving the benefit, they
should contact HMRC before 7 January 2013. For more information go to:-
hmrc.gov.uk.
HMRC will hold a live twitter Q&A on HICBC on 3 January between
10.30am and 11.30am #hicbcqa.
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To beard or not
to beard?
A poll out to coincide with
Beating Bowel Cancer's Decembeard campaign has revealed that despite
51% of people in the North West saying they prefer a clean-shaven
look on men, 41% of women in the region said they'd be happy for
their male partner to grow a beard for charity.
Following on from Movember the charity Beating Bowel Cancer is
encouraging people to get sponsored to grow, make or fake a beard
during
Decembeard.
Of those surveyed in the North West, 33% of people preferred beard
(6%) or stubble (27%) on men compared to 3% favouring a moustache.
The YouGov poll of more than 2000 UK adults showed that beards were
more of a hit with adult women under the age of 35, with 15% of them
saying they were more likely to find a man with a beard attractive
than a man without one, compared to just 3% of women aged 45-54.
When people in the North West were asked to vote for the bearded
celebrity they found attractive with a beard, George Clooney topped
the list.
Men in the North West liked the rugged look with 18% saying having a
beard made them feel masculine and 11% saying it made them feel
fashionable. However, this conflicted with the female perspective
with 50% of women in the region less likely to find a bearded man
attractive.
The top 5 bearded celebrities from the list
voted for in the North West were:-
George Clooney - 20%
Brad Pitt - 19%
Johnny Depp - 18%
David Beckham - 17%
Ben Affleck - 10%
Rachel Thomas, Community
Fundraiser for Beating Bowel Cancer in the North West, said:-
"We're calling on men, women and children alike to join our 'Beardy'
community and sign up to sport a beard. Whether you want to grow a
beard, get your colleagues sporting fake ones for the day or have a
beard bake-off with your friends, there are many ways to get
involved. So let's start the race for the prickly face!" |
