Valerie urges change on Working Tax Credit rules

Valerie  is urging the Government to reconsider a change to tax credit rules which means thousands of families will lose all of their Working Tax Credits unless they can significantly increase their working hours.

Valerie said:

“900 couples with children in part-time work in Walsall South could lose around £4,000 a year from this April, following a change to tax credit rules being introduced by the Government.”

“The change means that couples with children earning less than around £17,700 will need to increase the number of hours they work from a minimum of 16 to 24 hours per week or they will lose all their Working Tax Credit of £3,870 per year. This is a deeply unfair change from a government that is increasingly out of touch with parents struggling to juggle work and family life.”

“Raising taxes and cutting spending too far and too fast has seen unemployment rise and many employers are cutting people’s hours. In this climate, very few people in part-time work will find be able to increase their hours by up to 50 per cent. For a couple with children losing around £4,000 a year, or £75 a week, from this change could mean going out to work makes no sense.”