Cameron Marriage Tax Allowance Proves Controversial

The "bedrock of our society". This is the description David Cameron attributed to married couples as the government prepares to launch the marriage tax allowance.

Today saw the unveiling of an advertising campaign to encourage four million couples to sign up for the allowance, a Tory manifesto pledge, ahead of its April release.

Through the measure, an individual who is not using all of their personal allowance will be able to transfer 1,060 to their partner (who has an income under 42,385 a year) culminating in a 212 tax reduction.

Ostensibly, this ticks a number of Conservative boxes. Cameron has long championed the need to "recognise marriage" in the tax system and has said the measure is about "valuing commitment".

But the policy is controversial. When it was first announced in September 2013, Harriet Harman noted: "Married man's tax allowance will go to a man on his third wife but not to first two wives looking after his children."

The Lib Dems were equally critical of the tax breaks policy upon its announcement in 2013. Former Lib Dem Treasury spokesman, Stephen Williams, said: "You don't build a fairer society by using the tax system to favour one type of family over another."

Couples in long term relationships, widows and widowers, those who leave abusive relationships and the aforementioned inundated single mothers lose out on this policy. As the deputy leader of the Labour party suggests, the man on his third marriage is rewarded.

Might it even damage the Tories' standing among female voters in general? George Eaton suggests that by providing the allowance to married couples where one member earns below the personal allowance they have risked suggesting that a woman's place is at home and not in the workplace.

Last year the ONS released the latest divorce figures for England and Wales. In 2012, 118,140 divorces took place, an increase of 0.5% on 2011.

In 1935, there were nearly 350,000 marriages - 100,000 more than in 2011 - and just over 4,000 divorces. The clear trend is a rise in divorce rates correlating with a decline in the number of marriages over the past 70 years.

With cumulative savings of 212 a year, supporters of tax breaks for married couples may feel underwhelmed by the frugal figure and conditions to qualify for the measure.

Those who lose out on the policy, particularly widows and widowers, may feel increasingly alienated from a Conservative party who they perceive do not consider them in their world view.

Origin: art-of-pickup.blogspot.com