A recent survey from independent think-tank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has found that around two-thirds of those surveyed support the idea of tax breaks for marriage.
Gavin Poole, CSJ executive director, said:
“Restoring a tax break for marriage would provide practical help to families and would send a signal right through society that marriage is a stabilising factor in society and contributes to the welfare of adults and children alike.”
The report sets out why it believes marriage is good for society and highlights the damage done by family breakdown:
- The explicit commitment of marriage encourages men to be responsible fathers and gives them something, beyond themselves to live and work for.
- Breaking the link between parenthood and marriage has introduced “massive instability” into society, especially its poorest parts, because informal partnering greatly increases the risk of becoming a single parent.
- Where children are involved, marriage confers far greater stability than any other arrangements. By the time a child has reached the age of five, one in three non-married parents will have split up. The figure for married parents who divorce is less than one in ten. Instability persists as children get older among unmarried parents. Among children who have reached the age of 15 and have two parents, 97% of those parents are married couples – only 3% are unmarried.
- Half of all children born today will witness the breakdown of their parents’ relationship.
