Budget 2013 Social Protection: Making maternity benefit taxable ‘specifically penalises mothers’

Young families face an even tougher battle to meet the significant costs of a newborn baby after the Government confirmed it is to cut the State support paid to new mothers.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan announced that from Jul 1 maternity benefit is to be treated as taxable income.

The only comfort he offered was that the benefit will continue to be exempt from the universal social charge.