SIPTU seeks child credits

THE country’s largest trade union has called on Finance Minister Brian Cowen to introduce a minimum tax credit of €20 a week on childcare costs for all working parents.

SIPTU is pushing for a sliding scale of tax relief for parents in different tax bands in the forthcoming budget.

“SIPTU is calling on the minister to introduce a system of tax relief on childcare expenses that will assist working parents whose children are in approved, formal childcare arrangements, as well as parents who have more mixed or informal arrangement for their children,” the union’s national equality secretary Rosheen Callender said.

SIPTU argues that tax relief up to a maximum of €50 a week should be considered, with refundable tax credits on offer to those parents whose incomes are too low to be taxed.

“This means that in effect 20% taxpayers would be getting tax relief on the first €250 a week of their childcare costs and 42% taxpayers would get tax relief on the first €119 a week.”

Childcare will be a key priority at SIPTU’s conference in Waterford today.