Insurance anomaly - Change rules to end death tax threat

THOUGH legislation has been frequently amended to recognise the changing shape and needs of Irish families it seems another adjustment is needed.

It has emerged that unmarried couples who have bought a house together run the risk of a huge tax bill should one of them die unexpectedly.

The great majority of first-time buyers — four-out-of-five — over recent years were unmarried couples and they have been warned that they face major tax bills in the event of the unexpected death of one partner unless they — as a couple — have followed a strict insurance payments procedure.

For a generation struggling with mortgage payments, unemployment, negative equity and the prospect of trying to survive in a stagnating economy this is a bridge too far. These couples are bearing the brunt of the economic collapse and if a simple amendment to our tax laws can remove this worry it should be put in place.