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Child Benefit
reminder for higher income earners
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
is reminding people with an income over £60,000 whose family is
still receiving Child Benefit to opt out before 28 March 2013, if they
wish to avoid filling in a tax return and repaying the benefit for
the 2013/14 tax year.
Latest HMRC figures show that over 365,000 people have opted out of
Child Benefit since the High Income Child Benefit Charge was
introduced on 7 January 2013. Those who have already stopped their Child
Benefit payments do not need to act.
People who continued to receive Child Benefit after January need to
register for Self Assessment by 5 October 2013 to repay the benefit
received between January and April 2013, but opting out now means
they will not need to fill in a tax return in future years.
Lin Homer, Chief Executive at HMRC, said:- "Anyone wanting to
opt out of Child Benefit payments can do so at any time. It is
really easy – just go to our website. Anyone with an income over
£60,000 who has received Child Benefit since January needs to
register for Self Assessment by 5 October 2013, to repay some or all
of this year's benefit, but if they opt out now this will be a
one-off."
For people with income of more than £60,000, the tax charge is 100
per cent of the amount of Child Benefit. For income between £50,000
and £60,000, the charge is gradually increased to 100 per cent of
the Child Benefit.
The decision to stay in or opt out of receiving Child Benefit
payments is not final, and families are free to change their minds.
Anyone earning over £50,000 who has received Child Benefit since 7
January 2013, you will need to register for Self Assessment and complete
a tax return for that period, regardless of whether they are now
opting out.
For more information go to:-
hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefitcharge.
Red Nose Day
2013 Are You Doing Anything?
ARE you any fundraising
events for Red Nose
Day on Friday, 15 March 2013?
Are you putting a bit of Comic Relief in to your life and the lives
of others? If you do please let us know and if you can take a
few photos and let us know how much you have raised. We would
love to know! Please email are news room via:-
news24@southportreporter.com.
if you are sending any photos,
please check you have the permission of all in the photograph and
that you own the copyright, also our standard
T&C apply. |
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Local charity
calls for urgent action on care quality
NATIONAL disability charity
Vitalise, which runs the Sandpipers respite break centre in
Southport, is calling for urgent action in the wake of the CQC's
damning report on the state of care for people with Alzheimer's and
dementia.
The shock CQC report, which found that in 78 out of 151 local NHS
areas people with dementia who lived in care homes were more likely
to be admitted to hospital for an avoidable reason than people
without the condition, points to a fundamental problem of quality in
residential care which is shared by all people with disabilities,
says Vitalise.
A study conducted by Vitalise found that 6 out of 10 carers have
huge feelings of worry and guilt at the prospect of sending their
disabled, frail or elderly loved ones into residential care even for
just a few days' respite, and that the issue of quality of care is
the root of their fears.
In the wake of the CQC's report, Vitalise is renewing its call for
respite service providers to pay more attention to the fundamental
issues of quality and choice in respite care in order to avert a
worsening problem.
The charity warns that unless the causes of carers' worries about
respite care are addressed, many carers will be too worried to
consider taking any respite from caring at all and will end up
putting their own health - and that of the person they care for - at
risk.
The Vitalise study also found that 7 out of 10 carers felt that a
break from caring was 'important' or 'very important'
and
that carers wanted more choice and control over respite care and
short breaks for their loved ones.
Vitalise Chief Executive Chris Simmonds said:- "This CQC
report is more evidence of a growing crisis in social care. Our own
study shows that family carers have no confidence in the quality or
suitability of the respite care on offer.
Given the chronic lack of confidence in residential and respite
care, it is really not surprising that carers would rather struggle
on at home, risking their own health in the process.
Vitalise's own experience over 50 years of operation is that carers'
worries can be eased if they are confident that their loved ones
will receive good quality care, combined with dignity and respect,
in an appropriate and stimulating environment. Is this too much to
ask of our respite providers? Regular, good quality respite
breaks for people with disabilities and those who care for them are
an absolute essential in enabling families affected by disability to
carry on coping."
Vitalise is a national charity providing essential breaks for people
with disabilities and carers. Vitalise provides essential short
breaks in a holiday environment for people with disabilities –
including Alzheimer's and dementia - and carers at Sandpipers and
two other accessible UK centres in Chigwell in Essex and
Southampton. Each centre provides 24-hour nursing care on-call,
personal support and a range of accessible excursions, activities
and entertainment. |
