Increases in social welfare benefits, war pensions soon

Press, 20 July 1979, Page 2

Increases in social welfare benefits, war pensions soon

PA Wellington Increases in income-tested social welfare benefits and war pensions were announced yesterday by the Minister of Social Welfare (Mr Gair). He said the increases, taking effect from July 25, would raise the marriedcouple benefit by $5.60 to $86.88 a week and the single rate by $336 to $52.13 a week. The increases apply to windows’, invalids’, domes-tic-purposes, miners’, sickness, unemployment, and related emergency benefits and war veterans’ allowances, war-servicf pensions, and war service and war veterans’ gratuities. The rate for a widow or solo parent with one child will increase by $2.60 to $BO.BB a week. Increased child supplements were also announced by Mr Gair. From July 25, supplements for all children of marriedcouple beneficiaries will rise to $4 a week. The rate for the second child of a widow or solo parent will increase from $3 to $4 a week and the rate for the third child and subsequent children will increase from $2 to S 4 a week.

Mr Gair said the increases meant that a widow or solo parent with two children would receive $3.60 more a week, bringing their rate to $84.88. For those with three children the increase would be $5.60, bringing their rate to $BB.BB a week. To maintain the present relativity between the benefit for married couples and solo parents, all widows and solo parents would receive a special temporary supplementary’ payment of $3 a week for their first child from July 25 to October 17, when the new $3-a-week increase in the family benefit would apply. An increase of $2.56 a week would be given to recipients of invalids’, sickness, and related emergency benefits who were aged under 18 and who had no dependants and to recipients of the unemployment benefit and related emergency benefit who were aged under 20 and who had no dependants. The new rate would be $39.66 a week. The orphans benefit and war orphans pensions would increase by $1.65 a week to $25.85 and $26.90 respectively. The emergency-mainten-ance allowance would in-

crease by $2.60, making the rate fc»r a. solo parent with one dependant child $64.88 a week. These beneficiaries would also receive the supplementary payment of $3 a week payable for their first child until October 17. The unemployment-benefit increases would be subject to normal rates of tax from October 1 but unemployment beneficiaries with dependant children would be exempt from taxation. Mr Gair said he would make a further announcement soon on the effects of taxing the unemployment benefit.