Benefits and pensions up next week

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 2

Benefits and pensions up next week

PA • Wellington Social Welfare benefits and war pensions have ' been increased by.'. $7.76 a week for married couples, $4.66 a week for single, beneficiaries, and $3,54 a week for underage beneficiaries,- 'the Minister of Social Welfare (Mr Gair) announced yesterday. The increases, which will take effect from July 23, will take the married couple benefit rate to $102.46 a week and the single rate to $61.48 a week. • _ Mr Gair said that the increases . would apply to widows’’ invalids’, domestic purposes, miners’, sickness, and related emergency benefits, to war veterans’ allowances, war service pensions, and to war service and war veterans’ allowances:

The new rates also applied to unemployment benefits, with the under-20 years weekly payment at $46.77, Mr Gair said.

However, the unemployment benefit was now taxable where there were no dependent children, so that the new' net rate for a married couple with no dependants would be $89.43 a week. The single rate would be $52.78 a week, and the under-20

rate, $40.17 a week, Mr Gaii said. The child supplement for the first child of ’a‘.widow or solo parent had: been increased from $3EBB> a. week to $34.98, the supplement for each additional - dependent child remaining at $4. Recipients of invalids, sickness, 'and related emergency benefits who were under 18 and had no dependants would receive an increase of $3.54 a week, giving a weekly rate of $46.77. Orphans’ benefits and war orphans’ pensions would both be increased by $2.30 a week taking them to $3045 and $31.50 a week respectively.

There would also be an increase of $7.76 a week in the rate of the emergency maintenance allowance, taking the rate of allowance for a solo parent with one dependant child to $80.46. Mr Gair said the increases were based on an 8.18 per cent increase in the consumers price index over the first six months of this year, and should compensate beneficiaries for the rise in the cost of living. The increases in benefits and pensions were expected to cost about $39.1 million in a full year, he said.