Welfare support
Sir,—Mr Bolger (June 13) reiterates that the “number of families dependent in whole or part on an income-tested benefit” has increased three - times under the present Government. The argument is spurious and the implication insidious. The predominant cause of the increase has been the implementation of Family Care, a policy that has not increased by one the number of people eligible for welfare support. Targeted support is preferable on any criterion to blanket support, the main abuse of the current system being those beneficiaries, who qualify by their ability to declare a taxable income considerably understating the value of the realised income that they enjoy. Family Care represents a step towards an appropriate incen-tive-compatible and efficient negative income tax system where every taxpayer is a beneficiary, albeit at the zero level for the majority. This Government has acted to reduce the number of welfare recipients by the removal of supplementary minimum prices and export incentives. — Yours, etc., D. J. WALKER. June 13, 1986.
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Press, 18 June 1986, Page 18
Word Count
165Welfare support Press, 18 June 1986, Page 18
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